Bones to pick

Taking calcium supplements has no benefits unless you have a diagnosed deficiency. They could even potentially pose a real risk.

- Jennifer Bowden

Question: Several years ago, the Listener published an article about research from the University of Auckland which found calcium supplements could cause a stroke. Last year, I suffered a stroke. I was taking calcium supplements to relieve arthritic pain at the time. I was a healthy 77-year-old, still active on my farm, with minimal heart disease and a BMI of about 24. When I told my cardiologist I had been taking a lot of calcium supplements, he was very dismissive and didn't think they were a problem.

Answer: Decades ago, calcium supplementation was widely promoted for bone health, with many believing it would reduce the risk of hip fractures and improve bone density. However, the professional view on calcium supplements has taken a significant turn since. Indeed, Distinguished Professor Ian Reid and Associate Professor Mark Bolland from the University of Auckland write in the Medical Journal of Australia that they “have very little place in contemporary medical practice".

To clarify, “very little place” does not mean there is no place for them. But there is only a very narrow window in which the benefits of calcium supplements outweigh their risks. And that window does not include otherwise healthy older adults.