Biomedical scientists find heart attack link to calcium supplements
Friday 30th July 2010
A team of biomedical researchers have published a report which found that people taking calcium supplements are at an increased risk of suffering a heart attack.
The study was published in the British Medical Journal and carried out by biomedical scientists from the University of Auckland in New Zealand, the University of Aberdeen in Scotland and the Dartmouth Medical School in the US.
After reviewing 11 trials - which examined the effectiveness of taking calcium supplements to help prevent or treat osteoporosis - the researchers found that those who were prescribed a calcium supplement without coadministered vitamin D increased their risk of suffering a heart attack.
The authors of the study recommended that further research into the use of calcium supplements should be carried out.
Consuming calcium as part of your diet does not have the same effect, it has been reported.
According to the researchers, calcium supplements increase levels of serum calcium, which "have been positively associated with an increased risk of myocardial infarction [heart attack] in large observational studies".
Dr Claire Bowring from the National Osteoporosis Society told the BBC that calcium supplements are not necessary "if you get all the calcium that you need from your diet and adequate vitamin D from exposure to sunshine".
Written by Matthew Horton
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