A study of 70,000 mostly women over the age of 70 that was published in the Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism in June of 2012 suggests that vitamin D3 when taken with calcium can reduce the mortality rate in seniors by 9%. Vitamin D3 alone did not confer this advantage. We also know that calcium alone can increase the risk for heart attack and stroke because high dose calcium in the presence of low vitamin D3 leads to calcifications in the soft tissues such as artery walls. High dose vitamin D3 with low calcium leads to worsening osteoporosis as well as the uptake of toxic metals in bone.
