Last night the Bone and Joint Research Group at the University of Auckland was presented with the Prime Minister's Science Prize for their outstanding research into the use of calcium and vitamin D supplements for the treatment of osteoporosis and fractures.
As a result of the work by the group, led by Distinguished Professor Ian Reid, and Associate Professors Mark Bolland and Andrew Grey – today among New Zealand's most highly cited researchers – calcium and Vitamin D are no longer routinely recommended to prevent osteoporosis. The team’s research has also revealed that calcium supplements increase the risk of heart attacks in older people, at times by as much as 20 to 30 per cent.
The HRC has supported the group's research since the early 1990s. HRC-funded project and programmes led by the group's members include studies on bone and calcium metabolism, the effects of calcium supplements on cardiovascular events and other health outcomes, zoledronic acid and fracture prevention in early postmenopausal women, and mechanisms and management of musculoskeletal disease.
Professor Reid is currently leading a $5 million HRC-funded programme that will help understand why osteoporosis develops in old age, and advance its treatment and that of gout, both common musculoskeletal problems in older New Zealanders. The programme includes developing bone substitutes that can be used to promote healing of severe fractures or large areas of damaged bone.