Calcium supplements  increased BMD by 0.7 - 1.8 % at all five skeletal sites at one , two , and over two and a half years , but the size of the increase in BMD at later time points was similar to the increase at one year .
Increasing calcium intake from dietary sources or by taking calcium supplements produces small non-progressive increases in BMD , which are unlikely to lead to a clinical ly significant reduction in risk of fracture
OBJECTIVE To determine whether increasing calcium intake from dietary sources affects  bone mineral density ( BMD ) and , if so , whether the effects are similar to those of calcium supplements .
Effect of calcium supplementation on forearm bone mineral content in postmenopausal women: a prospective, sequential controlled trial.
Three hundred ten normal postmenopausal volunteers were invited to enter a controlled trial of the effects of calcium supplementation on forearm mineral content ( FMC ) ; 269 entered the study and 210 completed it . Of those who completed the study , 158 were allocated to one of three calcium-supplemented treatment regimes and 52 were allocated to a control group . Twenty-two of the subjects allocated to the treatment group were unable to take supplementary calcium but agreed to remain in the study as additional controls . There were therefore 136 treated subjects , 52 strict controls and 74 controls altogether . During the initial observation period of 9 mo , there was a highly significant loss of bone in all groups ( P less than 0.001 ) . During the 9-mo period of treatment , there was a highly significant reduction in the rate of bone loss in the treated subjects ( P less than 0.001 ) , a just significant reduction in the strict controls ( P less than 0.05 ) and a nonsignificant reduction in the rate of loss in all controls . The difference between the treated and strict controls in the second period was not significant but the difference between the treated and all controls in the second period was significant ( P less than 0.025 ) . When the analysis was applied only to women within 10 yr of menopause , the difference between the treated and strict control groups in period 2 was significant ( P less than 0.025 ) and the difference between the treated and all controls was highly significant ( P less than 0.001 )
Calcium supplements  increased BMD by 0.7 - 1.8 % at all five skeletal sites at one , two , and over two and a half years , but the size of the increase in BMD at later time points was similar to the increase at one year .
Increasing calcium intake from dietary sources or by taking calcium supplements produces small non-progressive increases in BMD , which are unlikely to lead to a clinical ly significant reduction in risk of fracture
OBJECTIVE To determine whether increasing calcium intake from dietary sources affects  bone mineral density ( BMD ) and , if so , whether the effects are similar to those of calcium supplements .