Wednesday, March 19, 2008

High calcium intake may not help prevent fractures, reports the Harvard Health Letter

Two studies showed that calcium didn’t prevent fractures—even when taken in combination with vitamin D. Another study showed that postmenopausal women who took a calcium-vitamin D combination were no less likely to break their hip than women who took a placebo pill. And other researchers reported the results from a meta-analysis of studies on calcium that found no connection between high calcium intake and lower hip fracture risk. -harvard health publications

The bottom line: According to current recommendations, Americans over 50 are supposed to get 1,200 mg of calcium daily, but 600 mg is probably enough for most people to keep their fracture risk low. Still, because extra calcium might be protective against colon cancer, a daily intake of 600 to 1,000 mg is a reasonable goal.

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