Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27761590›Full record

ReviewOsteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA2017

The role of calcium supplementation in healthy musculoskeletal ageing : An expert consensus meeting of the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (ESCEO) and the International Foundation for Osteoporosis (IOF).

N C Harvey, E Biver, J-M Kaufman, J Bauer, J Branco, M L Brandi, O Bruyère, V Coxam, A Cruz-Jentoft, E Czerwinski and 8 more

Registry-linked trialOpen access · bronzeAbstract readConsensus StatementReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05252884 (Comparison of Routine Prophylactic Calcium + Calcitriol and Selective Use Based on PTH for the Prevention of Postoperative Hypocalcemia in Patients With Total Thyroidectomy. Randomized Clinical Trial), which is not on this map. Cited by 92 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
92citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
11.8field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT05252884 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2022, after this paper: background citation

Comparison of Routine Prophylactic Calcium + Calcitriol and Selective Use Based on PTH for the Prevention of Postoperative Hypocalcemia in Patients With Total Thyroidectomy. Randomized Clinical Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorCentro de Excelencia en Enfermedades de Cabeza y CuelloRan2022 to 2024Enrolled258ConditionsThyroid Cancer, Goiter, Thyroiditis, HyperthyroidismArmscalcium correction according to PTH levels, routine postoperative calcium and calcitriol
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

92 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 186 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Probiotic Supplementation and Bone Health Parameters in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Guideline
  3. Guideline
  4. Guideline
  5. Pooled it
  6. Pooled it
  7. European guidance for the diagnosis and management of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2019
    Guideline
  8. Randomized Controlled Trial Assessing Vitamin D's Role in Reducing BPPV Recurrence in Older Adults.Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery · 2025
    Trial
  9. Trial
  10. Trial
  11. Trial
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  13. Calcium and Vitamin D Supplementation Are Not Associated With Risk of Incident Ischemic Cardiac Events or Death: Findings From the UK Biobank Cohort.Journal of bone and mineral research : the official journal of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research · 2018
    Trial
  14. Article
  15. Dietary and supplemental calcium intake and bone changes during antiresorptive osteoporosis treatment in older women: a longitudinal observational study.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2026
    Article
  16. Review
  17. Review
  18. Article
  19. Review
  20. Review

32 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

18 authors at 15 institutions in 13 countries.

N C HarveyMRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
E BiverService of Bone Diseases, University Hospitals Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
J-M KaufmanDepartment of Internal Medicine, section Endocrinology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
J BauerDepartment of Geriatric Medicine, Klinikum, Carl von Ossietzky University, Ammerländer Heerstrasse 114-118, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany.
J BrancoCEDOC - NOVA Medical School, UNL and Rheumatology Department, CHLO/Hospital Egas Moniz, Lisbon, Portugal.
M L BrandiHead, Bone and Mineral Metabolic Unit, Department of Surgery and Translational Medicine, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
O BruyèreDepartment of Public Health, Epidemiology and Health Economics, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
V CoxamINRA, UMR 1019, UNH, CRNH Auvergne, F-63000, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
A Cruz-JentoftHospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Instituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria (Irycis), Madrid, Spain.
E CzerwinskiDepartment of Bone and Joint Diseases, Faculty of Health Sciences, Krakow Medical Centre, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland.
H DimaiDepartment of Internal Medicine, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria.
P FardelloneCHU Amiens, Université Picardie - Jules Verne, INSERM U 1088, Amiens, France.
F LandiGeriatric Department, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy.
J-Y ReginsterDepartment of Public Health, Epidemiology and Health Economics, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium.
B Dawson-HughesJean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA, USA.
J A KanisCentre for Metabolic Bone Diseases, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
R RizzoliService of Bone Diseases, University Hospitals Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
C CooperMRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK. cc@mrc.soton.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3510-0709
University Hospital of Geneva · CHUniversity Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust · GBUniversity of Liège · BEAustralian Catholic University · AUCarl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg · DEGhent University · BEHospital de Egas Moniz · PTInserm · FRInstituto Ramón y Cajal de Investigación Sanitaria · ESJagiellonian University · PLMedical University of Graz · ATTufts University · USUniversità Cattolica del Sacro Cuore · ITUniversité Clermont Auvergne · FRUniversity of Florence · IT

Funding

Arthritis Research UK 17702Arthritis Research UK 21231Department of Health HTA/10/33/04Medical Research Council G0400491Medical Research Council MC_U147585819Medical Research Council MC_U147585824Medical Research Council MC_U147585827Medical Research Council MC_UP_A620_1014Medical Research Council MC_UP_A620_1015Medical Research Council MC_UU_12011/1Medical Research Council MC_UU_12011/2
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The place of calcium supplementation, with or without concomitant vitamin D supplementation, has been much debated in terms of both efficacy and safety. There have been numerous trials and meta-analyses of supplementation for fracture reduction, and associations with risk of myocardial infarction have been suggested in recent years. In this report, the product of an expert consensus meeting of the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases (ESCEO) and the International Foundation for Osteoporosis (IOF), we review the evidence for the value of calcium supplementation, with or without vitamin D supplementation, for healthy musculoskeletal ageing. We conclude that (1) calcium and vitamin D supplementation leads to a modest reduction in fracture risk, although population-level intervention has not been shown to be an effective public health strategy; (2) supplementation with calcium alone for fracture reduction is not supported by the literature; (3) side effects of calcium supplementation include renal stones and gastrointestinal symptoms; (4) vitamin D supplementation, rather than calcium supplementation, may reduce falls risk; and (5) assertions of increased cardiovascular risk consequent to calcium supplementation are not convincingly supported by current evidence. In conclusion, we recommend, on the basis of the current evidence, that calcium supplementation, with concomitant vitamin D supplementation, is supported for patients at high risk of calcium and vitamin D insufficiency, and in those who are receiving treatment for osteoporosis.

Indexed as

Dietary SupplementsBone Density Conservation AgentsCalciumGastrointestinal DiseasesHumansKidney CalculiMeta-Analysis as TopicMuscle, SkeletalOsteoporosisOsteoporotic FracturesVitamin DBone Density Conservation AgentsCalciumVitamin DCalcium supplementationFracture reductionMyocardial infarctionVitamin D supplementation

Identifiers

PMID27761590
PMCPMC5274536
OpenAlexW2533325986

What OpenQuestion holds

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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.