Taking calcium supplements could double risk of dying from cancer

Taking calcium supplements could double a person’s risk of dying from cancer, a new study suggests.

Researchers from Tufts University in Massachusetts analysed the medical records of 27,000 US adults and found links between high doses of the supplement and cancer.

Writing in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, the scientists said people could be putting themselves at risk by taking calcium supplement doses higher than 1,000 milligrams per day.

During their research, they found that after more than 12 years’ follow-up, there were roughly 24 cancer related deaths among supplement users compared to 12 in non-users, suggesting a 53 per cent greater risk of death from cancer.

However, the study found no link between increased consumption of foods containing calcium and the disease.

According to the NHS, calcium has several important functions including helping build strong bones and teeth, regulating muscle contractions - including your heartbeat - and making sure blood clots normally.

A lack of calcium can also lead to a condition called rickets in children - which affects bone development - and osteomalacia or osteoporosis in later life.

Lead scientist Dr Fang Fang Zhang, from Tufts University, said: “It is important to understand the role that the nutrient and its source might play in health outcomes, particularly if the effect might not be beneficial.

"Our results support the idea that, while supplement use contributes to an increased level of total nutrient intake, there are beneficial associations with nutrients from foods that aren't seen with supplements.

“This study also confirms the importance of identifying the nutrient source when evaluating mortality outcomes.”

In addition, there was evidence that unnecessary consumption of vitamin D supplements by individuals who were not deficient in the vitamin - which helps regulate the amount of calcium and phosphate in the body - might increase the risk of death from any cause.

However, other nutrients such as vitamins A and K, as well as magnesium and zinc, were found to reduce the risk of death.

But again, this finding only applied to nutrients in food, not supplements.

Sales of supplements in the UK has increased by six per cent in five years, with Britons spending an estimated £442m on them in 2018, according to market research group Mintel.

Around 34 per cent of British people take health supplements every day, while the figure in the US is closer to 50 per cent.

You can find more information on the most important supplements, who should be taking them and what they might offer in terms of nutritional benefits, here.