"Adequate" fracture risk control with 600mg Ca

For years, getting a lot of calcium has been portrayed as one of the best things to prevent osteoporosis and related bone fractures. Small study results supported this view. But when researchers started to analyze the data from large, prospective studies that followed people for many years, the benefits were not so clear-cut, reports the March 2008 issue of the Harvard Health Letter.

The ambiguity led to trials to test what effect calcium might have on fracture rates. Two studies showed that calcium did not prevent fractures, even when taken in combination with vitamin D, while another showed that post-menopausal women who took a calcium-vitamin D combination were no less likely to break their hip than those who took a placebo. And other researchers reported the results from a meta-analysis of studies on calcium that found no connection between high calcium intake and lower hip fracture risk.

While a certain level of calcium intake is undoubtedly important to keeping bones strong, amounts above that level might not do much good, notes the Harvard Health Letter. One reason some of these studies on supplements may not have shown a benefit is because the study participants were already getting over 1,000mg of calcium daily through diet, noted the HHL's authors.