Calcium and Vit D tablets

Yes I read it. First I panicked, then I read the article. It did seem a bit vague, it seems you can take vitamin D and calcium separately but not together. I was not really sure who did the research, but they did say more research was needed. I think it was just a no news day. Even the Daily Mail has nothing to say at the moment.

I’ve just changed GPs after 38 years..............felt like a real betrayal but, as we’ve got older, I thought it more sensible to have a doctors as close as possible to home. (We had simply stayed with the Practice that was the one we chose, close to our 1st home, 43 years ago!) Anyway, I placed a repeat prescription order online with the new Practice and received a phone call from a very helpful Dr who stated their practice didn’t prescribe Vitamin D and calcium together as the current view was we should be getting enough calcium from our diet. She then spent some time, discussing diet and giving me useful websites to consider.

jane

For those who havent seen it:

Vitamin supplements taken by millions of people can increase the risk of heart disease, a large study suggests .

New research has found links between certain types of daily pills combining calcium and vitamin D and an increased risk of stroke.

US scientists believe the combination may be responsible for atherosclerosis, a disease whereby plaque builds up in the arteries.

Such pills are commonly marketed as necessary to preserve bone strength and aimed at middle-aged and elderly people, whose risk of stroke is already higher.

Overall, it is estimated that around 45 per cent of UK adults take some form of vitamin supplements every day, supporting an industry worth roughly £430 million a year.

Published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the new data forms part of a wider set of results suggesting that few nutritional supplements protect against cardiovascular disease or death .

Based on a review of 277 randomised controlled trials comprising nearly one million people, the study also questioned the effectiveness of a Mediterranean-style diet for improving resilience against heart disease.

Dr Safi Khan, who led the research at West Virginia University, said: "A combination of calcium and vitamin D was associated with a higher risk of stroke."

He added: "Other supplements did not seem to have significant effect on mortality or cardiovascular outcomes."

The research looked at the effect of 16 different nutritional supplements and eight dietary interventions on mortality and cardiovascular outcomes in the adult participants.

It concluded that cutting down on salt and eating omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in oily fish, offered some protection against heart disease, meanwhile folic acid offered some protection against stroke.

Supplements combining calcium and vitamin D appeared to increase the risk of having a stroke by 17 per cent.

However, scientists have urged caution in interpreting the results as establishing cause and effect is the field of nutrition is notoriously difficult.

“We found out only a few of the 16 nutritional supplements and one of the eight dietary interventions evaluated had some protective effect in cardiovascular risk reduction,” said Dr Khan.

Supplements that did not appear to have any significant effect on mortality or cardiovascular outcomes included selenium, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin D alone, calcium alone, folic acid, and iron.

NHS advice states that most people do not need to take vitamin supplements because they should receive all the vitamins and minerals they need by eating a balanced diet.

Thank you for that. In my mind the most important bit is;

"However, scientists have urged caution in interpreting the results as establishing cause and effect is the field of nutrition is notoriously difficult."