Wed Dec 7, 2016 (foodconsumer.org) -- Marjorie L McCullough affiliated with American Cancer Society and colleagues conducted a study and found evidence that taking calcium supplements may help prevent all-cause death in women, but not so much in men if any.
Calcium is known for its physiological role in bone health, but its role in other conditions/diseases like cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer remains largely unknown while some reports indicate that taking calcium supplements in a high dose could do more harm than good.
The current study was intended to investigate associations of supplemental calcium, dietary calcium and total calcium intakes with the risk of all-cause death, CVD specific death and cancer-specific death in a large study population.
Enrolled in the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition study were 132,823 men and women who were followed for an average of 17.5 years for mortality outcomes. During the follow-up, 43,186 deaths were recorded. The dietary and supplemental calcium intakes were collected at baseline in 1992 or 1993 and then again in 1999 and 2003.
Among men, calcium supplements were overall not significantly associated with mortality outcomes. But men who took 1000 mg or more of supplemental calcium per day were found 17% more likely to die from all causes. The risk mostly was attributed to the higher risk of CVD-specific mortality.
Among women, supplemental calcium was inversely associated with all-cause mortality and the reduction in the death risk was up to 16% when the daily dose of supplemental calcium was between 500 mg and 1000 mg. Supplemental calcium in a dose out of this range was linked to a much smaller risk reduction (no more than 10%).
Total calcium intake was also inversely linked to the risk of all-cause death in women, but not men. Dietary calcium intake was in no case associated with all-cause mortality.
Keep in mind that this study could not prove any causal relationship, which means that it does not indicate that taking calcium supplements can or cannot reduce the death risk or even increase the risk because it merely reveals some correlations.
The fact is, many people who took calcium supplements or other supplements had more severe health conditions already. So many deaths might have eventually occurred even if calcium supplements helped the supplement users.
Calcium is an important mineral that everyone needs for their bone health. High intake of dietary calcium which mainly comes from dairy products has been associated with lower risk of colorectal cancer.
Recently, a meta-analysis of previous studies published in the World Journal of Gastroenterology has indicated that taking calcium supplements in a dose of 1200 to 1600 mg per day renders a moderate chemopreventative effect against recurrent colorectal cancer. (David Liu)
Comments