Short Course: Dangers of too much calcium

Dangers of too much calcium

CALCIUM is an important nutrient for bone health, but new research suggests that older women who take large amounts may be at increased risk of heart disease and death.

Swedish researchers recorded the women's food and calcium supplement intake. After controlling for physical activity, education, smoking, alcohol and other dietary factors, they found that women who consumed 1,400 milligrams or more of calcium a day had more than double the risk of death from heart disease, compared with those with intakes between 600 and 1,000 milligrams. These women also had a 49% higher rate of death from cardiovascular disease, and a 40 % higher risk of death from any cause.

Caffeine linked to lower birth weight babies

NEW research suggests that drinking caffeinated drinks during pregnancy raises the risk of having a low birth weight baby. Caffeine has long been linked to adverse effects in pregnant women, prompting many expectant mothers to give up coffee and tea. In the latest study, published in the journal BMC Medicine, researchers collected data on almost 60,000 pregnancies over a 10-year period. Researchers found that a child expected to weigh about eight pounds at birth, the child lost between three-quarters of an ounce to an ounce in birth weight for each 100 milligrams of average daily caffeine intake from all sources by the mother.

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