A new study shows calcium supplements, typically used to keep bones strong, could lead to heart trouble. According to an article in USA Today, participants taking regular calcium supplements were 86% more likely to have a heart attack than those who didn’t take supplements.
Once accepted, now questioned
“Calcium supplements have been widely embraced by doctors and the public, on the grounds that they are a natural and therefore safe way of preventing osteoporatic fractures,” the authors write. “We should return to seeing calcium as an important component of a balanced diet.”
Researchers believe calcium supplements should be re-examined and carefully prescribed.
“Doctors who work with the elderly and people who are postmenopausal routinely tell them to take a calcium supplement,” says Linda Russell, a rheumatologist and osteoporosis specialist at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. “It’s really time to re-examine that philosophy. Other studies about calcium have been suggesting this in recent years, but maybe this study really should get doctors to rethink this approach.”
Benefits still outweigh risks
Russell says the benefits of calcium supplements are well documented, however, new treatments may offer better protection against osteoporosis and avoid the latest health concern.
Russell recommends bisphosphonates for patients with osteoporosis. She also works with her patients to encourage them to get enough calcium in their diet rather than through supplements.
Supplements are big business
Vitamins and other supplements are big business. Every pharmacy and grocery store has shelves lined with bottles that all claim to have certain health benefits.
“Walk into any drugstore and these calcium supplements just jump off the shelves at you,” says Russell.
More studies are needed to investigate the supplements and their link to heart disease. Calcium supplements have been linked to other health problems including bloating and kidney stones. The FDA has also issued warnings on certain supplements with false claims.
