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Calcium supplements are widely used to minimize risk for osteopenia and osteoporosis, especially by older women. But do supplements promote vascular calcification and therefore cardiovascular (CV) events? Using data for 24,000 participants in a German study of cancer and nutrition, investigators analyzed the effect of calcium intake, both dietary and supplemental, on CV events and CV mortality.
During an average follow-up of 11 years, there were 354 myocardial infarctions (MIs), 260 strokes, and 267 CV deaths. There was no evidence of increased risk for MI, stroke, or CV mortality with increasing dietary calcium intake. However, use of calcium supplements was associated with significantly elevated risk for MI (hazard ratio, 1.86), but not st…