Kamis, 24 Mei 2012

Calcium booster pills 'raise risk of heart attack and could do more harm than good'

Calcium booster pills 'raise risk of heart attack and could do more harm than good'

By Jenny Hope

PUBLISHED: 18:02 EST, 23 May 2012 | UPDATED: 01:15 EST, 24 May 2012

The study looked at diet records of 24,000 people in Germany aged 35 to 64 and claim the safety of calcium tablets is 'coming under increasing scrutiny'

The study looked at diet records of 24,000 people in Germany aged 35 to 64 and claim the safety of calcium tablets is 'coming under increasing scrutiny'

Taking calcium supplements can push up the risk of a heart attack, warn researchers.

They claim the safety of the tablets is 'coming under increasing scrutiny' as they could be doing more harm than good.

Hundreds of thousands of women take  the boosters as they are recommended for strengthening bones against osteoporosis.

But, according to the study, the supplements can no longer be seen as a low-cost panacea against thinning bones.

Instead, the scientis ts suggest, people should eat more calcium-rich foods like milk, cheese and green, leafy vegetables.

They found that those using calcium boosters, with no other supplements, had double the risk of a cardiac attack than others who did not take them.

Researchers looked at records for 24,000 people in Germany aged 35 to 64 taking part in a nutrition research project in the 1990s.

Their diet was analysed and they were asked if they had taken vitamin or mineral supplements in the previous month.

Experts warn the safety of the tablets is 'coming under increasing scrutiny' as they could be doing more harm than good

Experts warn the safety of the tablets is 'coming under increasing scrutiny' as they could be doing more harm than good

Eating cheese and other calcium rich dairy products is a better way of getting the nutrient than supplement pills, researchers say

Eating cheese and other calcium rich dairy products is a better way of getting the nutrient than supplement pills, researchers say

MEN'S JUNK FOOD SECRET

Women who try to improve their husbands’ diets merely drive them to eat junk food when they’re away from home, a study has found.

Researchers said men rarely complain about healthy meals cooked by their partner, and instead bite their tongue to maintain a happy domestic life.

However, experts say they often head for a ‘landslide of food’ when their wife isn’t looking.

The researchers, from the University of Michigan in the US, interviewed 83 men and found that most wives failed to consult them when introducing healthier meals. 

The team said discussing dietary changes as a couple made husbands more likely to follow their new nutritional regime.

The volunteers were tracked for 11 years, during which there were 354 heart attacks, 260 strokes and 267 associated deaths.

T hose taking any supplements, including calcium, were found to be 86 per cent more likely to have a heart attack than those who did not take any. But the risk for those taking only calcium was even higher.

Researchers claim the tablets have a potentially harmful 'flooding' effect on the levels of the mineral in the blood, it was reported in the medical journal Heart. Calcium in food or drink is spread through the day and so absorbed slowly.

In the study, Professors Ian Reid and Mark Bolland, at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, said people should be discouraged from taking the boosters.  

It was also wrong to see them as natural  as they do 'not reproduce the same effects as calcium in food', they added.

The National Osteoporosis Society said there was not enough evidence to say the supplements trigger heart problems.

The Food Standards Agency advises adults to have 700mg of calcium a day in their diet.

Here's what other readers have said. Why not add your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards.

The comments below have not been moderated.

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I was taking Calcium supplements, completely unaware of its potential dangerous side effects. I needed up in A E with excruciating chest pains. No doctor was able to pinpoint anything although I thought I was dying. I researched the Calcium tablets myself later and found out of the potential risks and immediately stopped. At no point at the hospital did anyone ask if I was taking any vitamins etc only because of an article I read in the Mail a few months back that triggered my concern. I am only 44 and do not drink/smoke. Since coming off them I have never had a reoccurrence.

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I must warn my elderly neighbour about this. She is due for a shoulder replacement but has been put on calcium tablets to strength her bones before the operation.

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This is suspiciously adjacent to the upcoming amendments to the Medicines Act, which could potentially ban all substances that are deemed 'medicinal' from over the counter or online, and make them only available on prescription. Calcium supplements have long been regarded as pretty ineffective against calcium deficiencies, but doctors suggest and prescribe them to make the patient feel like they're doing something. You would be far better off taking fresh dairy, a handful of organic almonds, eating spinach and watercress regularly (but not every day), and going for a walk every day.

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Maybe the people who need calcium supplements are prone to heart problems due to other issues connected to a lack of calcium in the first place. Problem with statistics is that they were invented to confuse and lie.

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Those who know anything about nutrition know that you don't take calcium supplements alone. Calcium and magnesium work together. Two parts calcium to one part magnesium is the best supplement ratio. Many nutrients work together in pairs biochemically. If you take one, you have to take the other nutrient. Calcium uses up magnesium. Magnesium protects the heart. You take Calcium alone.... eventually the heart suffers. DUH!!!!

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I have come to the conclusion that Big Pharma wants us all on drugs of some sort to keep the cash rolling in. Many of the drugs doctors are paid to prescribe seem to have side effects which can be worse than the original disease being treated. I wouldnt be at all surprised to discover at some stage in the future that we will be fed drugs which will ensure we expire before we get the chance to enjoy the fruits of a lifetime of work - after we have been conviced that we must be taking a pilll of some sort or another for our heart, blood pressure, cancer, spots, bones, alzheimer's, cholesterol etc. Of course, this will only apply to the working masses. The rich and others will be spared

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So this week I heard that HRT was safer than reported and that my GP did not need to take me off it after 5 years which has led to the recent devastating diagnosis of osteoporosis at 59 ....... And now I read that I should not take calcium supplements which everyone has told me to take...... I am at rock bottom and in complete despair. GPs are not interested in causes of osteoporosis and simply hand out scripts for horrible bisphosphonates (effectively based on drain cleaning chemicals) and calcium supplements because NICE has ruled that they have to go for the cheapest option.

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Big Pharma wants to close every health food and online vitamin shop to close if they had only the power. Don't believe it and trust in how YOU feel individually. Don't forget...it's absolutely fine for everyone over the age of 50 to go on statins which were originally only designed for patients who'd had heart disease!!

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I have osteoporosis and am taking prescription Adcal every day and Risedronate once a week. My GP says they're safe and now this report says calcium supplements are dodgy. I don't know what to do for the best. One person says one thing and another person says the opposite. HELP !!!!

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Every supplement is potentially risky. Though I ate dairy products and exercised daily, it wasn't enough and I suffered a calcium deficiency, which was possibly exacerbated by a Vitamin D deficiency. I feel better with the supplements though I always take less than the generally recommended dose and have the occasional break from it. It's a balancing act. If unsure, you should see a doctor and have blood tests for nutrient levels. If the results are good without supplements, then continue solely with a healthy diet in preference.

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