An interesting story broke this week in the news – I saw it on Yahoo! News, but it has been on other web sites as well. The story reports a study from the highly respected British Medical Journal with the title: “Effect of calcium supplements on risk of myocardial infarction and cardiovascular events: meta-analysis”.

The researchers took a look at the effect of calcium on the chances of heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems. They did this by looking at the results of 15 large studies in which the patients had taken calcium supplements for more than a year. There had to be more than 100 patients in the study, and the patients were older than 40 years. Altogether more than 11,000 patients were studied.

There was a small  increase in the risk of heart attacks, but the increases in risk of stroke, a combined endpoint (included stroke, heart attack, and sudden death) and death did not reach statistical significance.

I read the article and saw that the authors noted that “Calcium supplements (without coadministered vitamin D) are associated with an increased risk of MI” [heart attacks]. They also say in the methods that trials were only included if vitamin D was given to all patients in the study. They say that the risk of death is reduced with vitamin D supplementation.

So, what does this mean? Calcium is an important mineral for a healthy body. If we are not eating a healthy, balanced diet, we may need supplementation. However, those supplements need to be balanced and in the correct amounts, just like the rest of our diet. Calcium on its own may not be the healthiest way to take calcium.

Clinical trials often report on the use of one supplement on its own, yet we should not be taking supplements in that way. Here at Rodshealth I believe in taking a balanced, healthy dietary supplement and have been taking the same one for years. Not to say they are for everyone, but my holistic medicine physician agrees that the one I am taking is good. During my recent visit to hospital the docs could not find anything wrong in my blood work, so I figure that the vitamins and minerals (including calcium with vitamin D) are not doing me any harm.

Can you say the same about your dietary supplements?

*In the interests of full disclosure, I am a distributor for the dietary supplement mentioned on this page.

Filed under: Heart

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