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Calcium intake may protect against mortality among women
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Calcium supplements, up to 1,000 mg daily, and increased dietary calcium intake may reduce the risk for mortality among women, according to data from a recent Canadian study. Researchers also studied vitamin D intake but found no evidence of harm or benefit associated with daily doses.
In the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study, 9,033 men and women were followed for 10 years, during which time 1,160 people died.
Among women, per 500 mg increase in total daily calcium intake, the HR for mortality was 0.95 (95% CI, 0.89-1.01). Additionally, the risk for mortality was lower among women who used calcium supplements vs. those who did not (HR=0.78; 95% CI, 0.66-0.92), although the researchers reported no dose-response effect.
Among men, there were no statistical benefits.
“Our study found daily use of calcium supplements was associated with a lower risk of death among women,” study researcher David Goltzman, MD, professor in the department of medicine at McGill University in Montreal, said in a press release. “Higher amounts of calcium were potentially linked to longer life spans in women, regardless of the source of the calcium.”
Based on their findings, including a lack of evidence that vitamin D intake affects the association between calcium and mortality, Goltzman and colleagues recommend assessing dietary intake to meet calcium and vitamin D needs for bone health and to consider supplements, when necessary, to meet these requirements.
Disclosure: The Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study (CaMos) is currently funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Amgen, Merck Frosst Canada Ltd., the Dairy Farmers of Canada, Novartis and Eli Lilly and Company.
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