Calcium supplements likely to prevent dementia in older women: Lancet study

Australian researchers have found that there is no evidence that calcium monotherapy increases the long-term risk for dementia, particularly in older women.
Calcium supplements play critical role in multiple physiological functions, including improving bone health.
The study led by a team from Edith Cowan University (ECU), Curtin University and the University of Western Australia dispelled previous concerns about the potential negative effects of calcium supplements on brain health in older women.
The team leveraged outcomes from prior research that provided calcium supplements or a placebo to 1,460 older women over a five-year period. The results, published in The Lancet Regional Health-Western Pacific, found that the supplement did not increase the long-term risk of dementia.
“Calcium supplements are often recommended to prevent or manage osteoporosis,” said Negar Ghasemifard, doctoral student at ECU.
“Results from our study provide reassurance to patients and clinicians regarding the safety of calcium supplements in the context of dementia risk for older women,” Ghasemifard said.
Around 20 per cent of women over the age of 70 are affected by osteoporosis and calcium supplementation is widely recommended as a preventative measure against fracture.
While these findings may alleviate concerns regarding calcium supplementation and all-cause dementia risk in older women, particularly after the age of 80 years, further research is still required, the team said.
“Whether this extrapolates to other demographics, such as men or even women commencing supplementation earlier in life, remains unknown,” said Professor Simon Laws, director of ECU’s Center for Precision Health.
Laws stressed the need for clinical trials of calcium supplements, with or without vitamin D, to confirm the current findings, particularly regarding brain health, and to address these population gaps. These should include specific and robust assessments of brain health as the primary outcome measure, he said. (IANS)