• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About Us
  • STEPS Virtual
  • FAQ
  • Links
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • 615.269.8844

STEPS Fitness

Nashville's Premier Personal Fitness Training Center

  • STEPS Virtual
  • Programs
    • STEPS Fitness Presents Events
    • DR. Irv’s Perfect Exercise Minute
    • Training Packages
    • Group Offerings
    • Corporate Wellness
    • Traveler’s Special
  • Personal Trainers
    • Dr. Irv Rubenstein
  • Testimonials
  • Fitness Blog
    • Dr Irv’s Fitness Blog
    • Exercise of the Month
  • Newsletters
    • Fit Happens
    • Real News Newsletter
  • Search

August 19, 2016 By Irv Rubenstein

Calcium Supplements May Be Linked to Dementia in Women

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

shutterstock_367740026Generally in America it is recommended that post-menopausal women take calcium supplements – up to 1200 mg/day – to prevent the ongoing loss of bone density that naturally occurs with age and changes in hormone status. But questions abound as to whether or not supplements really work or are perhaps detrimental in other areas of well-being.

 

This study out of Sweden asked 700 women who did not have dementia about their diets including supplements; then five years later, checked in on them again. They even got CT brain scans on many of them.

Their findings showed that “women who were treated with calcium supplements were twice as likely to develop dementia than women who did not take supplements.”

Calcium supplements may be detrimental to your mental health

Calcium supplements may be detrimental to your mental health

 

 

Calcium Based FoodsFurther analysis determined “that the increased risk was only among women with cerebrovascular disease.”

In other words, if you’ve had a stroke and take calcium supplements you might want to reconsider the offsets: better bones vs better brain function.

Again, deeper analysis of the data revealed some pretty alarming risks for supplement takers. There was a greater risk of dementia after stroke. And for those who had a stroke, if you were taking supplements your risk of dementia was nearly double (14%) compared to those who had a stroke but did not take calcium (8%).

The authors acknowledge that there may (likely) be a different response to consuming calcium-based foods vs taking supplements that may actually be protective of the brain, not just the bones.

What is not covered in this study, or at least in this report, is the role of exercise. As a previous blog post here noted, many studies of late have concluded that a healthy diet and active lifestyle may be protective against dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. They are also important in reducing your risk of stroke.

Combined – and maybe even combined with eating dairy-based foods (non- or low-sugar) – a healthy, neutral-caloric diet and physically active lifestyle may not only prevent strokes but may also, if this study is backed by more research, reduce your risk of dementia even if you have a stroke.

So, my advice is what you’d expect from a trainer, with one last caveat: eat right, move more, and maybe don’t bother with supplements unless you can’t get certain nutrients elsewhere.

Related Posts:

  • REAL-News --July-2022
    REAL News - July 2022
  • REAL-News--March-2023
    REAL News - March 2023
  • REAL-News--December-2023
    REAL News - December 2023
  • REAL-News--June-2024
    REAL News - June 2024
  • REAL-News --February-2025
    REAL News - February 2025
  • REAL-News--February-2025
    REAL News - February 2025
  • Fit-Happens--Winter-2023
    Fit Happens - Winter 2023
  • REAL-News --April-20251
    REAL News - August 2023

Comments

comments

Filed Under: Fitness Blog Tagged With: Alzheimer's disease, calcium, dementia, mental health, slows cognitive decline

sidebar

Blog Sidebar

FREE Consultation!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Categories

  • Exercise of the Month
  • Fit Happens
  • Fitness Blog
  • General News
  • Newsletters
  • Real News
  • Trainers

Tags

achieve well-being aging Alzheimer's disease barefoot running body fat bone density burn off excess weight calories cardio cardiovascular childhood obesity covid diabetes diet dieting eating disorders Exercise exercise intensity field of health or exercise science fitness flexibility functional fitness health Heart Health higher risk of obesity lose weight low back pain mental health musculoskeletal improvements obesity osteoarthritis physical activity physically active protein reduce your risk of falling resistance training running Senior Training slows cognitive decline strength training Stretching training weight loss Weight loss vs Exercise gain weight management

Recent News

May 01

REAL News – May 2025

Apr 01

REAL News – April 2025

Mar 18

Fit Happens – Spring 2025

Mar 01

REAL News – March 2025

Feb 01

REAL News – February 2025

Reviews

Search Our Directory

Footer Widget Header

Affiliations

  • american-college-of-sports-medicine
  • american-council-on-exercise
  • biometrics
  • exercise-etc-inc
  • national-strength-and-conditioning-association
  • renewed-support

STEPS Fitness | 2424 21st Ave. S. Suite #100 | Nashville, TN 37212 | 615.269.8844 p

© 2025 Nashville's Premier Personal Fitness Training Center | Designed by Ponder Consulting ®

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok