14 DAY TRIAL // Everyone knows that calcium is good for your bones, so supplements containing the element are widely available and consumed by many. Now, the conclusions of a research show that these supplements significantly increase users' chances of suffering from a heart attack.
In past studies, experts determined that consuming higher amounts of calcium led to a decreased risk of developing high blood pressure, as well as conditions such as type II diabetes and obesity. Interestingly, all of these disorders are usually considered to be risk factors for heart attacks.
Yet, in a study of more than 24,000 people, researchers determined that those who consumed vitamin and mineral supplements were 86 percent more likely to suffer from a heart attack during the study period (11 years).
Over the study period, a total of 354 heart attacks and 260 strokes occurred in the research population, resulting in 267 associated deaths. It was found that people who consumed a moderate amount of calcium daily (820 mg), had a 31 percent lower chance of suffering from a heart attack.
Individuals who consumed less calcium than that were more likely to suffer from such an adverse event because the correlation between the other risk factors and heart attack kicked into play. However, these results only refer to calcium intake from regular food, not counting supplements.
When the latter were taken into account, it was found that their users were about 86 percent more likely to suffer a heart attack than any other subgroup of the study population, e! Science News reports.
In a paper published in the latest online issue of the journal Heart, experts warn that calcium supplements should be taken with caution, and that excesses should be strictly avoided.
“This study suggests that increasing calcium intake from diet might not confer significant cardiovascular benefits, while calcium supplements, which might raise [heart attack] risk, should be taken with caution,” the research group argues.
Lately, several studies have linked calcium supplements to a host of other negative effects on the human body, including the development of kidney stones, as well as some gut and abdominal symptoms.
“We should return to seeing calcium as an important component of a balanced diet, and not as a low cost panacea to the universal problem of postmenopausal bone loss,” the study authors conclude.