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NHANES: Calcium supplement use declining
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The use of daily supplemental calcium in the U.S. rose steadily from 1999 before peaking in 2007-2008 and then declined each year since, with calcium supplement use highest among older white women, according to an analysis of National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data.
“These findings are important for thinking about the population-level effects of supplemental calcium, for which the health benefits and long-term consequences are controversial,” Mary R. Rooney, MPH, a doctoral student in cardiovascular disease epidemiology and prevention at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health in Minneapolis, told Endocrine Today. “Also, our findings indicate a substantial number of American adults may be striving for nutritional adequacy by relying on calcium supplements.”
Rooney and colleagues analyzed data from 42,038 adults who provided dietary supplement intake data in two 24-hour recalls for eight NHANES cycles conducted between 1999-2000 and 2013-2014 (mean age, 51 years; 50% women; 46.9% white). Researchers estimated mean daily supplemental calcium intake, calculated the prevalence of calcium supplement use above the estimated average requirement and the prevalence of calcium supplement use above the tolerable upper limit levels among those reporting use of at least one calcium-containing supplement.
Across survey cycles, the prevalence of supplement use above the estimated average requirement tended to be three to four times greater among women vs. men. In 2013-2014, prevalence of supplement use above the estimated average requirement was 7.1% for women and 1.9% for men, with 10.4% of adults aged 61 to 70 years and 8.5% of adults aged at least 70 years consuming supplemental calcium above the estimated average requirement.
The overall prevalence of calcium supplement use above the estimated average requirement increased from 2.5% in 1999-2000 to 4.6% in 2013-2014, with prevalence peaking in 2003-2004 at 6.7% (P for quadratic trend < .001).
Researchers also found that mean daily supplemental calcium intake peaked in 2007-2008, decreasing each cycle thereafter (P for quadratic trend < .001). In the most recent survey cycle, average daily supplemental calcium intake was 359.7 mg per day, up only slightly from 1999-2000 (mean, 347.7 mg per day). Intake was highest for women, white and older adults, according to researchers.
The researchers noted the findings are important for considering the population-level effects of supplemental calcium intake.
“It is possible our findings reflect consumer awareness of evolving research on supplemental calcium,” Rooney said. “We provide supplemental calcium trends in relation to nutritional guidelines, which provide a useful context for health professionals considering supplemental calcium in relation to these nutritional guidelines for calcium intake.” – by Regina Schaffer
For more information:
Mary R. Rooney, MPH, can be reached at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, 420 Delaware St. SE, Minneapolis, MN 54455; email: roone166@umn.edu.
Disclosures: The NIH National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the Office of Dietary Supplements supported this study. The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
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