[건강]Calcium drugs for osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease risk 15%↑

Studies have shown that taking calcium drugs, which are widely used for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as angina and myocardial infarction.

Professor Seung-Kwon Myung (Doctor of Medicine, Family Medicine Specialist) and Professor Hong-Bae Kim (Co-first author) of the Department of Family Medicine, Myongji Hospital, Hanyang University, have joined the international academic journal from 1990 to 2013. As a result of meta-analysis of 13 clinical trials published in, it was revealed that this was confirmed.

The research team conducted 13 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials (Randomized, double-blind, placebo) finally selected through literature search from major medical databases such as PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library. -controllled trial) was synthesized and meta-analyzed. As a result of the analysis, the risk of cardiovascular disease (including coronary artery disease and cerebrovascular disease) was 15% (relative risk 1.15, 95% confidence interval 1.06-1.25) than the case of taking a placebo, a fake drug, when taking calcium drugs. Appeared to be high.

As a result of meta-analysis by dividing cardiovascular disease into coronary artery disease and cerebrovascular disease, only the risk of coronary artery disease was statistically significantly higher (relative risk 1.16, 95% confidence interval 1.05-1.28). There was no statistical significance between the use of calcium drugs and the risk of cardiovascular disease, but the risk of cardiovascular disease was statistically significantly increased in postmenopausal healthy women.

Meanwhile, the current health and medical science community recommends that adults over 50 years of age consume 700-1200 mg (mg) of calcium per day for the purpose of preventing and treating osteoporosis. It is recommended to take calcium as a supplement even if intake is insufficient with food.

However, as a result of a meta-analysis of seven clinical trials in the British Medical Journal in 2010, it was reported that taking calcium drugs increased the risk of myocardial infarction by about 30%. On the contrary, in the meta-analysis paper published subsequently, it was controversial as the result that calcium drug administration was not related to cardiovascular disease risk.

Prof. Seung-kwon Myung, the lead author of the study, said, “The reason why the research results of meta-analysis papers are different is due to the selection criteria of individual papers included in the meta-analysis, the characteristics of the research subjects, and the inclusion of unpublished data.”

Professor Seung-kwon Myung continued, “This result is interpreted as a biological mechanism that suggests that when calcium is supplemented in the form of a calcium agent rather than food, the serum calcium concentration increases for a long time, which increases the risk of calcification of blood vessels, leading to cardiovascular disease. have. As another mechanism, calcium in the blood is involved in blood vessel coagulation, so excessive calcium intake can eventually increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.”

Professor Myung also said, “According to the results of previous studies, about half of postmenopausal women in the West and not a few women in Korea are taking calcium drugs for the purpose of preventing or treating osteoporosis or fractures.” According to a meta-analysis study of a published clinical trial, the results of studies published for more than 10 years have begun to come out differently from previous studies, including that taking calcium or vitamin D drugs does not lower the frequency of fractures due to osteoporosis. So, in 2018, after reviewing a vast array of the latest research results, the U.S. Department of Welfare’s Special Committee on Disease Prevention Services (USPSTF) found that supplementing calcium or vitamin D in the form of drugs (not food) was not effective in preventing fractures. I came to a conclusion, which is in the same context with the results of this study. On the other hand, observational studies of hundreds of thousands of people showed that there was no problem with ingesting calcium from food. Not supplements such as pills, but foods rich in calcium, such as milk and dairy products (such as yogurt and cheese), bone-eaten fish such as anchovies, deep green vegetables such as cabbage, spinach, and broccoli, seaweed such as seaweed, seaweed, seaweed, and legumes You can prevent osteoporosis or fracture by regularly performing aerobic exercise, such as walking or running, while getting enough of the back in the sun for 10 minutes or more. In particular, smoking and underweight also increase the incidence of osteoporosis, so you should quit smoking and maintain a standard weight. Once again, calcium or vitamin D should not be eaten in the form of health functional foods or medicines.” He stressed the clinical significance of the study.

Professor Hong-Bae Kim, co-first author, said, “This study is a comprehensive meta-analysis including the most clinical trials among meta-analysis papers published to date.” As a result of performing meta-analysis by various factors such as duration of administration, dosage, and quality of the study, it was found that taking calcium drugs increased the risk of cardiovascular disease by about 15%.” He emphasized the merits of this meta-analysis study.

The results of this study were published in the SCIE international journal Nutrients (IF 4.5) in January 2021.