By Annie Hauser
When women get essential calcium and vitamin D from supplements instead of natural sources, recent research finds they face increase risks to their heart and kidneys, as well as a higher chance of being constipated.
Calcium and vitamin D are essential at every age, particularly for older women who face a higher risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures. But most women consume only an average of 895 mg of calcium per day, according to the latest "What We Eat in America" federal food survey &mdash well below the 1,200 mg per day recommended by the Institute of Medicine.
To improve calcium levels, many women turn to supplements, which might be a double-edged sword, according to a slew of new studies, raising heart attack and even mortality risk while not providing the desired bone-health boost. Read on to find out more.
Calcium Doesn't Reduce Fracture Risk
There's no evidence to support the idea that calcium and vitamin D supplements prevent falls and bone fractures in older adults, a new review published in the Annals of Internal Medicine finds. After two systematic evidence reviews and a meta-analysis on the health effects of vitamin D supplements, researchers from the United States Preventive Services Task Force found no evidence that daily supplementation prevented bone fractures, though it did increase a patient's risk of kidney stones. Because preventing falls is so essential for senior health, the task force recommends regular bone density tests and screens for osteoporosis.
Calcium May Double Death Risk
In a large, long-term study of Swedish women, researchers found that calcium intake greater than 1,400 mg per day was associated with higher death rates, particularly from cardiovascular events. The increase in death risk was more pronounced in those who consumed high amounts of calcium in their diets and used calcium tablets, as much as doubling their death risk, compared to those who ate foods with a lot of calcium but did not take supplements.Joan Salge Blake, MS, RD, a clinical associate professor of nutrition at Boston University who did not work on the study, says it's almost impossible to get too much calcium from diet alone, so the take-home message is to make sure you're eating enough calcium-rich foods in your diet to avoid needing supplements at all.
Calcium Supplements Pose Heart Risk
The greatest risk of calcium supplementation might be for your heart, according to recent research. In addition to the Swedish study, another article published last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that men who took calcium pills, though not women, had a 20 percent higher risk of dying from heart disease. Other studies have found similar results in both men and women.
Reena L. Pande, MD, a cardiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston and an instructor at Harvard Medical School, wrote in an exclusive to Everyday Health that these findings should be taken with a grain of salt because they are observational studies and not the "gold standard" randomized controlled trials. Still, the possibility remains that calcium supplements can harm your heart, so use caution while taking supplements, as more research is conducted.
Calcium Supplements and Kidney Stones
New research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine associated calcium supplements with an increased kidney stone risk, supporting the findings of several past studies published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. But a recent review of studies by researchers at the Hospital Clinico de San Carlos in Madrid, Spain, found that calcium supplements did not significantly increase kidney stone risk in women receiving treatment for osteoporosis, though some patients did report kidney pain, indicating the more study on the link is needed.
Calcium and Iron
Calcium can decrease the body's absorption of dietary iron, according to the National Institutes of Health. To offset this effect, people should consume foods that enhance the absorption of iron, such as meat protein and vitamin C, particularly when iron needs are high, NIH experts say. Women need more iron during menstruation and pregnancy and if they're only consuming vegetarian iron sources, according to NIH guidelines.
Calcium and Constipation
According to some research, a less than desirable but not dangerous side effect of calcium supplements can be constipation. In general, calcium carbonate supplements are the most constipating, according to the Mayo Clinic, so you may need to try a few different brands or types of calcium supplements to find one that you tolerate the best, or talk to your doctor about other options.
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