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The role of calcium in the prevention of cardiovascular disease--a review of observational studies and randomized clinical trials.

Current atherosclerosis reports
November 1, 2013
Susanne Rautiainen et al. (4 authors)
Journal ArticleReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to evaluate the role of calcium intake, from diet or supplements, and blood concentrations in relation to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in adults.

Results Summary

The study found inconsistent evidence linking calcium intake to CVD risk, with no definitive conclusion on its preventive effects. Existing trials suggest calcium supplementation has no significant impact on CVD development, but results are inconclusive.

Population

Middle-aged and older adults, primarily postmenopausal women in clinical trials.

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (12)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
calcium intake
neutral
CVD development
-
-
may be involved in
#1
calcium
neutral
blood cholesterol
-
-
may be involved in
#2
calcium
neutral
insulin secretion and sensitivity
-
-
may be involved in
#3
calcium
neutral
vasodilation
-
-
may be involved in
#4
calcium
neutral
inflammatory profile
-
-
may be involved in
#5
calcium
neutral
thrombosis
-
-
may be involved in
#6
calcium
neutral
obesity
-
-
may be involved in
#7
calcium
neutral
vascular calcification
-
-
may be involved in
#8
dietary or supplemental calcium intake
neutral
CVD incidence or mortality
middle-aged and older adults
-
is associated with
#9
blood concentrations of calcium
neutral
calcium phosphate balance
-
-
may reflect a disturbed calcium phosphate balance
#10
disturbed calcium phosphate balance
increase
CVD
-
-
is associated with increased risk of
#11
calcium supplementation
no change
CVD development
postmenopausal women
-
has no effect on
#12
Abstract

Calcium is a mineral that is important for bone health and has also been suggested to play a role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Lately, the potential effects of both inadequate and excessive calcium intake have received growing attention. In this review, we summarize the evidence from experimental, epidemiologic, and clinical studies investigating the role of calcium intake, either from the diet or from supplements, as well as blood concentrations, in relation to the risk of CVD in adults. In vitro and in vivo laboratory studies suggest that calcium may be involved in CVD development through multiple pathways, including blood cholesterol, insulin secretion and sensitivity, vasodilation, inflammatory profile, thrombosis, obesity, and vascular calcification. Several prospective epidemiologic studies have examined how dietary or supplemental calcium intake is associated with CVD incidence or mortality in middle-aged and older adults, and the results are inconsistent. Prospective studies investigating blood concentrations of calcium have also reported mixed results. However, changes in blood calcium concentrations may reflect a disturbed calcium phosphate balance, which is associated with increased risk of CVD. To date there is no randomized clinical trial that has been designed specifically to test the effect of calcium supplementation on the risk of CVD as the primary end point. Existing trials have performed secondary analyses, and most of them have been conducted among postmenopausal women. These trials suggest that calcium supplementation has no effect on CVD development; however, they do not allow a definitive conclusion to be drawn. The average daily intake of calcium is low in many populations; however, the evidence for a potential role of dietary or supplemental calcium in the prevention of CVD remains insufficient and inconclusive. Only large-scale randomized trials designed to investigate the effects of calcium supplementation on CVD events as the primary end point, as well as short-term trials investigating the effect on coronary biomarkers, can provide a definitive answer.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AnimalsCalciumCardiovascular DiseasesDietary SupplementsHumansObservational Studies as TopicRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicRisk
Study Links
Quality Scores
Safety75
Efficacy50/10
Quality70/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations33
Citations/Year2.8
Relative Citation Ratio1.24
NIH Percentile58.2%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.75
Weight Score0.73
Normalized Score0.64
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