Correspondence

Calcium Supplementation in Postmenopausal Women

N Engl J Med 1993; 329:279July 22, 1993

Article

To the Editor:

Reid et al. (Feb. 18 issue)1 reported that calcium supplementation significantly slowed axial and appendicular bone loss in normal postmenopausal white women. However, the conclusions were generalized. Could the authors comment on the response to calcium supplementation in other racial groups?

Daniel Temianka, M.D.
CPP-HMG Medical Group, Los Angeles, CA 90015

1 References

1. 1

   Reid IR, Ames RW, Evans MC, Gamble GD, Sharpe SJ. Effect of calcium supplementation on bone loss in postmenopausal women. N Engl J Med 1993;328:460-464
   Full Text | Web of Science | Medline

Author/Editor Response

Dr. Reid replies:

To the Editor: Dr. Temianka correctly points out that we studied the effects of calcium supplementation on bone loss in white women and that our conclusions should be restricted to this group. Most previous studies in this area were also of white women, but Lau et al.1 recently reported that calcium supplementation had a beneficial effect in a small group of Chinese women.

The mechanisms regulating calcium metabolism and bone density are similar in different racial groups. Therefore, the conclusion from our study -- that a substantial increase in calcium intake is likely to have a beneficial effect on bone mass -- is probably applicable to other racial groups, even though their dietary calcium intake and bone density differ from those of white women.

Ian R. Reid, M.D.
University of Auckland School of Medicine, Auckland, New Zealand

1 References

1. 1

   Lau EMC, Woo J, Leung PC, Swaminathan R, Leung D. The effects of calcium supplementation and exercise on bone density in elderly Chinese women. Osteoporos Int 1992;2:168-173
   CrossRef | Web of Science | Medline