USA – Greater intakes of dietary calcium could help reduce the risk of kidney stone formation in young women, while calcium in supplement may not offer any benefits.

Over an eight-year period, teams at Harvard Medical School and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston found that a higher dietary calcium intake was associated with a reduced risk of kidney stones among women aged 27 to 44 years old.

The research also found that phytate, a type of salt containing calcium that is found in cereals and some breads, could also reduce the risk of kidney stones. Previously it has been thought that it increased the risk.

The researchers found that women taking calcium supplements in this age range did not appear to derive any benefit from them.