Women who increase their calcium intake may not be protecting themselves from bone fracture or osteoporosis, say researchers.
The current advice on daily calcium intake for the over fifties varies widely by country. In the UK it is 700mg.
Dr Eva Warensjo and colleagues from Uppsala University in Sweden looked at the link using figures from a study of 61,433 Swedish women starting in 1987.
Over the following 19 years, just under a quarter (24 per cent) of the women experienced a first fracture, including six per cent with a hip fracture. Among a sub-group tested for osteoporosis, 20 per cent were affected.
Full details are published on the website of the British Medical Journal.
The team report that the link between fracture and calcium intake was "non-linear". While the lowest fifth for calcium had a significantly higher risk than the highest fifth, on closer examination, an intake above 750mg a day did not reduce the risk further.
If anything there was a slightly raised risk of hip fracture with intakes above this level, but this result "should be cautiously interpreted" and would need confirmation in future studies.
The team write: "Osteoporotic fractures are frequent in elderly populations, especially in women, and are associated with high health care costs and individual suffering."
They suggest that their results "may reflect a situation when a moderate intake of calcium combined with adequate intake of other micronutrients is sufficient" for bone health.
"In the prevention of osteoporotic fractures, emphasis should be placed on individuals with a low intake of calcium rather than increasing the intake of those already consuming satisfactory amounts", they conclude.
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