New Study Cautions Older Women about Calcium and Vitamin D Supplements
A new study cautions older women about calcium and vitamin D supplements. Many older women are routinely advised to take calcium and vitamin D supplements to prevent osteoporosis, but an excess of calcium can lead to kidney stones and other health problems.
Researchers at the North American Menopause Society (NAMS) say that before taking these supplements, it’s best to find out how much calcium women get via food.
The study tested 163 women aged 50 to 90, who had been told their vitamin D levels were too low and were taking supplements ranging from 400 to 4,800 IU a day, and 1200 milligrams of calcium citrate a day. Their blood and urine were tested at three-month intervals over the course of a year.
Researchers found that 9% of the women had excess calcium in their blood, while 31% had excess calcium in their urine. They also found that women whose 24-hour urine calcium levels were above 132 mg were more likely to have excess calcium after supplement use. In such cases, even a fairly low dose of 500 mg of calcium supplement may be too much. More….
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