Pharmacy Daily | ASMI: don’t fear calcium!

THE Australian Self Medication Industry has responded to research published in the British Medical Journal which linked an increased risk of heart disease with calcium supplements (PD 30 Jul), saying the association was “controversial”. According to ASMI, the researchers’ conclusion that the use of calcium supplements would need to be reassessed due to the possibility of an increase to a person’s risk of heart disease, was arguable due to the existence of other recent studies including the WA Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital’s Calcium supplementation and the risks of atherosclerotic vascular disease in older women study which ruled out the relationship . In backing up its position ASMI also cited the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard School of Public Health‘s ‘Systematic review: Vitamin D and calcium supplementation in prevention of cardiovascular events’ which failed to find a causal relationship between calcium supplements and an increased risk of cardiovascular events. ASMI did however say that there was “good evidence” that “calcium supplementation reduced the risk of fractures and hence played a useful role in the treatment of osteoporosis”. As such ASMI is urging consumers not to be alarmed by the study, and if they are overly worried to seek the advice of their healthcare professional.

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