Calcium Supplements and Dementia — Major Study Busts Long-Held Myth

Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health

Briana Mercola

Health & Fitness, Alternative Health

4.6 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 3 December 2025

⏱️ 8 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Calcium supplements were long feared to increase dementia risk, but new long-term research found no connection between calcium use and cognitive decline, even among women with heart disease or prior strokes
The 14.5-year study published in The Lancet Regional Health showed that calcium carbonate supplements did not raise dementia-related hospitalizations or deaths, dispelling decades of concern about vascular calcification or brain damage
Your brain and bones rely on nutrient synergy — calcium works best when paired with magnesium, vitamin D3, and vitamin K2, which ensure calcium strengthens bones instead of depositing in arteries or soft tissue
Keeping your calcium-to-phosphorus ratio near 1:1 is key for both skeletal and cognitive health, since excessive phosphorus from processed foods, soda and meat-heavy diets forces calcium out of bones and contributes to arterial calcification
The safest way to protect your brain and bones is through whole-food calcium sources such as raw grass fed cheese, yogurt, and eggshell powder, paired with balanced sun exposure and nutrient cofactors that keep calcium working where it should

Transcript

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0:00.0	Are you avoiding calcium supplements because you've heard they might raise your risk of dementia,
0:04.7	even though you're worried about your bones as you age.
0:07.7	Welcome to Dr. Mercola's cellular wisdom.
0:10.4	Stay informed with quick, easy-to-listen summaries of our latest articles, perfect for when you're on the go.
0:15.7	No reading required.
0:17.0	Subscribe for free at Mercola.com for the latest health insights.
0:25.6	Hello, and welcome to Dr. Mercola's cellular wisdom. I'm Ethan Foster, and today we're examining new long-term evidence on calcium and brain health,
0:31.6	why earlier fears missed the mark, and how nutrient balance helps you keep calcium working
0:36.6	for you, not against you.
0:38.3	I'm Alara Sky.
0:40.3	We'll walk you through what a 14.5-year investigation in older women actually found about calcium carbonate,
0:46.3	then map out the specific co-factors and food strategies that the article outlines to safeguard cognition,
0:52.3	circulation, and skeletal strength.
0:55.8	A large post hoc analysis published in The Lancet Regional Health
0:59.8	followed 1,460 women, age 70 and older,
1:03.9	who were dementia-free at baseline.
1:06.0	Half took 1,200 milligrams of calcium carbonate daily
1:09.8	for five years. Half took a placebo.
1:12.6	After another 9.5 years of follow-up using hospital and death records,
1:16.6	there was no difference in dementia-related hospitalizations or deaths between groups.
1:21.6	Even among women with atherosclerotic disease or a prior stroke,
1:26.6	calcium use did not raise risk.
	...

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