Calcium supplementation may increase risk for dementia

Calcium supplementation continues to come under scrutiny as evidence accumulates that it can increase the risk of inflammatory disorders, most notably cerebrovascular disease, likely by opposing the anti-inflammatory effects of magnesium. A study just published in the journal Neurology offers evidence that supplementation can increase the risk for dementia in women with cardiovascular disease. The authors set out to...

"...determine whether calcium supplementation is associated with the development of dementia in women after a 5-year follow-up."

700 dementia-free women aged 70–92 years were examined at baseline and at follow-up 5 years later with comprehensive neuropsychiatric and physical examinations. 447 underwent CT scans at baseline. Dementia was diagnosed according to DSM-III-R criteria, and this was correlated with information on the use and dosage of calcium supplements.

Calcium supplementation dramatically increased the risk for dementia

The risk more was increased almost 7 times for the subset of women with a history of stroke, and tripled for those with white matter lesions, in comparison to similar subjects who did not supplement:

"Women treated with calcium supplements (n = 98) were at a higher risk of developing dementia (odds ratio [OR] 2.10) and the subtype stroke-related dementia (vascular dementia and mixed dementia) (OR 4.40) than women not given supplementation (n = 602)....supplementation was associated with the development of dementia in groups with a history of stroke (OR 6.77) or presence of white matter lesions (OR 2.99), but not in groups without these conditions."

Correspondence with previous studies

This was a relatively small study, but the findings correspond to earlier evidence that supplementation can increase the burden of systemic inflammation (some have been written about here). It opposes the absorption and action of magnesium, a likely mechanism accounting for these observations. Recall that osteoporosis is not a calcium deficiency disorder, rather a failure to maintain the protein matrix of bone to which the minerals attach. Though it was only subjects with a history of cerebrovascular disease or white matter lesions for whom the risk of dementia was markedly increased, clinicians should consider very carefully before recommending supplementation. The authors conclude:

"Calcium supplementation may increase the risk of developing dementia in elderly women with cerebrovascular disease."