One problem that I have with these studies is that they naturally
select for individuals who are serious about their health and we all
know that does not stop at taking vitamin D exclusively. Check out
my supplement cabinet : - )
Otherwise it appears that calcium supplementation is not quite the
waste of time that has recently been drummed about.
We need to obviously pay attention to the form we receive and milk
for most is obvious. After that nuts, beans and the cabbage family
are solid calcium sources. Tofu is made with calcium citrate and
that makes it an excellent source of the non food calcium.
Looking at that list, it is clear that I will not be suffering from a
calcium shortage anytime soon.
The arguments for and against mineral calcium are suspect at best and
simple food choices provide ample intake anyway.
Vitamin D with
Calcium Shown to Reduce Mortality in Elderly
6/15/2012
Source: Endocrine Society
Study shows vitamin
D and calcium reduce mortality but not vitamin D alone
Newswise — Chevy Chase, MD— A study recently published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (JCEM) suggests that vitamin D—when taken with calcium—can reduce the rate of mortality in seniors, therefore providing a possible means of increasing life expectancy.
During the last
decade, there has been increasing recognition of the potential health
effects of vitamin D. It is well known that calcium with vitamin D
supplements reduces the risk of fractures. The present study assessed
mortality among patients randomized to either vitamin D alone or
vitamin D with calcium. The findings from the study found that the
reduced mortality was not due to a lower number of fractures, but
represents a beneficial effect beyond the reduced fracture risk.
“This is the largest
study ever performed on effects of calcium and vitamin D on
mortality,” said Lars Rejnmark, PhD, of Aarhus University Hospital
in Denmark and lead author of the study. “Our results showed
reduced mortality in elderly patients using vitamin D supplements in
combination with calcium, but these results were not found in
patients on vitamin D alone.”
In this study,
researchers used pooled data from eight randomized controlled trials
with more than 1,000 participants each. The patient data set was
comprised of nearly 90 percent women, with a median age of 70 years.
During the three-year study, death was reduced by 9 percent in those
treated with vitamin D with calcium.
“Some studies have
suggested calcium (with or without vitamin D) supplements can have
adverse effects on cardiovascular health,” said Rejnmark. “Although
our study does not rule out such effects, we found that calcium with
vitamin D supplementation to elderly participants is overall not
harmful to survival, and may have beneficial effects on general
health”.
Other researchers
participating in the study were Alison Avenell, Tahir Masud, Frazer
Anderson, Haakon E. Meyer, Kerrie M. Sanders, Kari Salovaara, Cyrus
Cooper, Helen E. Smith, Elizabeth. T. Jacobs, David Torgerson,
Rebecca D. Jackson, JoAnn E. Manson, Kim Brixen, Leif Mosekilde, John
A. Robbins, Roger M. Francis, and Bo Abrahamsen.
The article “Vitamin
D with calcium reduces mortality: patient level pooled analysis of
70,528 patients from eight major vitamin D trials”, appears in the
August 2012 issue of JCEM.
# # #
Founded in 1916, The
Endocrine Society is the world’s oldest, largest and most active
organization devoted to research on hormones and the clinical
practice of endocrinology. Today, The Endocrine Society’s
membership consists of over 15,000 scientists, physicians, educators,
nurses and students in more than 100 countries. Society members
represent all basic, applied and clinical interests in endocrinology.
The Endocrine Society is based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. To learn
more about the Society and the field of endocrinology, visit our site
at www.endo-society.org.
Follow us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/EndoMedia.
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