Calcium and Women and Heart Disease

Here we go again. First it was vitamin E. Then it was beta carotene. Now calcium supplements are being called on the carpet after researchers claimed they may do more harm than good.
The flap comes in the wake of a German study that found a significantly increased risk of heart attack among women taking calcium supplements, but not among those who got their calcium from food. The study appears in the June 2012 issue of the journal Heart.
Since calcium supplements are recommended to prevent osteoporosis for virtually everyone over age 50, this leaves millions of people wondering whether they should ditch their daily calcium pills. Three Harvard professors weigh in on the issue.

Calcium and the heart

Over time, calcium can accumulate in arteries. It makes them stiffer and less responsive to the demands of the body. Rigid arteries contribute to high blood pressure, angina (chest pain with exertion or stress), and heart failure. Calcium also builds up in plaque, the cholesterol-filled pockets that grow inside arteries like tiny pimples. By narrowing arteries, plaque can choke off the supply of blood to heart muscle and other vital tissues. If a plaque bursts open, it can trigger a heart attack, stroke, or sudden cardiac arrest.
What researchers don’t know is whether this process is influenced by the amount of calcium a person takes in each day from supplements.

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