Getting a bit more calcium in your diet could help you live longer, new research suggests.
Getting a bit more calcium in your diet could help you live longer, new research suggests.
While many past studies have looked at calcium and magnesium intake and the risk of chronic disease, less is known about the association between consumption of these nutrients in food and mortality. To investigate this, researchers looked at 23,366 Swedish men who were 45 to 79 years old at the study's outset and were followed for 10 years. All had reported on their diet at the beginning of the study and did not use any dietary supplement. During follow-up, 2,358 died.
It was found that the top calcium consumers had a 25 percent lower risk of dying from any cause and a 23 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease during follow-up relative to men that had the least amount of calcium in their diet. Calcium intake didn't significantly influence the risk of dying from cancer. Men in the top third based on their calcium intake were getting nearly 2,000 milligrams a day, on average, compared to about 1,000 milligrams for men in the bottom third.
The researchers noted that calcium could influence mortality risk in many ways, for example by reducing blood pressure, cholesterol, or blood sugar levels. For the men in the study, the main sources of calcium in the diet were milk and milk products and cereal products.
In contrast to calcium, there was no relationship between magnesium consumption and overall mortality or deaths from cancer or heart disease. Study participants' intakes ranged from around 400 milligrams per day to around 525 milligrams; the recommended daily dietary allowance for magnesium is 420 milligrams for men 31 years and older.
The findings are in line with previous research linking higher calcium intake with lower mortality from any cause in both men and women.
While many past studies have looked at calcium and magnesium intake and the risk of chronic disease, less is known about the association between consumption of these nutrients in food and mortality. To investigate this, researchers looked at 23,366 Swedish men who were 45 to 79 years old at the study's outset and were followed for 10 years. All had reported on their diet at the beginning of the study and did not use any dietary supplement. During follow-up, 2,358 died.
It was found that the top calcium consumers had a 25 percent lower risk of dying from any cause and a 23 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease during follow-up relative to men that had the least amount of calcium in their diet. Calcium intake didn't significantly influence the risk of dying from cancer. Men in the top third based on their calcium intake were getting nearly 2,000 milligrams a day, on average, compared to about 1,000 milligrams for men in the bottom third.
The researchers noted that calcium could influence mortality risk in many ways, for example by reducing blood pressure, cholesterol, or blood sugar levels. For the men in the study, the main sources of calcium in the diet were milk and milk products and cereal products.
In contrast to calcium, there was no relationship between magnesium consumption and overall mortality or deaths from cancer or heart disease. Study participants' intakes ranged from around 400 milligrams per day to around 525 milligrams; the recommended daily dietary allowance for magnesium is 420 milligrams for men 31 years and older.
The findings are in line with previous research linking higher calcium intake with lower mortality from any cause in both men and women.
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