Vitamins and minerals are very important to our health – in fact without the right balance of nutrients we can become badly unwell or become more prone to developing conditions. We should be able to get all of the vitamins and minerals that we need from the food that we eat. But sometimes it can be challenging for people to make sure they are getting everything they need in their diet. That leads to many people looking for a simple solution.
That solution came along in the form of supplements. Taking a vitamin pill or mineral supplement is often seen as the simple preventative solution to illness and other health issues. It’s pitched as the perfect pick-me-up for whenever you feel a little flat, unwell or stressed. But while many people take these supplements to improve their health, new research suggests that it might actually be doing the opposite.
A study of more than 60,000 elderly women in Sweden found those who took calcium supplements in high doses may be at a higher risk of heart disease and death. This goes against the popular belief that calcium supplementation is beneficial to the health of elderly people. The study, which was published in the British Medical Journal in February, found that women who consumed more than 1,400 milligrams of calcium a day in tablet form had more than double the risk of death from heart disease.
The fact is that this is a problem that doesn’t ever really need to come about. If you are eating a healthy diet then you will have no real need for calcium supplementation. If you’re worried about the amount of calcium you’re getting just drink more milk or many of the other foods high in calcium.
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