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Study: Calcium Supplements Increase the Risk of Dementia in Elderly Women

Elderly women who take calcium supplements and have a history of cerebrovascular disease have a higher risk of developing dementia and stroke-related dementia than women not taking calcium supplements, according to a new study from Sweden.

To investigate the effect of calcium supplementation on the development of dementia, the researchers followed the cases of a sample of 700 women aged 70 to 92 years who did not have dementia at baseline and were participating in the Prospective Population Study of Women and H70 Birth Cohort Study in Gothenburg, Sweden.

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Participants underwent neuropsychiatric and somatic examinations at baseline (2000-2001) and at follow-up (2005-2006), and 447 women underwent a computed tomography scan at baseline to evaluate white matter lesions on the brain.

The researchers also collected data on calcium supplementation use and dosage and diagnosed dementia based on criteria set forth in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

The 98 women taking calcium supplements had a higher risk of developing dementia and stroke-related dementia than women not taking calcium.

Further analysis showed that calcium supplementation was associated with dementia only in women with a history of stroke or presence of white matter lesions.

“Calcium supplementation may increase the risk of developing dementia in elderly women with cerebrovascular disease,” the researchers concluded. “Because our sample was relatively small and the study was observational, these findings need to be confirmed.”

—Amanda Balbi

Reference:

Kern J, Kern S, Blennow K, et al. Calcium supplementation and risk of dementia in women with cerebrovascular disease [published online August 17, 2016]. Neurology. http:/​/​dx.​doi.​org/​10.​1212/​WNL.​0000000000003111.