Calcium Supplements and Heart Health

A study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association has resulted in headlines such as “Calcium supplements may hurt your heart” and “Calcium supplements may increase the risk of heart disease.” But once again the headlines are sensationalized and the dire implications reported do not accurately reflect the conclusion of the paper.

Excessive use of calcium supplements, especially without the supporting bone health nutrients such as vitamin D, magnesium and vitamin K, is not necessary or without risk. While emphasis should continue to be placed on increasing calcium intake from food sources, appropriate supplementation of calcium is a valuable method of ensuring recommended intakes to support bone, muscular, and cardiovascular health.

See what others are saying about this study:

Council for Responsible Nutrition –

“This observational study demonstrated that people with the highest total calcium intake from both food and dietary supplements had the lowest risk of coronary artery calcification. This confirms the safety of calcium supplementation for heart health, which has been the conclusion of several large studies1, 2, 3, 4, 5 in recent years. Consumers should have confidence in the safety of calcium supplements, and women in particular should be aiming to get the targeted daily amount of calcium through a combination of diet and supplementation.”

http://www.crnusa.org/CRNPR16-NewStudyAffirmsCalciumSafetyH…

“Cardiologists say new calcium supplement study is no reason to panic” –

http://medicalxpress.com/…/2016-10-cardiologists-calcium-su…

Anderson JJ, Kruszka B, Delaney JA et al. Calcium Intake From Diet and Supplements and the Risk of Coronary Artery Calcification and its Progression Among Older Adults: 10‐Year Follow‐up of the Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). J Am Heart Assoc. 5(10):e003815-. 2016.