Higher Calcium Intake May Not Lower Risk for Fractures and Osteoporosis
Higher Calcium Intake May Not Lower Risk for Fractures and Osteoporosis Gradual increases in dietary calcium intake above the first quintile in a large female cohort are not associated with further reductions in fracture risk or osteoporosis, according to the results of a prospective longitudinal cohort study reported in the May 24 issue of the BMJ . "It is problematic to make recommendations regarding calcium intake based on the results from clinical trials and previous cohort studies," write Eva Warensjö, from Uppsala University in Uppsala, Sweden, and colleagues. "Meta-analyses of randomised trials found that supplemental calcium gave modest or no reduction in risk of fracture. Both the habitual dietary intake of calcium and vitamin D status may affect the outcome and are rarely accounted for in the design of calcium supplementation trials." The goal of the study was to evaluate associations between long-term dietary calcium intake and the risk for any type...