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Calcium supplementation and cardiovascular risk: A rising concern.

Journal of clinical hypertension (Greenwich, Conn.)
June 1, 2017
Aurel T Tankeu et al. (3 authors)
Journal ArticleReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of calcium supplementation, particularly its association with cardiovascular health, compared to dietary calcium intake.

Results Summary

The study found that calcium supplementation is associated with adverse cardiovascular events and increased mortality, while dietary calcium intake has a protective effect on cardiovascular health. The mechanism behind these adverse effects was recently clarified in a related study.

Population

Not specified (general population inferred).

Effective Dosage

Not specified.

Duration

Not specified.

Interactions

None mentioned.

Extracted Claims (7)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
calcium supplementation
decrease
osteoporosis
-
-
established role in the prevention and treatment
#1
calcium supplementation
decrease
fractures
-
-
role in the prevention
#2
calcium supplementation
decrease
nonskeletal, especially cardiovascular, health
-
-
adverse effect
#3
calcium supplementation
increase
adverse cardiovascular events
-
-
association
#4
high dietary calcium intake
decrease
cardiovascular events
-
-
protective effect
#5
calcium supplementation
increase
cardiovascular mortality
-
-
association
#6
calcium supplementation
increase
all-cause mortality
-
-
association
#7
Abstract

Over the past decade, the number of individuals taking calcium supplementation worldwide has been on the rise, especially with the emergence of new pharmaceutical companies specialized in the marketing of dietary supplements; with calcium supplementation being their main business axis. This is mostly because of the established role of calcium in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis and, to a lesser extent, its role in the prevention of fractures. Recently, a rising body of evidence on the adverse effect of calcium supplementation on nonskeletal, especially cardiovascular, health has been a cause for concern. In fact, a significant number of studies have reported an association between calcium supplementation and adverse cardiovascular events, even though high dietary calcium intake was shown to have a protective effect. The mechanism by which calcium supplementation could cause a cardiovascular event was still unclear until a recent study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Combining this recent finding with available data associating calcium supplementation with cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality, we call on the need for an evidence-based approach to calcium supplementation, while stressing on the safety of dietary calcium intake over the former on cardiovascular health.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AgedBlood PressureCalciumCalcium, DietaryCardiovascular DiseasesDietary SupplementsFemaleFractures, BoneHumansHypertensionMaleMiddle AgedOsteoporosisRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicRisk Factors
Study Links
Quality Scores
Safety40
Efficacy70/10
Quality80/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations56
Citations/Year7.0
Relative Citation Ratio2.80
NIH Percentile83.4%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.95
Weight Score2.14
Normalized Score0.60
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