Your pill-popping grandma might have been onto something – she just didn’t have the full story. According to an analysis from the Women's Health Initiative trial, chugging calcium and vitamin D supplements reduces a woman’s long-term cancer mortality risk by 7 percent. But here’s the kicker: it also boosts the chance of croaking from heart disease by 6 percent. The study, released in Annals of Internal Medicine, also indicated the combo had zip effect on overall mortality rates.

Did we mention the investigation also dug into hip fracture incidence rates and came up dry? The Women’s Health Initiative, the heavyweight champion of random trials on calcium and vitamin D supplement effects with over 36,000 postmenopausal women in the ring, primarily investigated fracture risk, cancer, and heart disease outcomes. The takeaway - unexciting as a tepid kale smoothie, according to the authors.

The plot thickens with 20 more years of data from health events and mortality rates up their sleeves. "Longer-term research is the path to enlightenment," says Cynthia Thomson, PhD, RD pulled straight from the UFC.. oh wait, she's from the Zuckerman Family Center for Prevention and Health Promotion at the College of Public Health at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

Before you go swilling those vitamin D and calcium cocktail, know your limits folks. Calcium and vitamin D are the building blocks of strong bones and osteoporosis prevention, but excessive amounts can lead you down a rocky path of kidney stones, gastrointestinal maladies, and high blood calcium. Vitamin D supports immunity and glucose metabolism, but OD-ing on it can trigger nausea, vomiting, poor appetite, weight loss, weakness, confusion, heart rhythm issues, and kidney stones.

And, as always, take the study’s findings with a pinch of salt. The authors caution readers to consider the study's limitations, such as the narrow demographic group and the possibility of chance playing a role in certain results. However, the findings on calcium are a fresh scoop, suggesting a probable delayed reaction of calcium plus vitamin D supplementation, says an uninvolved endocrinologist, Dr. Marilyn Tan.

So, what's the moral of the story on popping calcium plus vitamin D supplements? According to Dr. Stephanie Faubion, director of Mayo Clinic Center for Women's Health, the bottom line is striking the right balance. Seek your daily calcium intake from your diet and consider a vitamin D supplement if necessary, but above all, consult your healthcare provider if you're uncertain about supplementing your diet.