Calcium (supplements) and cardiovascular disease

Kathy044

Not a breast cancer study but of interest to those of us on AI's for HT.

Calcium and cardiovascular disease

http://heart.bmj.com/content/98/12/920.full

The full article is available online with full list of references at end (many with clickable links).

I thought the discussion in the article regarding the possible importance of dietary dairy fats in the good CVD findings of interest too, and also (my thoughts) for breast cancer. This is why I use 1% milk products rather than skim.

Kathy

otter

Thanks for the direct link to the article. I've been wanting to read it, after seeing press releases about the findings all over the health news in the past 2 days.  This report reinforces others that have come out recently, warning that calcium supplements might contribute to deposition of calcium in the walls of arteries, and, thus, to atherosclerosis and heart disease.

There have been some criticisms of this new paper, the most important (IMHO) being a lack of proof of causality.  Just because there's a statistically significant association between taking calcium supplements and having a heart attack does not mean the supplements are causing the heart attacks.  There have been other flaws cited, too; but, still, it should make us question what we think we're doing to ourselves.

There seems to be increasing evidence that taking calcium supplements will cause surges in blood calcium levels, and those sudden, high concentrations aren't handled very well by the body.  That sudden excess calcium has to go somewhere. We'd like it to go to our bones, which is the whole reason we're taking the supplements (most of us, anyway); but it's more likely to be excreted in urine (thus contributing to kidney stones) or, it seems, be deposited in the walls of our blood vessels.  <sigh>

In any case, after reading press releases about this report, I decided to have an Arby's orange cream shake for lunch today.  I had a small one, but even so, it provided 400 mg of calcium (the nutritional info said 40% of the RDA (RDV?) of calcium).  Not too shabby, for something that tasted very good.  Much more fun than a horse pill-sized calcium tablet.

otter

kayfh

I concur with my learned colleague. If I could choose I'd rather go out with a massive myocardial infarction than with osteoporosis and gradual loss of mobility. So. Most of the time I will take my ca/mg supplements, but food is/will be my major source.

voraciousreader

Yummy... Otter! I am going to have to find an Arby's!



My take on the current study regarding calcium is similar to my take on last week's announcement that one of the proposed meds that was designed to raise the good cholesterol was a bust at reducing mortality. My humble opinion is that many people are under the mistaken belief that if you include in your diet, a pill, whether it be a medication, vitamin or supplement, you are PROBABLY improving your mortality. Instead, I firmly believe that Mother Nature canNOT be deceived. Likewise, I think that researchers are beginning to understand that maybe cholesterol numbers per se, are NOT the driving force behind WHY statins work at reducing cardiac deaths.



Unless someone has a documented metabolic deficiency, I think supplementing our diets is not helpful at this time, and as the calcium study suggests, can potentially be downright dangerous. Wasn't it a few months ago that researchers said that people who took mult-vitamins died sooner than folks who didn't???





Now I think it's time for me to find that Arby's!

proudtospin

lets all meet at Arbys, those calcium pills are such big monsters and would willingly toss the bottle~~

actually, I take the suppliments but not the full suggested dose so who knows

cp418

Research Suggests Calcium Supplements May Increase Heart-Attack Risk.

USA Today (5/24, Lloyd) reports, "Taking a calcium supplement to help prevent bones from thinning puts people at a greater risk for heart attacks, says a report out today in the journal Heart." The study involved about "24,000 people between the ages of 35 and 64."

        The Los Angeles Times (5/24, Maugh) reports that the researchers found "that those who had a moderate amount of calcium in their diet (820 milligrams daily) had a 31% lower risk of having a heart attack than those in the bottom 25% of calcium consumption, but those with a daily intake of more than 1100 mg did not have a lower risk. There was no evidence that any level of calcium intake in the diet affected stroke risk." However, "when the team considered supplements, they found that those who took calcium supplements regularly were 86% more likely to have a heart attack than those who used no supplements." The researchers reported that "for those who took only calcium supplements, and no others, the risk doubled."

        Many experts, however, expressed skepticism. For instance, on the MSNBC (5/24) "Vitals" blog, Robert Bazell, NBC Chief Science and Health Correspondent writes that "this research...is just the type of experiment that often scares people unnecessarily and gives the science of epidemiology a bad name." According to Bazell, "the study was set up to look at cancer risk and these scientists are 'mining' the data to look for heart disease outcomes. What the researchers unearth is a confusing set of conclusions."

        HealthDay (5/24, Reinberg) reports that Dr. Robert Recker, director of the Osteoporosis Research Center at Creighton University and president of the National Osteoporosis Foundation, said, "I am doubtful of these findings." According to Dr. Recker, "It's hard to understand why calcium in the diet can reduce the risk of heart attack, but supplements increase the risk."

        Meanwhile, the UK's Telegraph (5/24, Adams) reports, "Dr Carrie Ruxton, of the Health Supplements Information Service, said it was "irresponsible" to advise women with osteoporosis not to take supplements 'on the basis of one flawed study.'" The study "lacked information on calcium doses and results could have been skewed by differences between participants underlying health, she claimed."

voraciousreader

Cp418.... Of course the "experts" are going to shoot down the study! I just love when the researchers come out and question the benefit of mammogram screening and the radiologists come out screaming, "Not so fast!"





