The current dietary guidelines suggest men and women over the age of 50 should take in 1000 and 1200 mg of calcium a day, respectively. However, New Zealand researchers say this may not be such a good idea after all.
It is commonplace to reach this goal through supplements, though recently there have been several warnings about their efficacy and potential side effects.
The New Zealand researchers set out to determine what effect, if any, such high levels of calcium intake had on older individuals’ bone health and fracture risk, whether through supplements or food.
The first study found that dietary increase of calcium to recommended amounts resulted in a 1-2% increase in bone mineral density – not enough of a change to be clinically meaningful.
The second study found that the increase in dietary calcium intake did not change the risk of fractures.
After knowing about these findings, perhaps it’s time to re-assess our suggestions for bone health.
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