How calcium tablets can do more harm than good

TAKING calcium supplements could do more damage than good, experts warn.

Up to five million Britons take the over-thecounter pills, which are popular among older women at higher risk of osteoporosis.

But increasing intake through food or tablets does not cut the risk of broken bones, according to academics.

They warn that taking too much calcium increases the risk of stomach upsets, heart problems and even hip fractures.

The NHS advises that most adults should get 700mg of calcium a day, which can be achieved through diet alone.

But the British Dietetic Association advises post-menopausal women to take in 1,200mg to counter the risk of osteoporosis.

The researchers said many people resort to supplements to hit this higher target. But they wrote in the British Medical Journal: ‘Recently concerns have emerged about the risk-benefit profile of calcium supplements. The small reductions in total fractures seem outweighed by the moderate risk of minor side-effects, such as constipation, coupled with the small risk of severe side-effects such as cardiovascular events, kidney stones and acute gastrointestinal symptoms.’

The team, from the University of Auckland in New Zealand, reviewed dozens of clinical trials for people over 50 related to fractures and bone density. They found that bone mineral density could increase by up to 2 per cent but this would be unlikely to have any ‘mean- ingful’ impact and found no evidence that calcium intake would prevent broken bones. The report concluded that supplements have ‘an unfavourable risk:benefit profile’.

Dietitian Dr Carrie Ruxton, of the industryfunded Health Supplements Information Service, said: ‘Calcium is an essential nutrient for bone health and bone metabolism.

‘It is absorbed preferentially from dietary sources ... and supplementation is advisable particularly for those whose intakes may be inadequate for their needs.’