A recent study highlighted in the Annals of Internal Medicine has brought new insights into the long-term health effects of calcium and vitamin D (CaD) supplements on postmenopausal women.
Conducted by Cynthia A. Thomson, Ph.D., R.D., and her team from the University of Arizona, this research is part of the Women’s Health Initiative CaD trial and explores the implications of these supplements over more than two decades.
The trial involved 36,282 postmenopausal women who had no prior history of breast or colorectal cancer.
These participants were divided into two groups: one received daily doses of 1,000 mg of calcium carbonate combined with 400 IU of vitamin D3, while the other group received a placebo.
The goal was to observe the long-term effects of these supplements on the women’s health, particularly regarding cancer mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality.
After following up for a median period of 22.3 years, the findings revealed a nuanced picture. The group taking CaD supplements showed a reduction in cancer mortality with a hazard ratio of 0.93, suggesting a slight protective effect against death from cancer.
On the flip side, the same group experienced an increase in CVD mortality, with a hazard ratio of 1.06, indicating a slightly elevated risk of death from cardiovascular diseases.
Interestingly, the study did not observe a significant impact on all-cause mortality, meaning the supplements did not broadly affect the likelihood of death from all causes combined.
Additionally, the effects on cancer incidence varied among participants, particularly when considering their supplement use prior to the study. However, the estimates for mortality—apart from CVD mortality—showed no significant variation.
The authors point out that the benefits of vitamin D supplementation for cancer prevention may hinge on achieving certain serum vitamin D levels, specifically above 50 nmol/L.
Yet, due to the study’s design, it was challenging to separate the potential benefits or harms of taking calcium and vitamin D together from those of taking vitamin D alone.
This distinction raises important questions for future research, as understanding the individual and combined effects of these supplements could guide more effective health strategies for postmenopausal women.
This study sheds light on the complex role that calcium and vitamin D supplements may play in the health of postmenopausal women, balancing between reducing cancer mortality and potentially increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.
As researchers continue to unravel the intricate relationships between supplements, vitamin D levels, and long-term health outcomes, these findings underscore the importance of personalized medical advice and further investigation into the optimal use of supplements for health and longevity.
If you care about nutrition, please read studies about how Mediterranean diet could protect your brain health, and the best time to take vitamins to prevent heart disease.
For more information about nutrition, please see recent studies that olive oil may help you live longer, and vitamin D could help lower the risk of autoimmune diseases.
The research findings can be found in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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