Can Calcium Supplements Harm Your Heart?

By MC Kelby HERWriter

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can the heart be damaged by calcium supplementation

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A few years ago, my doctor in Chicago recommended I include calcium supplements in my diet because I suffer from lactose intolerance.

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, lactose intolerance “is very common in adults, not dangerous and more than 30 million American adults have some amount of lactose intolerance by age 20.”

Adding the calcium supplements to my diet also brought me another kind of relief. I knew that my great-grandmother had suffered from postural kyphosis, which is also known as hyperkyphosis, and a form of osteoporosis in the elderly. Maybe calcium supplements would help me to avoid that.

Hyperkyphosis is also known as “dowager’s hump.” It has been theorized that the hunchback in the Hunchback of Notre Dame story may have suffered from some form of kyphosis.

According to Arthritis Today Magazine, “Millions of people depend on calcium supplements to keep osteoporosis at bay – especially people with rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory forms of the disease. For a variety of reasons, including corticosteroid use and limited activity, they are at increased risk of developing osteoporosis.”

Recently, a study conducted in Germany revealed calcium supplements may be bad for your heart. ABC News reported, “The study followed more than 24,000 German men and women between the ages of 35 and 64 who regularly took calcium supplements. Study subjects who relied completely on supplements for their daily calcium intake were 139 percent more likely to have a heart attack.”

Arthritis Today Magazine stated, “In this study, those who took calcium supplements – especially those who took calcium supplements only, and no other supplements – had an 86 percent higher risk of heart attack compared with people who did not take calcium supplements.”

Many postmenopausal women rely on calcium supplements. For example, a 2001 report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics stated, “more than 60 percent of women over 60 take calcium supplements, up from 28 percent two decades ago.

Now, before you throw away your calcium supplements, consult your doctor. They can advise you on other calcium alternatives.

For example, if you suffer from lactose intolerance or need to increase your calcium intake, here are possible alternatives to calcium supplements. Remember you need 1,000 - 1,300 mg of calcium incorporated into your diet daily.

Two ways of increasing calcium intake:

• Drink orange juice that contains added calcium

• Eat foods that have more calcium.
These include:
o leafy greens
o oysters
o sardines
o canned salmon
o shrimp
o broccoli

References:

Calcium Supplements Linked to Heart Attack Risk - ABC News. ABCNews.com - Breaking News, Latest News & Top Video News - ABC News. Retrieved June 17, 2012, from
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/HeartHealth/calcium-supplements-linked-heart-attack-risk/story?id=16413252

Kyphosis - PubMed Health. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved June 17, 2012, from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002220

Lactose intolerance - PubMed Health. National Center for Biotechnology Information. Retrieved June 17, 2012, from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001321

Part, B. Calcium Supplements | Heart Attack | Arthritis Today Magazine. Arthritis | Arthritis Today Magazine | Arthritis Foundation. Retrieved June 17, 2012, from
http://www.arthritistoday.org/news/calcium-supplements-heart-attack197.php

Reviewed June 18, 2012
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith

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We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.