Calcium supplements and dementia link

DEAR DR. ROACH: Please comment on the link between calcium supplements and late-onset dementia. I have taken calcium and vitamin supplements for 20 years, on the advice of my primary practitioners, to prevent osteoporosis.

About a month ago, I stopped the supplements and started drinking more skim milk and eating low-fat cheese. My reasons for doing this: I learned that there is a link between the calcium supplements and dementia; I have a family history of late-onset dementia.

I recently had an MRI to check for an acoustic nerve tumor (not found), but was told that the MRI showed that I had changes in my white matter that “likely represent chronic small vessel ischemic change,” which I understand is linked to risk of dementia.

I also am heterozygous for the apolipoproteins e3/e4, which is associated with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s. I am 62 years old, take no prescription medicines, but have slightly elevated cholesterol.

ANSWER: A 2016 paper in the journal Neurology identified an increase in dementia risk in women taking calcium supplements, if the woman had a history of stroke or had white matter lesions, like the type you described on your MRI results.

This result is in keeping with previous studies, which have suggested that there is an increase in heart disease among those taking supplemental calcium, but not in those who have high dietary calcium.

While I am cautious about accepting new research, this particular study, combined with previous work, makes me agree with your decision to stop calcium supplements.

Given your family history, your MRI results and your genetic analysis (which I don’t recommend for most people), I think doing what you can with lifestyle to reduce dementia risk is worth considering. This includes eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables, getting regular physical exercise, having strong social connections and engaging in intellectual activity, all of which have fair evidence to support that they can at least slow dementia onset. With your elevated cholesterol (and the MRI findings), you should discuss taking a statin with your doctor, as it may help prevent blockages in the arteries of your heart and brain.