In Some Women, Calcium Supplements May Confer Dementia Risk

US Pharm. 2016;41(9):12.

Gothenburg, Sweden—Calcium supplements may be linked to a greater dementia risk in older women with cerebrovascular disease, according to a 5-year study of 700 women aged 70 to 92 years. At baseline, all women were dementia-free, 98 were taking calcium supplements, and 54 had experienced a stroke. Women with cerebrovascular disease who took calcium were twice as likely as those not taking calcium to develop dementia. In women with a history of stroke, 6 of 15 who took calcium developed dementia, versus 12 of 93 who did not; in those without stroke, dementia developed in 18 of 83 who took calcium, versus 33 of 509 who did not. Because this study was observational, however, it cannot be assumed that calcium supplements cause dementia.