Calcium Supplements Flunk

The British publication The Lancet is one of the oldest peer reviewed medical journals and studies they accept to print usually achieve the standards necessary to be considered “serious” medical research. This particular study has every major requirement for modern medical investigation: double blind, placebo controlled, long term (5.5yrs), large scale (5,292 people), multi-center (21 hospitals), and paid for with government funding supplemented by two different drug companies. Well, surprise, surprise, Calcium Supplements Are Unable to Prevent Fractures.

At the risk of being wrong, I am going to make an all inclusive universal assertion that the two most contentious subjects in human discussion are health and eating. After all, sex is good and killing is bad and sane people won’t spend hours in a tizzy defending the opposing point of view. Refined sugar, organic milk and shark cartilage, however, will drive large numbers of people to dogmatic points of view beyond the realm of evidence because they are self-obviously true. The press release is pretty standard but the comments on the findings are from all over the typical reaction spectrum.

Personal financial concern: “Much of what happens to us in our old age is directly related to how well we take care of ourselves early on and I would like to know if I'm wasting money on supplements in my 30's.”

Contempt and skepticism: “Aren't the editors of the Lancet aware that many suppliers use calcium citrate and di calcium phosphate? … There is no excuse for this kind of sloppy reporting.”

Anecdotal evidence proves the conclusion wrong: “After breaking bones in my left foot I took a course of both 'Oral Vitamin D and calcium'. When the X-ray plates were examined by the specialist at Christchurch Hospital, Dorset. He asked for the X-rays to be taken again, as the mend was so good and so fast he couldn't believe the X-rays were mine.”

Product plug anyway: “We have no financial holdings in this company but your readers might want to know that this combination is sold in the U.S. as Posture-D.”

Yeah but drugs don’t work either: “It has been my impression with much internet research that the new "bone building" medicines do not decrease fracture either. They may induce higher bone density but there has been no change in fracture stats.”

It’s the shoes: I propose that something simple is being overlooked in osteoporosis. Specifically, women suffer from osteoporosis disproportionately more than men. Could their higher-heeled shoes have anything to do with it?

You should have listened to your Mother! “I guess there's no substitute for exercise and eating your greens. All you supplement people should throw these dopey hopes that they will save you out the window and go exercise.”

It’s your crappy lifestyle: “According to the research I have conducted, Osteoporosis can be attributed to the high intake of animal protein, lack of sunlight, lack of exercise, too much junk and sugary foods, too much salt, smoking, alcohol and stress.”

It’s a capitalist plot by Coke and Pepsi: “Is this another ploy of the drug companies to market more drugs? Osteoporosis is the result of demineralizing of the bones. A drug will not reverse this. A major factor in demineralizing is the drinking of carbonated beverages. The phosphoric acid in the pop leaches out the minerals, causing severe imbalances over time.”

It’s the cows! “Were the participants in the study continuing to ingest dairy and meat products during the testing period (possibly under the impression that they needed to rebuild their bones using such things)?”