As the motto goes..."there are TWO sides to a story and somewhere in the middle is the truth!"

voraciousreader

Calcium supplements and heart attack: Implications for a nutrient hungry  nation

By Loren Grush

Published May 24, 2012

| FoxNews.com

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A recent study out of the University of Zurich Wednesday reported the  controversial findings that taking calcium supplements is linked with double the  risk of heart attack. 

After studying over 24,000 men and women, researchers found that those who  took calcium supplements were 86 percent more likely to have a heart attack than  people who did not - and the risk was more than doubled for those who were only  taking calcium supplements.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the use of  dietary supplements is a familiar trend, with over half of the population  reported taking them from 2003 to 2006.  Calcium supplements in particular  have increased in popularity, jumping from 28 percent of use from 1988 to 1994,  to 61 percent from 2003 to 2006 in women over 60.

With no prescriptions required and touted for their nutritional benefits to  the body, vitamins have been easily accepted as both harmless and helpful  add-ons to daily diet routines.  However, with findings such as the ones  from the University of Zurich and from other similar studies, experts caution  people not to be too cavalier with taking supplements.

"Supplements should be treated like any other medication," Dr. Phil Ragno,  the director of cardiovascular health and wellness at Winthrop Hospital in Long  Island, N.Y., told FoxNews.com.  "It's important for patients to sit down  with their doctors to discuss what they're taking and does it have an effect on  their body as you can see."

The results from Zurich are not the first of their kind, according to Ragno.   For him, it makes perfect sense for there to be cause for concern when it  comes to taking extra calcium.

"Calcium is a very important ion that has many effects on the heart and  vascular system," Ragno said. "It helps the electrical conduction of the heart;  it helps the contractility of the heart, and there's always the possibility it  can contribute to calcification of the blood vessels - one of the precursors to  the clogging of an artery.  As our arteries build with plaque, calcium  deposits in that plaque, so the calcium itself may have some effect on the  clotting mechanism."

While the possible effect that calcium supplements may have on hearth health  may seem staggering, it shouldn't be a cause for panic among those who are  currently taking them.

"Certainly this is a controversial study; however, similar risk associations  have been found before with the routine use of calcium supplements," said Dr.  Manny Alvarez, senior managing editor of Fox News Health.  "The issue at  hand is how to interpret the data.  The study could not show cause and  effect, and we also do not know what metabolic risk factors the population that  was studied had - factors such as existing calcium deposits in the coronary  arteries as well as levels of inflammatory mediators like c-reactive  proteins.

"Nonetheless, I think that patients should be cautioned about the routine use  of calcium pills, especially in older folks," Alvarez added.   "To me,  the important thing is that if you are eating a balanced diet, there is no need  to take any supplements."

Ragno agreed that a healthy diet negates the need for such supplements.   However, he acknowledged people with calcium deficiencies or bone  disorders should continue taking their supplements, under the supervision of a  clinician.  In the meantime, those who are looking for a calcium boost can  turn to plenty of different foods.

"Getting calcium from dietary sources has not been linked to increased  cardiovascular risk," Ragno said.  "Dairy products are good of course.   Eating fish - sardines, salmon - is good for calcium. For the true vegan,  it's difficult.  Vegetables such as spinach can give quite a bit of  calcium."

But according to Ragno, the chances that you are calcium deficient are most  likely low.

"In reality, very few Americans have vitamin deficiencies," he said.   "It shouldn't just be shotgun blast of supplementation - where you take a  fistful of supplements at leisure.  However, if you need them, you should  take them."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/05/24/calcium-supplements-and-heart-attack-implications-for-nutrient-hungry-nation/print#ixzz1vyxVkHmH

cp418

Frustrating that I had just purchased 2 bottles of calcium supplements the other week for my bone loss issues.  However, considering I have elevated CRP level, cholesterol and fibrinogen maybe these news articles are a sign for me to stop the calcium supplements.  Considering all the chemo, rads, femara, zometa and other stress my body has been through --- ahhh why not.........  (too bad I have lactose intolerance as I use to love vanilla milk shakes - -  hate soy)

otter

I think I'll keep taking calcium supplements, because my dietary intake is too unpredictable and I was aready osteopenic 3-1/2 years ago.  But, I'm going to stick with calcium citrate, and cut down on the amount.  Oh, and try to spread the dosing over a longer period of time, so there's no sudden "surge".

The critics have a point:  this was an interesting and important study, but too many potential variables were ignored.

otter

purple32

OK, the Ca. is bad.  Biosphosphates can break down the bones and make them even more brittle. I have broken 3 bones and have  a VERY hard time exercising and  arimidex accelerates bone loss like crazy,  I am on the very edge of osteoporosis and only 54.

What they hey do we do ?  This is very discouraging!

My Greek yogurt supllplies only 15% RDA.