Many take more calcium supplements than needed

Some adults in the U. S. who use supplements to get their daily requirement of calcium are taking higher doses than necessary, a recent study suggests.

Researchers examined nationally representative survey data on dietary habits and vitamin and supplement use collected between 1999 and 2014 from 42,038 adults.

About one in 20 adults got a substantial portion of their daily calcium from supplements, the study found.

In the study’s first year, 2.5 percent of supplement users got more than the estimated daily amount of calcium necessary. This peaked at 6.7 percent of supplement users from 2003 to 2004, then dipped to 4.6 percent by 2013 to 2014.

“Supplemental calcium has potential benefits, particularly in relation to bone health, however, it may also put people at increased risk of kidney stones, cardiovascular disease and adverse gastrointestinal symptoms,” said senior study author Pamela Lutsey of the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.

“This is in contrast to calcium consumed from dietary sources, which is generally well- tolerated and has been associated lower risk of fractures, colon cancer, kidney stones and hypertension,” Lutsey said by email

Americans get most of their dietary calcium from dairy products, such as milk, yogurt and cheese, all of which are rich natural sources of calcium, Lutsey added. Nondairy sources include cruciferous vegetables, such as Chinese cabbage, kale and broccoli.

For women up to age 50 and men up to age 70, total daily calcium intake from all sources of 800 milligrams is recommended to meet the estimated average requirements of most people, researchers note in the journal Bone. After age 50 for women and 70 for men, this goes up to 1,000 milligrams. These intake estimates are based on the amount of calcium needed to promote bone health.