Calcium supplements increase heart risk: study

Bonnie and Steve: A study was published in yesterday's journal Heart stating that subjects taking calcium supplements had an increased risk for heart attacks. For those of you who have come to see us, or have read our posts, know this is nothing new as far as we are concerned. Supplemental calcium, when taken in high amounts, without magnesium and vitamin D, and delivered in poor sources, is improperly absorbed and can create calcification in soft tissue, such as arteries.

This study also makes the case, yet again, that dairy products are unnecessary (especially in the amount the USDA recommends), if you eat enough leafy greens and take moderate doses of calcium supplements. In the study, after taking account of factors likely to influence the results, subjects whose diets included a moderate amount (820 mg daily) of total calcium from all sources, including supplements, had a 31% lower risk of having a heart attack than those in the bottom 25% of calcium intake.

We have argued with doctors and government agencies for years that the standard 1500 mg. per day recommendation of supplemental calcium for women was borderline criminal. Now several studies echo our concern.