http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dl...602160450/1012

Taking calcium and vitamin D supplements only slightly decreased the risk of hip fractures, had no effect on protecting bones elsewhere in the body and was useless in lowering the risk of colorectal cancer, studies of postmenopausal women have found.


In two reports from the Women's Health Initiative, scientists dispelled long-held beliefs about the benefits of calcium and vitamin D supplementation.
Osteoporosis affects 10 million people, mostly women. Colorectal cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer death in women.
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"This is definitely a surprise," said Dr. Sylvia Wassertheil-Smoller, a professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and a clinical investigator in the initiative -- a massive seven-year project in 40 centers nationwide.
Many still back guidelines

Even so, many experts said they would stand behind federal guidelines recommending the supplements, if needed, to meet the standard intake of calcium and vitamin D.
The results, reported in the New England Journal of Medicine today, are the last in a series of government-funded studies that have totaled more than $700 million. Last week, the dietary arm of the research initiative set the medical community astir with findings that a low-fat diet is powerless against heart disease and cancer.
Just as clinicians had long sworn by low-fat dietary regimens, they also believed calcium and vitamin D were potent preventives.
Clinicians routinely recommend calcium and Vitamin D supplements to maintain bone health. Yet in the trial of 36,282 women between ages 50 and 79, there was only a 1 percent increase in hip bone density for those taking 1,000 milligrams of calcium and 400 international units of vitamin D daily. Researchers also discovered a 17 percent increase in kidney stones among participants taking pills.
Women 60 and older had better results, with a 21 percent reduction in hip fractures.
Researchers say all women fared well when they followed the plan religiously. For them, there was a 29 percent decrease in hip fractures.
Dr. Dorothy Lane, who led a portion of the trial at Stony Brook University Hospital, where 4,000 Long Island, N.Y., women participated, said she stands by the supplements, despite the pills' failure to thwart spinal and wrist fractures.
"I think it would still be advisable to take the recommended amount of calcium to improve bone density and to maintain bone health," Lane said, noting hip fractures' link to disability and death.
Cancer research may change

Although a string of studies have suggested calcium can prevent colorectal cancer, there was no difference in the rate of invasive tumors between those taking supplements and those on a placebo.
Dr. Jean Wactawski-Wende of the University of Buffalo, who led the research, said it's possible the study wasn't long enough. "Colorectal cancer takes 10 to 20 years to develop. Seven years of supplementation and follow-up may not be enough time to show a benefit."
Wassertheil-Smoller said participants will be followed an additional five years in both parts of the research.

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Its always one thing or another. I think the best and safest thing to do is just to be sure and get as many of your nutrients and vitamins as you can through good food choices. We take lots of vitamins everyday, but we try to include very nutritious foods in our menu everyday as well!

I am a pharmaceutical representative. I represent a bisphosphonate, which basically is for preventing fractures. Although the study talked about calcium only slightly reduced the risk of preventing a hip fracture, the calcium still did something! All of my doctors in my area are still telling the female patients to take calcium on a DAILY basis - at least 1000 mg.

I also heard that calcium can aid with weight loss...don't need to convince me any further!

I actually love that sb allows more dairy, it makes me feel better than i'm getting my calcium from food sources.