Calcium and Vitamin D Supplement pimps aren’t going to like this report
There certainly are cases where calcium and Vitamin D supplements are called for — however most of the population is in healthy range for both without taking any supplements.
Of the groups tested, Adolescent females are the ones most likely to actually benefit from the supplements.
Beyond that are increasing proofs from clinical studies that excessive calcium can lead to heart attacks and kidney stones.
“For most people, taking extra calcium and vitamin D supplements is not indicated,” said Dr. Clifford J. Rosen, a member of the panel and an osteoporosis expert at the Maine Medical Center Research Institute.
Dr. J. Christopher Gallagher, director of the bone metabolism unit at the Creighton University School of Medicine in Omaha, Neb., agreed, adding, “The onus is on the people who propose extra calcium and vitamin D to show it is safe before they push it on people.”
Over the past few years, the idea that nearly everyone needs extra calcium and vitamin D — especially vitamin D — has swept the nation.
With calcium, adolescent girls may be the only group that is getting too little, the panel found. Older women, on the other hand, may take too much, putting themselves at risk for kidney stones. And there is evidence that excess calcium can increase the risk of heart disease, the group wrote.