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Calcium supplementation in osteoporosis: useful or harmful?

European journal of endocrinology
April 1, 2018
Iacopo Chiodini et al. (2 authors)
Journal ArticleReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to evaluate the potential benefits of calcium and/or calcium with vitamin D supplementation for bone health and assess possible harmful effects.

Results Summary

The study found weak efficacy of calcium supplementation (alone or with vitamin D) in reducing fragility fracture risk and suggested potential adverse cardiovascular effects and gastrointestinal side effects.

Population

Not specified (general osteoporosis and fragility fracture risk population implied).

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (5)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
calcium and vitamin D
decrease
osteoporosis
-
-
considered crucial in the prevention and treatment
#1
calcium supplementation (alone or with concomitant vitamin D)
decrease
fragility fracture risk
-
-
only weak efficacy
#2
calcium supplements
increase
-
-
-
gastrointestinal side effects
#3
co-administered calcium and vitamin D supplements
increase
-
-
-
risk of kidney stones
#4
calcium supplementation
increase
-
-
-
potential adverse cardiovascular effects
#5
Abstract

Osteoporosis and fragility fractures are important social and economic problems worldwide and are due to both the loss of bone mineral density and sarcopenia. Indeed, fragility fractures are associated with increased disability, morbidity and mortality. It is known that a normal calcium balance together with a normal vitamin D status is important for maintaining well-balanced bone metabolism, and for many years, calcium and vitamin D have been considered crucial in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. However, recently, the usefulness of calcium supplementation (alone or with concomitant vitamin D) has been questioned, since some studies reported only weak efficacy of these supplementations in reducing fragility fracture risk. On the other hand, besides the gastrointestinal side effects of calcium supplements and the risk of kidney stones related to use of co-administered calcium and vitamin D supplements, other recent data suggested potential adverse cardiovascular effects from calcium supplementation. This debate article is focused on the evidence regarding both the possible usefulness for bone health and the potential harmful effects of calcium and/or calcium with vitamin D supplementation.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
Bone DensityCalciumCalcium, DietaryDietary SupplementsFractures, BoneGastrointestinal DiseasesHumansOsteoporosisVitamin DVitamin D Deficiency
Study Links
Quality Scores
Safety60
Efficacy40/10
Quality70/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations43
Citations/Year6.1
Relative Citation Ratio2.41
NIH Percentile79.8%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.75
Weight Score2.07
Normalized Score0.54
Related Supplements
Calcium supplementation in osteoporosis: useful or harmful? | Panacea Index