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Calcium supplements linked to longer life in women: Canadian researchers
– Reported, May 24, 2013
Three studies from Germany, Sweden and the U.S. recently made headlines for suggesting calcium supplements may increase the risk of heart disease in both men and women. Yet it’s important to note that the evidence from these studies is inconclusive, as noted by Nutrition Action newsletter from the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Furthermore, participants in these studies who were more likely to experience heart disease, and even die from it, were in many cases consuming over the recommended daily amount (RDA) of calcium, whether through food intake or supplements. This is all to say, there is not enough evidence to conclusively say that taking calcium supplements will likely harm your health.
And now, the most recent study on this subject, to be published in the July issue of Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, shows calcium supplements may actually be associated with a longer life expectancy among women. “Our study found daily use of calcium supplements was associated with a lower risk of death among women,” says study lead author, Dr. David Goltzman from McGill University.
“The benefit was seen for women who took doses of up to 1,000 mg per day, regardless of whether the supplement contained vitamin D.” The RDA of calcium is 1,000 mg a day for women up to age 50 and men up to age 70. For anyone older, it is 1,200 mg a day. A team of Canadian researchers from 11 universities monitored the health of 9,033 Canadians between 1995 and 2007 during which 1,160 participants died. The participants were part of the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study.
Researchers found that the lower mortality risk associated with high amounts of calcium in women occurred regardless of the source of calcium. “The same benefits were seen when the calcium came from dairy foods, non-dairy foods or supplements,” says Goltzman. While women who took calcium supplements had a lower mortality risk, there was no statistically significant lower risk of mortality for men.
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