Calcium supplements and heart disease

Previously, I blogged about bone density. In that post, I mentioned that, while some calcium supplements have shown good results with respect to bone density, there is more to bone density than taking extra calcium.

Now, a new study out in the British Journal of Medicine demonstrates that there is a link between calcium supplementation and heart problems in women. Women who took calcium supplements were about half again as likely to have heart attacks, strokes, TIA's (which are small strokes) and sudden death, as women who do not supplement with calcium.

The reason for this is probably the fact that calcium plays a major role in regulating the strength, frequency, and coordination of the heartbeat.

People should really get their nutrients from food, rather than pills, if at all possible. People with bone density would do well to address some of the other factors involved, instead of just cramming extra calcium into their systems. In those people for whom this type of supplementation really is necessary, appropriate steps should be taken to offset the potential damage to the heart and circulatory system, such as taking hawthorn for its genera heart-protective properties, or Dang Gui for its specific action on the processing of calcium.