High Calcium, Vitamin D Intake May Harm Aging Brain

Rising levels were associated with larger brain lesions, study found.

By Alan Mozes
HealthDay Reporter
Tuesday, May 1, 2007; 12:00 AM

Copyright © 2007 ScoutNews, LLC. All rights reserved.

TUESDAY, May 1 (HealthDay News) -- Seniors who consume high levels of calcium and vitamin D are much more likely to have larger brain lesions that can lead to cognitive impairment, depression or stroke, new research reveals.

The study authors point out that brain lesions of various sizes are not uncommon, even among healthy elders. However, the observation that the overall amount of brain matter affected by lesions goes up with vitamin intake is fueling concerns about a possible connection.

"This is one of the first studies to examine the relationship between diet and brain lesions," said study author Martha E. Payne, an assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences with the Neuropsychiatric Imaging Research Laboratory at Duke University, in Durham, N.C.

"Since our study only looked at diet and brain lesions at one point in time, we cannot conclude that calcium or vitamin D caused the brain lesions that we found," she cautioned. But she added that "our finding of a relationship between brain lesions and consumption of both calcium and vitamin D raises the question about a possible downside to high intakes of these nutrients."

However, one nutritionist said it's still far too early to warn people away from calcium and vitamin D, which is vital to bone health. "In general, the problem is that people don't have enough intake of vitamin D and calcium, not too much," said Susan Harris, a nutritional epidemiologist and scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Nutrition Center at Tufts University, in Boston.

Payne's team released its results Tuesday as part of an American Society for Nutrition presentation at the Experimental Biology 2007 meeting, in Washington D.C.

The researchers conducted their work against the backdrop of public health messages that urge older Americans to take in calcium and vitamin D to ward off bone loss.

The authors note that calcium is also known to be important to proper nerve and muscle cell function.

According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, vitamin D3 and calcium deficiency is a global problem. The organization's most recent scientific statement recommends that adults over the age of 50 consume 1,200 milligrams of calcium daily. A daily total of 800 to 1,000 I.U. of vitamin D3 is also suggested, although the foundation cautions that supplementation at that level should only be taken with a doctor's supervision.