Should you be taking calcium supplements?
6/23/202620 min
Our calcium needs can increase as we age, especially for women going through menopause.
Most Australians aren’t getting enough calcium from their diet, so are supplements a good option
Norman and Tegan discuss the conflicting evidence on calcium – in particular, could it be good for your bones, but bad for your heart?
References:
- Calcium supplements have 'very little place' in modern medicine - the Health Report
- Nutrient Reference Values - Calcium
- Effect of age on calcium absorption in postmenopausal women
- Biochemical Variables in Pre- and Postmenopausal Women: Reconciling the Calcium and Estrogen Hypotheses
- Calcium Content of Common Foods - Healthy Bones Australia
- Choosing a calcium supplement: What you should know about taking calcium to boost your nutrients
- Calcium Supplements and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease: A Meta-Analysis of Clinical Trials
- Association Between Calcium Supplementation and the Risk of Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
- Association Between Calcium Supplementation and Recurrence of Cardiovascular Events in Patients With Cardiovascular Disease: A Population‐Based Cohort Study
- Calcium Intake From Diet and Supplements and the Risk of Coronary Artery Calcification and its Progression Among Older Adults: 10‐Year Follow‐up of the Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)
- Oral Calcium Supplements Associate With Serial Coronary Calcification: Insights From Intravascular Ultrasound
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Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 10:00
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Tegan Taylor· Host0:18
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Speaker 10:19
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Speaker 10:28
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Tegan Taylor· Host0:35
Norman, do you have a favorite calcium source?
Norman Swan· Host0:39
You mean apart from chewing on chalk? [laughs] You know.
Tegan Taylor· Host0:42
That's your favorite way of getting calcium?
Norman Swan· Host0:44
No, no. My favorite way of getting calcium is Greek yogurt.
Tegan Taylor· Host0:47
Oh, same. Actually, no, my favorite way of getting calcium is ice cream, but I subsist mostly on Greek yogurt in the day-to-day, and I, yeah, big agree on that one.
Norman Swan· Host0:57
Yeah, that's my bio hack is Greek yogurt, and I found this f- amazing Greek yogurt, but I can't advertise it on air, so we'll not talk about that.
Tegan Taylor· Host1:05
We'll have to, um, compare brands after the show when we're not recording and see if we have the same preferred Greek yogurt vendor.
Norman Swan· Host1:11
Mine isn't a brand. [gasps] Yeah.
Tegan Taylor· Host1:13
Do you make your own? Have you ever made your own yogurt?
Norman Swan· Host1:15
I have many, many years ago, and it wasn't a big success. Tasted revolting. You know- No, I've- ... you add the culture to milk, and you get it going.
Tegan Taylor· Host1:23
I've made it before. I actually... It did turn out quite well, if I do say so myself. But for the cost and the effort, it wasn't