Researchers examined nationally representative survey data on
dietary habits and vitamin and supplement use collected between 1999
and 2014 from 42,038 adults.
About one in 20 adults got a substantial portion of their daily
calcium from supplements, the study found.
In the study’s first year, 2.5 percent of supplement users got more
than the estimated daily amount of calcium necessary. This peaked at
6.7 percent of supplement users from 2003 to 2004, then dipped to
4.6 percent by 2013 to 2014.
“Supplemental calcium has potential benefits, particularly in
relation to bone health, however, it may also put people at
increased risk of kidney stones, cardiovascular disease and adverse
gastrointestinal symptoms,” said senior study author Pamela Lutsey
of the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota in
Minneapolis.
“This is in contrast to calcium consumed from dietary sources, which
is generally well-tolerated and has been associated lower risk of
fractures, colon cancer, kidney stones and hypertension,” Lutsey
said by email
Americans get most of their dietary calcium from dairy products,
such as milk, yogurt and cheese, all of which are rich natural
sources of calcium, Lutsey added. Nondairy sources include
cruciferous vegetables, such as Chinese cabbage, kale and broccoli.
For women up to age 50 and men up to age 70, total daily calcium
intake from all sources of 800 milligrams is recommended to meet the
estimated average requirements of most people, researchers note in
the journal Bone. After age 50 for women and 70 for men, this goes
up to 1,000 milligrams a day. These intake estimates are based on
the amount of calcium needed to promote bone health.

The upper tolerable limit of calcium supplementation is 2,500
milligrams a day for adults up to age 50, and 2,000 milligrams a day
after that. Larger doses are linked to an increased risk of soft
tissue damage.
By the end of the study period, only 0.3 percent of supplement users
were taking more than the upper tolerable limit, down from 1.2
percent in 2007 to 2008.
Women, non-Hispanic white people and older adults were more likely
than other individuals to take too much calcium.
[to top of second column] |

The study wasn’t a controlled experiment designed to prove whether
or how calcium supplements might help or harm health. Another
limitation is that researchers relied on survey participants to
accurately recall and report what they ate, and to show all of the
vitamins, minerals and supplements they took.
Still, results add to the evidence that use of calcium supplements
is declining, in part out of safety concerns, said Dr. Kurt Kennel,
a nutrition researcher at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota,
who wasn’t involved in the study.
One persistent problem is that supplement users often get a lot of
calcium in their diet, Kennel said.

“Since those who take supplements are more likely to have higher
dietary intake of calcium, one can surmise that they are getting too
much calcium because of the supplementation,” Kennel said.
Older men and women should discuss calcium supplements with their
healthcare provider to determine if they need them or not.
“For most people, following a healthy diet to obtain calcium from
their diet is sufficient,” Kennel added. “For healthy persons,
taking calcium supplements will not decrease the risk of
osteoporosis or fractures but may cause side effects.”
However, certain medical conditions like ulcerative colitis and
kidney failure, diuretic medications, and weight-loss surgery can
all lead to calcium deficiencies, and these patients in particular
may need supplements, said Dr. Neelum Aggarwal of Rush University
Medical Center in Chicago.
“Rarely is diet alone going to help persons come back from a calcium
deficient state,” Aggarwal, who wasn’t involved in the study, said
by email.
SOURCE: https://bit.ly/2J5fyy8 Bone, online March 9, 2018.
[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.

|