According to a study done in Sweden, taking more and more calcium as you age in an effort to fight off osteoporosis doesn’t have any extra benefit. Even though moderate amounts of calcium per day (around 700 mg) are essential for optimum health, women who take 750 mg in a day still have a similar risk of osteoporosis or a bone fracture as the ones who take the highest amounts of calcium (around 1,135 mg).

The study followed more than 60,000 women for a period of up to 19 years and tracked their overall calcium intake.

“The highest quintile of calcium intake did not further reduce the risk of fractures of any type, or of osteoporosis”, wrote the medical experts behind the study in the British Medical Journal. Ironically, they noted that those who took the most calcium had an even higher risk of a hip fracture, even though further research needs to be done in this area.

To conclude, the scientists wrote that even though low levels of calcium intake (700 mg or less in one day) were associated with an increased risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures, there was not any real need to increase calcium intake beyond that amount.