doreen T
Thu, Apr-18-02, 07:37
April 12, 2002 10:36:35 AM PST, Reuters
Calcium supplements can boost levels of HDL, or "good," cholesterol in postmenopausal women, according to a report from researchers in New Zealand.
Dr. Ian R. Reid and colleagues from the University of Auckland randomly assigned 223 women to take either 1 gram of calcium daily, in the form of calcium citrate, or an inactive placebo, for one year. The women's average age was 72, and none had been treated for high cholesterol or osteoporosis.
The investigators measured levels of LDL, or "bad," cholesterol and HDL cholesterol at the beginning of the study and again at 2, 6 and 12 months.
At the end of the trial, HDL cholesterol levels and HDL to LDL ratio had increased more among women taking calcium supplements than in women taking placebo, the researchers report in the April 1st issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
On average, women taking calcium saw an HDL cholesterol level increase of 7%, Reid's team found. However, calcium supplementation had no effect on levels of triglycerides, another type of fat, the report indicates.
The findings provide another reason to encourage postmenopausal women to take calcium, the authors note, and suggest that the mineral's effects should be tested in men as well. Also, larger studies should be done to determine if calcium supplementation has any effect on the risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack, Reid and colleagues conclude.
SOURCE: American Journal of Medicine 2002;112:343-347.
http://health.yahoo.com/search/healthnews?lb=s&p=id%3A18339
Calcium supplements can boost levels of HDL, or "good," cholesterol in postmenopausal women, according to a report from researchers in New Zealand.
Dr. Ian R. Reid and colleagues from the University of Auckland randomly assigned 223 women to take either 1 gram of calcium daily, in the form of calcium citrate, or an inactive placebo, for one year. The women's average age was 72, and none had been treated for high cholesterol or osteoporosis.
The investigators measured levels of LDL, or "bad," cholesterol and HDL cholesterol at the beginning of the study and again at 2, 6 and 12 months.
At the end of the trial, HDL cholesterol levels and HDL to LDL ratio had increased more among women taking calcium supplements than in women taking placebo, the researchers report in the April 1st issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
On average, women taking calcium saw an HDL cholesterol level increase of 7%, Reid's team found. However, calcium supplementation had no effect on levels of triglycerides, another type of fat, the report indicates.
The findings provide another reason to encourage postmenopausal women to take calcium, the authors note, and suggest that the mineral's effects should be tested in men as well. Also, larger studies should be done to determine if calcium supplementation has any effect on the risk of cardiovascular events such as heart attack, Reid and colleagues conclude.
SOURCE: American Journal of Medicine 2002;112:343-347.
http://health.yahoo.com/search/healthnews?lb=s&p=id%3A18339