geoffrey modest medical blogs

  A recent analysis from the Women’s Health Initiative found that calcium with vitamin D supplementation was associated with a decrease in cancer mortality, but an increase in cardiovascular mortality (see   vit d dec cancer wom health initiative AIM2024  in dropbox, or doi:10.7326/M23-2598)   Details : -- 36,282 postmenopausal women in 40 trial sites across the United States were randomized to 1000 mg of calcium carbonate (400 mg of elemental calcium) plus  400 IU (10 mcg) of vitamin D 3  (CaD) daily versus placebo --this study represents the long-term follow-up of the initial 7-year randomized intervention trial of calcium and vitamin D supplementation in postmenopausal women who had no prior history of breast or colorectal cancer (see commentary below for more details about the original study)     -- the current study is a subgroup analysis that includes personal supplement usage of multivitamins (with or without minerals), other supplemen...

A recent guideline from the National Osteoporosis Foundation and the American Society for Preventive Cardiology, with support from an independent evidence review team from Tufts University, determined that calcium supplementation, with or without vitamin D, had no relationship to cardiac health (see  calcium and cad AIM2016 for the recommendations in dropbox, or doi:10.7326/M16-1743; or calcium and cad data review AIM2016 for the full document in dropbox or​ doi:10.7326/M16-116). Recommendations: --“ calcium with or without vitamin D intake from food or supplements has no relationship (beneficial or harmful) with the risk for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease, mortality, or all-cause mortality in generally healthy adults at this time ” -- calcium intake should not exceed the National Academy of Medicine recommendations of 2000-2500 mg/d -- obtaining calcium from food is preferred to taking supplements -- this recommendation is supported by a revie...

there have been a slew of articles recently on calcium and vitamin D.  i will review several of them. but, be forewarned, there are lots of articles out there which come to pretty strikingly different conclusions 1.  new recommendations from US prevent services taskforce on vit d and calcium to prevent fractures in adults (see   vit d calc recs uspstf 2013  in the dropbox). basic conclusion is that  -there is insufficient evidence to assess benefits/harms of vit d/calc supplementation in preventing fractures for premenopausal women and men - there is insufficient evidence to assess benefits/harms of daily supplementation with greater than 400 IU vit D3 and greater than 1000 mg calcium for primary prevention of fracture in noninstitutionalized postmenopausal women -recommends against daily supplementation with <= 400 IU of vit D3 and <=1000mg of calcium  for primary prevention of fracture in noninstitutionalized postmenopausal women (no...