Only women with stroke history or white matter lesions had increased risk. Is the association causal?
Calcium supplementation is associated with increased risk for dementia in women with cerebrovascular disease, according to a small, observational study in Neurology.
Using Swedish registries, researchers followed 700 women aged 70 to 92 without dementia at baseline. Roughly 14% were using calcium supplements at baseline, and about half were still doing so at follow-up 5 years later.
Some 59 women developed dementia during the study. Calcium use at baseline was associated with increased risk for dementia — but only among women with a history of stroke (odds ratio, 6.8) and those with white matter lesions on CT scans (odds ratio, 3.0).
Among the potential mechanisms, the authors note: “The steep increase in serum calcium levels after calcium sup…