A New Case For Calcium

by WiredBerries Editors — September 13, 2007

It seems there's always conflicting information when it comes to calcium supplements. They work. They don't work. Maybe they work. So what's the deal?

Recently, a huge landmark international study by University of Western Sydney researchers found that people over 50 who take calcium supplements suffer fewer fractures and enjoy a better quality of life. Period. The meta-analysis of over 63,000 found that long term daily calcium and Vitamin D supplements also reduce the risk of fracture in older adults by almost a quarter. Lead author, Dr Benjamin Tang, an Associate Researcher with CompleMED says the results once and for all confirm that calcium supplements have an important role as a preventative medication.

The study also showed that the positive effect of taking calcium supplements increases with age, but Wiredberries wanted to know if our younger readers should be taking calcium supplements as well. To get some expert advice, we asked Professor Caryl Nowson, who is a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of Osteoporosis Australia and is familiar with the study.

Nowson revealed that "increasing dietary calcium during childhood and adolescence can increase bone density, but it is not clear if this is maintained into later life. Generally the assumption is that the increased bone mass accumulated during childhood and adolescence leads to a permanent increase in bone mass (that is, increased peak bone mass) and that this increased bone mass is maintained into later life and provides some protection against fracture."

But what about those of us who are no longer adolescents, but not yet 40--is there any benefit for us to start taking calcium supplements? Nowson explains that this is where things get a bit gray. "The situation during mid life is not clear. There have been few trials conducted during these ages as it would be difficult to detect any effect of calcium supplementation on bone when bone mass is stable. The general advice would be to maintain an adequate dietary calcium intake throughout life of at least 1000mg per day and the recommended amount during adolescence and after the age of 50 years for females and after the age of 70 males is greater at least ~1300mg. If you are unable to meet this intake from dietary sources then a supplement would be recommended."

It may still seem a bit complicated, but that's as clear a picture as science currently has to offer. Basically, if you're an adolescent or older than 40, calcium with vitamin D supplements are a good idea. But even for those of us in between, supplementing may still be a good idea, especially if we suspect we're not getting the recommended amount of calcium from our regular diets.