Calcium supplements or dairy milk does not improve bone health, study reveals

Calcium supplements have long been known to aid those who are deficient or have weak bone, who may encounter osteoporosis as one health problem. In the United States, 16 percent of women 50 years and older have osteoporosis, while 4 percent of men have the medical condition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.

While a lot of people look to supplements to strengthen their bones, new studies reveal that consuming such supplements or food rich in calcium does not, in fact, make stronger bones or prevent fractures for those over 50 years of age, NBC News reports.

A study published in the British Medical Journal's online publication BMJ.com has confirmed that taking calcium supplements are not only wasteful, but may also pose a threat to otherwise healthy individuals. The study reveals that the intake of too much calcium may cause a build up in the arteries and cause heart disease, or build up in the kidneys and cause kidney stones.

Study authors examined how extra calcium intake in men and women 50 years and above affected their bone mineral density, and found that while it increased by 1 to 2 percent over the years, these increases are "unlikely to translate into clinically meaningful reductions in fractures."

According to TIME, the study authors wrote in their findings, "Increasing calcium intake from dietary sources or by taking calcium supplements produces small non-progressive increases in BMD, which are unlikely to lead to a clinically significant reduction in risk of fracture."

Dr. Ian Reid of the University of Auckland in New Zealand and colleagues also conducted another study wherein they analyzed the relationship between calcium intake and lowered risk of fractures. However, their findings did not reveal any significant cause and effect.

"Dietary calcium intake is not associated with risk of fracture, and there is no clinical trial evidence that increasing calcium intake from dietary sources prevents fractures," the study authors wrote. "Evidence that calcium supplements prevent fractures is weak and inconsistent."

Additionally, Reid's team found that the increased calcium intake brings a string of health problems. The research team wrote, "Clinical trials of calcium supplements at doses of 1,000 mg/day, however, have reported adverse effects, including cardiovascular events, kidney stones, and hospital admissions for acute gastrointestinal symptoms."

TIME reports that according to Karl Michaëlsson, a professor at Uppsala University in Sweden, the continued emphasis on increasing calcium and vitamin D intake is questionable due to to the lack of research that support such claims.

Michaëlsson said, "The profitability of the global supplements industry probably plays its part. Manufacturers have deep pockets, and there is a tendency for research efforts to follow the money (with accompanying academic prestige), rather than a path defined only by the needs of patients and the public."