To the Editor: Calcium and vitamin D play a central role in preventing osteoporosis and fractures,1 so a recent study published in the BMJ claiming that calcium supplements increased the risk of heart attacks and strokes in postmenopausal women2 naturally received widespread media attention — so much so that many patients are already stopping calcium treatment.
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- 1 School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW.
- 2 School of Medicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA.
Correspondence: benjamin@clubsalsa.com.au
- 1. Tang B, Eslick G, Nowson C, et al. Use of calcium or calcium in combination with vitamin D supplementation to prevent fractures and bone loss in people aged 50 years and older: a meta-analysis. Lancet 2007; 370: 657-666.
- 2. Bolland M, Barber P, Doughty R, et al. Vascular events in healthy older women receiving calcium supplementation: randomised controlled trial. BMJ 2008; 336: 262-266.
- 3. Reid IR, Mason B, Horne A, et al. Randomized controlled trial of calcium in healthy older women. Am J Med 2006; 119: 777-785.
- 4. Hsia J, Heiss G, Ren H, et al. Calcium/vitamin D supplementation and cardiovascular events. Circulation 2007; 115: 846-854.
- 5. Chapuy MC, Arlot ME, Duboeuf F, et al. Vitamin D3 and calcium to prevent hip fractures in the elderly women. N Engl J Med 1992; 327: 1637-1642.
- 6. Chapuy MC, Pamphile R, Paris E, et al. Combined calcium and vitamin D3 supplementation in elderly women: confirmation of reversal of secondary hyperparathyroidism and hip fracture risk: the Decalyos II study. Osteoporos Int 2002; 13: 257-264.
- 7. Harwood R, Sahota O, Gaynor K, et al. A randomised, controlled comparison of different calcium and vitamin D supplementation regimens in elderly women after hip fracture: the Nottingham Neck of Femur (NoNOF) Study. Age Ageing 2004; 33: 45-31.
- 8. Porthouse J, Cockayne S, King C, et al. Randomised controlled trial of supplementation with calcium and cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) for prevention of fractures in primary care. BMJ 2005; 330: 1003-1006.
- 9. Grant AM, Avenell A, Campbell MK, et al; RECORD Trial Group. Oral vitamin D3 and calcium for secondary prevention of low-trauma fractures in elderly people (Randomised Evaluation of Calcium Or vitamin D, RECORD): a randomised placebo-controlled trial. Lancet 2005; 365: 1621-1628.
- 10. Heller HJ, Stewart A, Haynes S, Pak CYC. Pharmacokinetics of calcium absorption from two commercial calcium supplements. J Clin Pharmacol 1999; 39: 1151-1154.
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