To keep your bones strong, forgo calcium supplements in favor of yogurt, milk, and other calcium-rich foods, suggests a new report in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Published last week, the new study finds that calcium supplements may increase risk of heart attack. Dr. Douglas Bauer, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, reviewed the research on calcium supplements, concluding that it's safer to skip them in favor of calcium-rich foods.
Still, while prior research has shown no link between calcium supplements and cardiovascular health, Bauer finds that there are enough studies suggesting an association to heed caution, Runners World reports on the new study.
Earlier this year, a study published by the JAMA Internal Medicine journal concluded that a high intake of calcium supplementation is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular death in men, but not in women.
Another study published in the journal Heart last year also advised taking calcium supplements "with caution," after researchers from New Zealand found that boosting overall calcium intake increased the risk of a heart attack and conferred no significant health benefits for both men and women.
Nondairy calcium sources include kale, broccoli, and sardines.
Access the study: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMcp1210380
