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 low-dose calcium supplements on bone loss in perimenopausal and postmenopausal Asian women: a randomized controlled trial.
Current st and ard-dose calcium supplements ( eg , 1000 mg/d ) may increase the risk for cardiovascular events . Effectiveness of lower-dose supplements in preventing bone loss should thus be considered . This study aim ed to assess whether calcium supplements of 500 or 250 mg/d effectively prevent bone loss in perimenopausal and postmenopausal Japanese women . We recruited 450 Japanese women between 50 and 75 years of age . They were r and omly assigned to receive 500 mg of calcium ( as calcium carbonate ) , 250 mg of calcium , or placebo daily . Medical examinations conducted three times over a 2-year follow-up period assessed bone mineral density ( BMD ) of the lumbar spine and femoral neck . One-factor repeated measures ANOVA was used for statistical tests . Subgroup analyses were also conducted . Average  total daily calcium intake at baseline for the 418 subjects who underwent follow-up examinations was 493 mg/d . Intention-to-treat analysis showed less dramatic decreases in spinal BMD for the 500-mg/d calcium supplement group compared to the placebo group ( 1.2 % difference over 2 years , p = 0.027 ) . Per- protocol analysis ( ≥80 % compliance ) revealed that spinal BMD for the 500-mg/d and 250-mg/d calcium supplement groups decreased less than the placebo group ( 1.6 % , p = 0.010 and 1.0 % , p = 0.078 , respectively ) , and that femoral neck BMD for the 500-mg/d calcium supplement group decreased less relative to the placebo group ( 1.0 % , p = 0.077 ) . A low-dose calcium supplement of 500 mg/d can effectively slow lumbar spine bone loss  in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women with habitually low calcium intake , but its effect on the femoral neck is less certain . Calcium supplementation dosage should thus be reassessed . ( Clinical Trials Registry number : UMIN000001176 )
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 .