Is Calcium Beneficial For The Elderly?

Take calcium when you get old – this is a piece of common knowledge. Millions of ordinary men and women buy calcium supplement to give to their ageing parents. They believe that the calcium will help their parents retain the strength in their bones. Taking calcium supplements has become a part of ancestral wisdom.

But how correct is this “fact”?

The research

New Zealand researchers analyzed more than 100 previous investigations. They gathered all the clinical studies of calcium supplements and dietary calcium intake for both bone density and fractures.

What did they find? This provides concrete evidence that taking calcium supplements will not be beneficial for the elderly. Moreover, consumption of excess calcium can actually be harmful for the body.

Is there support for the conclusion?

The researchers pointed out two reviews which corroborate their finding: one review compared two set of patients who consumed different amounts of calcium. The other review looked at 44 previous studies on how calcium supplements affect the risk of fracture. In both studies, no evidence could be found for the benefit of taking calcium regularly.   

The findings will surprise clinicians and patients. They have received very strong messages for countless years about the importance of calcium for bone health in guidelines for Osteoporosis management.

The danger of calcium

• Calcium supplements often cause minor gastrointestinal side effects such as constipation
• It also contributes to the risk of getting kidney stones and heart attacks
• Too much calcium can lead to more hip fractures
• Taking more than the daily requirement of calcium increases the risk of cardiovascular disease

This research suggests that instead of taking calcium supplements at the very outset, it is necessary to find out whether the elderly need the supplement at all. This can be done by looking for the level of calcium insufficiency in them. Such information will be a better guide to think twice before taking calcium supplements on their own.  

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