Association of supplemental calcium and dairy milk intake with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in the UK Biobank: a prospective cohort study

Abstract

Excessive Ca intakes have been proposed to associate with vascular calcification and a higher risk of prostate cancer. We investigated the associations of supplemental and dietary Ca intake with mortality using data from 497 828 UK Biobank participants. The average follow-up was 4·2 years and 14 255 participants died, 8297 from cancer, 2959 from CVD and 572 from respiratory disease. The use of Ca supplements and milk consumption were associated with differences in mortality in younger (≤65 years) but not in older participants (>65 years, Pinteraction ≤ 0·04 for all comparisons). Among participants <65 years, there was an inverse association between Ca supplementation (OR 0·91, 95 % CI 0·83, 0·99) and milk consumption (OR 0·93, 95 % CI 0·86, 1·00) with respect to all-cause mortality. In the same age group, milk drinkers had lower odds of cancer mortality (OR 0·89, 95 % CI 0·80, 0·98) but Ca supplement use was associated with increased odds of respiratory mortality (OR 1·69, 95 % CI 1·16, 2·74). All associations in participants aged ≥65 years were null after full adjustment. In sensitivity analyses stratified by hormone replacement therapy, Ca supplement use was associated with decreased odds of cancer mortality in users but increased risk in other women (OR 0·81, 95 % CI 0·69, 0·94 v. OR 1·17, 95 % CI 1·01, 1·35, respectively). To conclude, we saw little evidence for harm with dietary or supplemental Ca. Further studies are required to confirm the proposed interaction with hormone replacement therapy and to exclude reverse causation as a determinant in the association between Ca supplements and increased risk of respiratory diseases.

Osteosarcopenia: epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment—facts and numbers

“…47 Despite the recent controversy relating to the proposed risk of calcium supplementation, the most recent cross-sectional study from UK Biobank showed no association with all-cause mortality. 48 Finally, creatine has consistently shown to augment exercise-induced increases in muscle mass and strength, 49 and recent reports suggest that this nutrient may increase bone density. 49 Further research is needed to clarify the effects of creatine monohydrate in osteosarcopenic populations, particularly in respect to adaptations in bone microarchitecture using high-resolution imaging.…”

“…Although the benefits of calcium in reducing fracture risk are equivocal, reference guidelines suggest an intake of 1000–1300 mg/day which should be met through supplementation if dietary intake is suboptimal . Despite the recent controversy relating to the proposed risk of calcium supplementation, the most recent cross‐sectional study from UK Biobank showed no association with all‐cause mortality …”

Association of milk consumption with all-cause mortality and cardiovascular outcomes: a UK Biobank based large population cohort study

“…The association of milk consumption with all-cause mortality and CVD outcomes has been controversial [ 7 , 13 , 28 ]. Xu et al reported that participants with low fat milk intake indicated a decreased risk of mortality compared to participants consuming whole milk [ 11 ].…”

The Relationship Between Dietary Choices and Health and Premature Vascular Ageing

“…One would expect increased vascular calcifications related to a diet rich in dairy products. However little evidence for harm with dietary or supplemental calcium (Ca) was reported on vascular function [100,101].…”