Evidence is mounting that calcium supplements increase the risk of cardiovascular events, particularly myocardial infarction in older women.
A re-analysis of results from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study, involving 36,282 postmenopausal women, found those taking calcium supplements (with and without vitamin D), had a modestly increased risk of cardiovascular events, especially myocardial infarction, after seven years follow-up.
In the 16,718 women not taking personal calcium supplements at randomisation, those taking a combination of calcium (1 gram daily) and vitamin D (400 IU daily) had an increased risk of cardiovascular events ranging from 13 to 22 per cent.
A team of researchers, led by Ian Reid, a professor of Medicine and Endocrinology at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, said the finding...
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