Be Wary of Over-Supplementing Calcium Leading to Coronary Heart Disease
A domestic study has found that after taking large amounts of calcium supplements, a sharp change in blood calcium concentration may adversely affect vascular health, accelerate the formation of deposits in arteries, cause blood vessels to harden, and thus potentially induce cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
Data shows that the risk of developing osteoporosis in the elderly, especially postmenopausal women, increases significantly. Therefore, many doctors recommend they take calcium supplements to strengthen bones. However, a recent report in the UK's "Daily Mail" stated that a study published in the latest issue of the "New England Journal of Medicine" found that excessive calcium supplementation in women increases their chances of developing coronary heart disease and stroke.
This study conducted a meta-analysis of two surveys. One was a health survey involving 16,718 American women, and the other was a comprehensive survey involving 29,000 elderly British people. At the start of the surveys, the women surveyed were not taking calcium supplements. By the end, women who supplemented with both calcium tablets and vitamin D had their risk of coronary heart disease and stroke increase by 25% and 15%, respectively.
Are the research findings from other countries applicable to people in China? Does calcium supplementation really increase the risk of cardiovascular disease? In response, experts from the Cardiovascular Disease Research Institute at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine explained that, in fact, to date, there is still no clear consensus on who must supplement with calcium, when to start, and for how long. However, some studies both in China and abroad have indeed found that long-term, high-dose calcium supplementation may increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, which may be related to the deposition of calcium and phosphorus on the artery walls.
This is how calcium is absorbed by the body: calcium is absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract, enters the bloodstream to form blood calcium (the calcium content in the blood), and then undergoes bone metabolism, where blood calcium is deposited as calcium salts to form bones. But it doesn't mean that the more calcium you take, the more bone you will form. This is because the blood calcium concentration must be maintained at a certain level; too high or too low is not good. A domestic study has found that after taking large amounts of calcium supplements, a sharp change in blood calcium concentration may adversely affect vascular health, accelerate the formation of deposits in arteries, cause blood vessels to harden, and thus potentially induce cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
Therefore, a safe and effective way to supplement calcium should be to increase calcium intake in your daily diet, such as drinking milk daily and consuming more calcium-rich foods like dairy products, dried small shrimp, soybeans, and their products. Secondly, choose a healthy lifestyle, drink less or no coffee or cola, and quit smoking. Finally, getting daily sun exposure and participating in outdoor activities also helps with the absorption and utilization of calcium. He Ben also pointed out that everything should be done in moderation. If people are unsure about how to correctly supplement calcium, they should consult a doctor. At the same time, the medical community needs to further study the effects of calcium supplementation on heart health and re-evaluate the recommended dosage for calcium supplementation.