A new review links calcium supplements with a higher rate of heart attacks.

(Boston Globe) — Older people, and postmenopausal women in particular, are often advised to take calcium pills to avoid broken bones that can come with aging. A new review links calcium supplements with a higher rate of heart attacks.

Ian Reid of the University of Auckland in New Zealand and colleagues pooled the results of 11 clinical trials in which 12,000 people over 40 were randomly assigned to take either a placebo or at least 500 milligrams of calcium a day for an average of 3 1/2 years. After considering age, smoking, high blood pressure, and other risk factors for heart disease, the researchers found that people who took calcium supplements were 30 percent more likely to have a heart attack than people who took placebos.

Previous research has shown no increased risk of heart disease in people whose diets contain high amounts of calcium, leading the authors to conclude that calcium supplements should be looked at more closely.

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