A large observational study suggests a need to rethink calcium supplements in people with aortic stenosis.

The study of elderly patients with initially mild to moderate aortic stenosis followed for more than five years found that supplemental calcium, with or without vitamin D, was associated with significantly lower survival.

It was also linked with a greater need for aortic valve replacement.

“Our findings suggest that supplemental calcium in this population does not confer any cardiovascular benefit, and instead these relationships should be thoughtfully considered in light of growing evidence and concern for [cardiovascular] harm particularly with unnecessary supplementation,” researchers from the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio wrote in Heart.