Calcium Supplements May Up Heart Attack Risk for Post-Menopause Women

Some older women may be unknowingly increasing their risk of a heart attack in their attempt to prevent brittle bones, according to the findings of a new study. 

Researchers from New Zealand released a study that was published in the British Medical Journal, finding that women taking the calcium supplements to increase their bone strength may be at an increased risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular problems. The increased risks appeared to be independent of whether or not the women were taking Vitamin D as well, which is known to help the body absorb calcium.

The study comes as the use of calcium supplements is skyrocketing among women throughout the United States.

In a report on dietary supplements released earlier this month by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , researchers found that more than 60% of women over the age of 60 now take calcium supplements; a number which has more than doubled over the last two decades.

The study on calcium supplements and heart attacks, conducted by researchers from the University of Auckland, used data gathered by a seven-year randomized clinical trial on 36,282 postmenopausal women as part of the Women’s Health Initiative. They found that women taking calcium supplements had as much as a 22% increased chance of suffering a heart attack than women who did not take the supplements.

The findings have raised some questions because previous reviews of the data by other researchers failed to notice a similar increased risk. However, the researchers involved in this latest study said that earlier reviews of the data were tainted by increased calcium supplement use by women outside of the study as well. In other words, the previous studies did not take into account the supplements’ rising popularity.

The researchers say that more studies are needed to truly determine the health risks, if any, of calcium supplements. But they also say that it may be time to reassess the role of calcium supplements in women’s health if the numbers hold true.