Study links calcium pills to heart attacks

A diet high in naturally occurring calcium, from dairy products like cheese for example, may actually cut heart attack risks, a study shows. / istockphoto.com

(CBS News) People taking calcium supplements may be increasing their chances of a heart attack, according to a new study.

Researchers tracked nearly 24,000 adults in Europe across 11 years for the study published in Heart, a medical journal, and concluded that those who took calcium supplements had an 86 percent greater chance of having a heart attack.

Their conclusion was that "increasing calcium intake from diet might not confer significant cardiovascular benefits, while calcium supplements, which might raise (heart disease) risk, should be taken with caution."

Additionally, people with a naturally high calcium intake through foods like milk and cheese tended to have a lower heart attack risk, the study found.

"Calcium is an important mineral," Sabine Rohrmann, Ph.D., the senior author of the new study and an epidemiologist at the University of Zurich, in Switzerland, told CNN. "However, we probably do not need mega-doses of calcium, and the current recommendation"--1,000 to 1,200 milligrams for most U.S. adults--"can be met by a balanced diet that includes (low-fat) milk and dairy products."

The reasons for the differing risks aren't entirely clear, but researchers suggested the sudden burst of calcium into the system from supplements may be part of the problem. CNN reports that "calcium, along with cholesterol, is one of the substances that contributes to the hardening and narrowing of arteries (atherosclerosis). For reasons that remain unclear, when calcium levels spike suddenly, the calcium appears more likely to end up in plaques that line artery walls, a major culprit in heart attacks."

Some medical professionals have greeted the study with skepticism. Dr Carrie Ruxton, from The Health Supplements Information Service, told the BBC: "Osteoporosis is a real issue for women and it is irresponsible for scientists to advise that women cut out calcium supplements on the basis of one flawed survey, particularly when the link between calcium, vitamin D and bone health is endorsed by the European Food Safety Authority."

[ctprice]

•In the study published in Heart, the total mortality and risk of stroke were not increased by calcium supplementation. Other studies have reported decreased risk of mortality for those taking vitamin D and calcium supplements.
•The authors did not correlate risk with amount of calcium supplement. A similar study published in 2011 by Bolland, et.al. reported an increased risk of cardiovascular events for women taking 1000 mg of supplemental calcium aday. A survey of other studies suggested that more than 500 mg/day may increase risk of cardiovascular events. There was no increase in total mortality in Bolland's study although high calcium supplementation was associated with more heart attacks.
•In the study published in Heart the risk of heart attacks was more pronounced for people taking calcium supplements alone without other vitamins such as vitamin D or vitamin K.

Health Tip: Avoid calcium supplementation alone and avoid high doses of calcium supplementation. Current evidence places more emphasis on vitamin D and decreasing emphasis on calcium. However, taking calcium with meals may allow slower absorption along with additional nutrients from foods and proteins.

Charles T. Price, M.D.
President, Institute for Better Bone Health


1. Vitamin D with Calcium Reduces Mortality: Patient Level Pooled Analysis of 70,528 Patients from Eight Major Vitamin D Trials.
Rejnmark L, Avenell A, Masud T, et.al. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2012 May 17. [Epub ahead of print]

2. Dietary supplements and mortality rate in older women: the Iowa Women's Health Study. [lower mortality rate with calcium supplementation]
Mursu J, Robien K, Harnack LJ, et al. Arch Intern Med. 2011 Oct 10;171(18):1625-33.

[hypnotoad72]

Almost any study can prove almost any conclusion.

But depending on how the pills are made and under what conditions... analyze the ingredients if there is enough of a link. Then find the brands and where they are made. If one cares about finding the root cause of the problem, and it might be about ingredients but it might be about poor QC leading to particles ending up with the ingredients causing the issue... there are other facets, but I don't have the $200k degree to do this work, despite already pointing out more detail than what I suspect the people who did this "work" didn't fathom to begin with.

Somebody should hire me to do this work because just asking 24k people if they take pills or not is hardly conclusive in of itself.

[pink757]

Now what do I do? I have recently been diagnosed with osteoporosis and I have low vitamin D3 in my blood levels. My mother and aunts all took whatever was prescribed for osteo-- Fosamax, I think and took loads of vitamins. They had the same diagnoses, too. Lived to their late 80's and early 90's. No heart attacks. Maybe it's heredity that is not being factored in this article.

[zackdu76]

There is a 30% increase in heart disease for people who have osteoporosis. The women that have osteoporosis take higher amounts of calcium supplements. Calcium supplements are not increasing the risk , just having osteoporosis is. Women that do not have osteoporosis are not as likely to take calcuim i.e. just eat food.

[Zann-Zel]

I give up!
There is NOthing we can eat, drink or take!

[CurDog23]

I wish we could see the raw data and the actual conclusions from the researchers. In the media today there's always this assumption that correlation implies causality (e.g. does sex improve happiness? or do happy people have more sex? What causes what?). What I'd like to know is if the researchers included the use of antacids such as Tums, Rolaids, etc. as supplemental calcium. There's an undeniable link between antacid use and heart-disease due to common elements such as stress, GERD - related to an unhealthy diet, etc., as well as confusion of heartburn with coronary distress. Given that, it's easy to say that people taking calcium have more heart-disease.

[Subjugating]

Well - because the tablet is already calcified, isn't it.

Calcified objects, when ingested probably tend to cause calcification of the organs that they affect. They are high concentrations of calcium that are not naturally occurring in food so that the bodily systems are unable to process the element very well.

I am not a doctor.
Just a concerned citizen that is able to see naturally occurring calcium elements from food, which benefit the human body through the natural processing by the bodily systems, when taken in their naturally occurring dosages and the differentiation as to when a hard calcified tablet will likely not get the job done well.

[foo8259]

Most people don't need extra calcium, which can increase blood pressure, which by itself could contribute to heart disease or CAD. What people need is to ditch the processed foods, sugars, starches, flour grains and soda pop (a bone robber), then pursue an natural diet like the Paleo plan, cross-fit or Atkins. Then the body can heal and take care of itself -- once the cycle of self-poisoning is stopped.

[NinthSt78]

Does that include calcium carbonate-- a slighty different chemical compound? Perhaps the customer should just try a small nibble and if it doesn't taste right, spit it out and toss it in the trash can.

[foo8259]

The best way to get calcium is from whole foods -- not something that comes in a box and has a four paragraph "Ingredient List." Keep in mind, most Americans are extremely deficient in both Magnesium and Vitamin D3 -- both necessary and necessary for bone health! Fat free milk with added D3 is useless as Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin, so it precipitates out of that milk straight away to the bottom of the vat. I recommend people drink whole milk and or better yet -- use cream.

[Scimajor]

"Dr Carrie Ruxton, from The Health Supplements Information Service,"

I'm going to take the word of a guy in the supplement industry that the an anti-supplement study is flawed and should be disregarded? Errrr conflict of interest anyone?

99% of the supplement industry is nothing more than a modern day version of "snake oil" sales. Personally I don't want to buy expensive supplements that do nothing more than make for really expensive pee.

[andrewsl3]

I am going to take the word of "pretty" doctors on CBS who have been trying to destroy the supplement industry for years? I see commercials every day of lawyers who are soliciting lawsuits for prescription meds gone wrong. (Doctors) (Researchers), Everybody has an agenda, and guess what?, our interest is not always in their heart. Everything in moderation, if you don't like milk, take a supplement. Trust your own body. Stop listening to these pundits, and stop trying to live forever... the stress will kill you.