- A new study looks at how common supplements are associated with the risk of death from heart disease and cancer.
- This study found that women who took calcium and vitamin D had a lower risk of dying from cancer.
- However, if a woman was postmenopausal, her risk of death from heart disease increased slightly.
Calcium and vitamin D supplements may reduce the risk of death from cancer and potentially slightly increase the risk of death from heart disease in postmenopausal women, new research suggests.
The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) previously investigated the health effects of daily calcium and vitamin D supplementation in postmenopausal women and found no significant benefits.
A recent report published this month includes: Annual Report of Internal Medicine, They examined follow-up mortality data for these participants to identify long-term health effects associated with calcium and vitamin D (CaD) supplementation.
Past evidence shows that the diets of older women in the United States tend to be deficient in vitamin D and calcium, and many doctors recommend supplements for women in this age group.
“This study highlights the complex relationship between supplements and biological effects and clinical outcomes, and highlights the need for further research in this area,” said Dr. said Dr. Chen-Han Chen, medical director of Buck’s Structural Heart Program. Medical Center in Laguna Hills, Calif., told Healthline.
Chen was not involved in this research.
Researchers evaluated health data collected from the WIH trial in addition to national mortality index data to determine whether long-term daily supplements of calcium and vitamin D affect women’s risk of cancer and heart disease. judged.
The researchers specifically looked at whether the women who initially participated in the WIH trial developed cancer, heart disease, suffered hip fractures, or died in the years after the trial.
Researchers found that women who took calcium and vitamin D supplements had a 7% lower risk of dying from cancer over 22 years compared to women who took a placebo.
They also found that people who took the supplement had a 6% higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular effects were most pronounced in women who had been taking the supplements before they were assigned to take them as part of the trial.
Supplements do not appear to have a noticeable effect on overall morbidity of cancer, heart disease, hip fractures, or all-cause mortality.
“This study shows that calcium and vitamin D supplementation in postmenopausal women was associated with no difference in all-cause mortality and a long-term association between reduced cancer mortality and increased cardiovascular disease mortality. We found that there was a link,” Chen explained.
It’s unclear why exactly calcium and vitamin D supplements affect cancer development, but some studies suggest they reduce cancer development.
Past evidence also suggests that vitamin D specifically increases the suppression of oncogenes and regulates inflammation in the body.
It may also reduce cancer cell proliferation and increase cell death, says Fredrik Schumacher, Ph.D., MPH, associate professor in the Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
Schumacher was not involved in this research.
A recent meta-analysis examining the results of five trials found that vitamin D supplementation was associated with a 13% reduction in cancer mortality.
Although the evidence regarding calcium and vitamin D supplementation and heart disease is mixed, some researchers suspect that excessive calcium intake may cause calcification of coronary arteries, thereby increasing the risk of death from heart disease. Masu.
Previous studies have also identified an association between calcium supplements and an increased risk of coronary heart disease, regardless of whether people also took vitamin D supplements.
“Coronary artery calcification is the hardening and narrowing of your arteries due to calcium deposits and plaque buildup. This can increase your risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke,” says Entirely Nourished. says Michelle Ruthenstein, MS, RDN, CDECS, CDN, preventive cardiology nutritionist.
Ruthenstein was not involved in the research.
According to Chen, calcium and vitamin D supplementation is routinely recommended for people who don’t get enough calcium in their diet and for postmenopausal women.
The main uses of supplements are
Previous research has shown that physicians often disagree about the optimal dose and dosage of calcium and vitamin D supplementation, and some physicians have expressed concern that long-term health effects are unknown. ing.
Dr. Ruthenstein says calcium supplements should be given to people who cannot achieve sufficient calcium intake from food.
Not getting enough calcium increases the risk of osteoporosis, a risk factor for heart disease, she added.
That being said, it’s important to be careful and intentional when taking supplements.
For example, absorption is
“If calcium supplements are used without assessing current calcium intake, excess calcium may contribute to coronary calcium progression,” Rosenstein says.
More research is needed to determine the ideal duration and dosage, Schumacher said.
“The authors report several important observations related to nutrition and long-term health in postmenopausal women, but these results need to be replicated. Furthermore, the generalization of these findings potential needs to be evaluated in additional groups, especially more diverse populations,” Schumacher said.
Calcium and vitamin D supplements may reduce the risk of death from cancer and potentially slightly increase the risk of death from heart disease in postmenopausal women, new research suggests. In the United States, older women’s diets tend to be low in vitamin D and calcium, and many doctors recommend supplements for this age group. This new study highlights how future research is needed to better understand the long-term health effects associated with daily supplement use.
