Older people need sufficient calcium and vitamin D to prevent bone damage if they fall.

Over-50s told to take proper dose of calcium to avoid bone damage - Guardian

Extract:

"Doctors are recommending that people over 50 take supplements of calcium to reduce the risk of bone damage if they fall, as a study in the Lancet medical journal today suggests that daily pills can prevent one in four fractures in the over-50s.

The findings will add to the increasing number of pills many older people are recommended to take and renew suggestions that some should consider a daily "polypill", including cholesterol-busting statins, aspirin and calcium.

University of Western Sydney scientists pooled the results of 17 studies involving more than 50,000 people over 50 who were given calcium supplements. They discovered that supplements reduced the risk of fractures by 12% but when the proper dose of 1200mg was taken every day the risk was reduced by 24%.

Benjamin Tang, the lead author, said: "If you're fit, healthy and have a very good diet then at 50 perhaps it's optional but the older you get and the poorer diet you have the more definite the benefit."

But the study also suggested that many people are not taking strong enough doses of calcium, or not taking them regularly enough, to reap the full benefits. "Unfortunately most of the tablets are low dosage," said Dr Tang."

I reckon calcium supplementation is a good idea for older people, but "a daily "polypill", including cholesterol-busting statins, aspirin and calcium" would not be a good idea. Statins have caused many adverse side-effects in the people who take/have taken them, and it has been reported that most people feel better when they give them up. Cholesterol can be lowered without drugs by reducing salt intake. This would also help with the problem of insufficient calcium. - And aspirin for all the people needing calcium supplements would not be safe, since many people have weak blood vessels and a tendency to bleed, which would be likely to be exacerbated by daily aspirin. People need to have sufficient vitamin D in order to utilise the calcium.


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