Older women who ingest more dietary calcium may lower their risk of cardiovascular disease, a new study suggests.
The role of dietary calcium intake in cardiovascular disease, stroke and fracture is controversial. But since most studies look at people who eat calcium-rich diets, a South Korean research team decided at what happens in a population of people who generally eat diets that are low in it.
They analyzed data on 2,199 men and 2,074 women who were over 50 years old and free of cardiovascular disease who enrolled in an ongoing study that began in 2001 and has been followed for 13 years.
The individuals in the study reported their dietary food intake in periodic food frequency questionnaires. Cardiovascular disease, stroke and fractures were recorded during interviews and examinations every two years.
They found that, for the older women in the study, higher dietary calcium intake was significantly associated with a lower risk cardiovascular disease. However, they also found that this higher calcium intake did not lower their likelihood of stroke and fracture, the researchers said in a poster presentation they presented at ENDO 2016, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society.
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