Women who supplemented their diets with modest amounts of calcium had a lower risk for the hormone disorder known as primary hyperparathyroidism. The study, which is published in BMJ, also found that women with diets low in calcium may be more likely to get the disorder, which erodes bones and potentially sets the stage for depression, fatigue, and kidney stones. The research may be a reason to revisit the idea of taking a daily calcium supplement…"The problem is that the average is not exactly what everybody gets," says Bart L. Clarke, MD, an endocrinologist and associate professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. "To take a supplement of about 500 milligrams a day, that amount makes up the difference, really, I think, for what most women’s diets might be missing."

WebMD by Brenda Goodman

Tags: calcium supplement, Dr. Bart L. Clarke, Endocrinology / Diabetes, hyperparathyroidism, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Research, WebMD