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 12 May 2008 10:11 BST

Calcium supplements 'beneficial' for over 50s

Friday, 24 Aug 2007 09:25
Calcium could help to boost bone strength
People over 50 could reduce their risk of fractures by 12 per cent if they take calcium supplements, a new study has revealed.

Australian researchers found that when this age group took the supplement regularly the reduced risk grew to 24 per cent.

They analysed 17 studies involving 52,625 people all aged over 50 years, with an average treatment time of 3.5 years.

Writing in the medical journal the Lancet, the researchers argue that calcium doses of over 1,200mg produced greater fracture risk reductions than those of less than 1,200mg – 20 per cent versus six per cent reduction.

When people took calcium and vitamin D doses of 800 IU (international units) or more the risk was reduced by 16 per cent. Vitamin D doses of less than 800 IU produced a reduced risk of six per cent.

People who were found to experience the greatest benefits were elderly, living in institutions and had a low calcium intake or had a low bodyweight.

A further analysis of 23 trials revealed that calcium supplementation alone, or in combination with vitamin D supplementation, also reduced the rate of bone loss at the hip by 0.54 per cent and at the spine by 1.19 per cent.

"Our meta-analysis has shown that calcium supplementation, alone or in combination with vitamin D, is effective in the preventive treatment of osteoporotic fracture," the researchers concluded.

"Poor compliance is a major obstacle to obtaining the full benefit of calcium supplementation."
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