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The good, the bad, and the ugly of calcium supplementation: a review of calcium intake on human health.

Clinical interventions in aging
January 1, 2018
Kelvin Li et al. (12 authors)
Journal ArticleReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to review the health benefits, costs, and consequences of calcium supplementation on osteoporosis, cardiovascular events, kidney stones, gastrointestinal diseases, and other conditions.

Results Summary

The study found that calcium intake is beneficial for preventing and treating osteoporosis but excessive intake may increase cardiovascular disease risks. The authors recommend cautious prescription of calcium supplementation based on individual risks and benefits.

Population

Community-dwelling adults with and without osteoporosis.

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (2)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
calcium intake
decrease
osteoporosis
-
-
helpful in the prevention and treatment
#1
excessive calcium intake
increase
cardiovascular diseases
-
-
increase the risks
#2
Abstract

Calcium is an important integrative component of the human body and critical for human health. It has been well established that calcium intake is helpful in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, which has become one of the most serious public health problems across the world. However, community-dwelling adults with and without osteoporosis are rarely concerned or even not aware of the potential side effects of high or inappropriate doses of calcium intake. Some recent studies have revealed that excessive calcium intake might increase the risks of cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of this article was to review the health benefits, costs, and consequences of calcium supplementation on osteoporosis/osteoporotic fractures, cardiovascular events, kidney stones, gastrointestinal diseases, and other important diseases. In the end, we suggest that calcium supplementation should be prescribed and taken cautiously, accounting for individual patients' risks and benefits. Clearly, further studies are needed to examine the health effects of calcium supplementation to make any solid recommendations for people of different genders, ages, and ethnicities.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
CalciumCalcium, DietaryCardiovascular DiseasesDietary SupplementsGastrointestinal DiseasesHumansKidney CalculiOsteoporosisOsteoporotic Fractures
Study Links
Quality Scores
Safety60
Efficacy75/10
Quality80/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations76
Citations/Year10.9
Relative Citation Ratio4.50
NIH Percentile91.8%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.95
Weight Score2.34
Normalized Score0.70
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