Is calcium supplementation effective?

Wednesday May 27, 2009 (foodconsumer.org) -- For the last five years, there has been some controversy over whether or not calcium and vitamin D supplements actually benefit women over 50 with regards to bone density. Some have even gone so far as to say that taking the supplement could actually do more harm than good.

Dr. Robert Thompson, author of “The Calcium Lie,” claims that women have been duped into thinking that calcium supplementation is a sure way to fend off osteoporosis. He writes that taking calcium supplements creates a mineral imbalance in the body that can actually lead to a decrease in bone density. The body needs several trace minerals, not just calcium, he asserts. Some experts feel that instead of calcium supplements, an ionic supplement would help the body maintain a healthy mineral balance.

Dr. Thompson isn’t the only one questioning the value in taking supplements to increase bone density. In 2003, a study conducted by the Women’s Health Initiative seriously overturned traditional thought on the subject. The study ran for 7 years, and charted the medical course of 36,282 healthy women between the ages of 50 and 79.

The results of the study were fairly astounding. Women who took supplements regularly had an infinitesimal increase in bone density (1%) in the hip.

However, Dr. Elizabeth G. Nabel, the lead author of the study, believes that even though this increase isn’t as promising as medical experts had hoped, it is, in fact, still an increase. She recommends that patients continue taking the supplements because of the 1% benefit.

Others are not so supportive of continuing calcium supplementation, citing studies that indicate an increase in kidney stone risk for those who take it.

Regardless of the supplementation opinion, all medical professionals agree that proper nutrition and a regular weight-bearing exercise routine is the best route to take in warding off osteoporosis.

(By Rachel Stockton, and edited by Heather Kelley)