Calcium Supplements Bad For Heart

Taking calcium in the form of supplements may raise the risk of heart damage and plaque buildup in arteries. A diet high in calcium rich foods, however, is safe and would not affect the heart. After analyzing 10 years of medical tests on more than 2,700 people, the results add to growing scientific concerns about the potential harms of supplement. This study adds to the body of evidence that excess calcium in the form of supplements may harm the heart and vascular system. Previous studies have shown that “ingested calcium supplements – particularly in older people – do not make it to the skeleton or get completely excreted in the urine, so they must be accumulating in the body’s tissues. The researchers claimed that as a person ages, calcium-based plaque builds up in the body’s main blood vessel, the aorta and other arteries, impeding blood flow and increasing the risk of heart attack. The study focused on 2,742 participants who answered a 120-part questionnaire about their dietary habits and underwent two CT scans spanning 10 years apart. The participants chosen for this study ranged in age from 45 to 84 years, of whom 51 percent were female. Those who ate more than 1,400 milligrams of calcium a day were 27 percent less likely to have this buildup than the others, the team found. But when they looked at the source of calcium, they found those who took supplements were more likely to develop the blockages.