Calcium plus estrogen leads to stronger bones.
By consuming large amounts of calcium, women who are taking estrogen replacement therapy will have denser, stronger bones than women on HRT alone, concludes an analysis of 31 earlier studies. By adding calcium to the diet, the benefits of HRT were doubled. Calcium consumption averaged 1,183 mg per day in women who took supplements, compared to consumption of 563 mg per day in women who did not take supplements. Calcium may have a synergistic effect on estrogen and it also may be more effective than estrogen alone in increasing bone mass in the hip and forearm where estrogen is less effective.