Taking calcium pills with Vitamin D increase risk of heart attack

Taking calcium pills together with Vitamin D increases the chance of having either a stroke or a heart attack by a fifth, found a study of more than 16,000 post-menopausal women.

Last July another study - by the same research team - found that taking calcium supplements alone increased the risk of having a heart attack by 30 per cent.

But critics said a study needed to look at taking both calcium and vitamin D supplements together. They are commonly recommended to be taken in conjunction because vitamin D helps calcium absorption.