CRN Responds to Meta-Analyses on Calcium and Bone Health in British Medical Journal

Washington, D.C., September 29, 2015—In response to two meta-analyses, “Calcium intake and risk of fracture: systematic review” and “Calcium intake and bone mineral density: systematic review and meta-analysis,” and an editorial, “Calcium supplements do not prevent fractures,” published online today in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the leading trade association for the dietary supplement and functional food industry, issued the following statement:

Statement by Duffy MacKay, N.D., senior vice president, scientific and regulatory affairs, CRN: 

“Calcium is needed at every life stage for a variety of health reasons, including maintaining strong bone health. Despite the headline in the accompanying editorial, these two meta-analyses do, in fact, suggest positive results for calcium supplements and bone health, albeit ‘weak positive’ as the authors refer to the benefits. However, by conducting meta-analyses, the authors combine data from numerous studies and it is the combination of data that steer the direction of the results. In this case, the inclusion of data from the calcium and vitamin D arm of the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI), a study with widely-acknowledged limitations, heavily skewed the results of the meta-analyses toward ‘weak positive.’ Whereas, had the meta-analyses included data from the re-analysis of the WHI¹, which demonstrated a significant reduction in fracture risks, the results of the meta-analyses could have gone from ‘weak positive’ to strong positive.

As importantly, government data and the scientific report from the upcoming Dietary Guidelines for Americans have identified that Americans are not getting enough calcium from diet alone. Supplementing with calcium is a safe and beneficial avenue to address this issue of nutrient shortfalls in the American population.”

^{1. Prentice RL, et al. Health risks and benefits from calcium and vitamin D supplementation: Women's Health Initiative clinical trial and cohort study. Osteoporos Int 2013;24:567–580.}

Note to Editor: The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), founded in 1973, is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing 150+ dietary supplement and functional food manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and companies providing services to those manufacturers and suppliers. In addition to complying with a host of federal and state regulations governing dietary supplements and food in the areas of manufacturing, marketing, quality control and safety, our manufacturer and supplier members also agree to adhere to additional voluntary guidelines as well as to CRN’s Code of Ethics. Visit www.crnusa.org. Follow us on Twitter @crn_supplements and @wannabewell and on Facebook.