Mainstream medical practitioners often encourage older patients to take a calcium supplement.
But—I always encourage you to avoid taking supplements that contain even small amounts of calcium.
Mainly because research links calcium supplements to a SLEW of serious health problems.
And now, a new, disturbing study shows taking these commonly prescribed supplements can SKYROCKET your risk of MAJOR heart problems.
I’ll tell you all about that important study in a moment. But first, let’s back up to review why calcium supplements are such bad news…
Differentiating two forms of calcium
Your body certainly needs dietary sources of organic calcium to build strong bones. This mineral also plays a key role in regulating heart health, muscle function, and nerve function.
However, your body has a very hard time absorbing and processing the inorganic calcium found in many nutritional supplements. (In fact, when taking a calcium supplement, you’re essentially eating rocks!)
As a result, the inorganic calcium can migrate to places where it doesn’t belong…such as your heart and brain!
In fact, when it migrates to your brain, it can increase your dementia and Alzheimer’s disease risk.
And when it migrates to your heart, it can trigger all sorts of cardiovascular problems…such as atherosclerosis (“hardening of the arteries”), the underlying cause of coronary heart disease, ischemic stroke, and peripheral vascular disease of the legs.
It can even cause problems with the aorta, the largest artery in your body…
Calcium supplements linked to much higher heart risks
The new study involved more than 2,600 people with aortic valve stenosis, a serious condition that occurs when the heart’s aortic valve doesn’t open fully. As a result, it reduces (or blocks) blood flow from your heart to the rest of your body.
This condition also makes your heart work harder, which can cause the left ventricle to thicken and enlarge. Eventually, it can even cause the heart to weaken and FAIL.
To start, the researchers divided the participants with this serious heart condition into three groups according to the supplements they took:
- 49 percent of participants did not take any supplements
- 39 percent supplemented with vitamin D and calcium
- 12 percent supplemented with vitamin D alone
Here’s what they found…
Compared to those who took no supplements or just vitamin D alone, those who took vitamin D and calcium had a shocking:
- 48 percent greater risk of needing an aortic valve replacement
- 31 percent greater risk of dying from ANY CAUSE
And that’s an important distinction…
Because it really allows us to pinpoint the problem on the calcium supplements…not vitamin D.
(In fact, some research suggests supplementing with vitamin D helps direct calcium to the bones, where it belongs…and not into the cardiovascular tissues.)
Keep up a healthy, balanced diet
In the end, I suggest you avoid taking any kind of nutritional supplement that contains calcium.
Instead, focus on following a healthy, balanced Mediterranean-type diet filled will calcium-rich foods, including full-fat dairy, beans, dark leafy greens (like spinach, kale, collards, and Bok choy), oranges, and sesame and chia seeds.
Lastly, I cover many safe, effective, and sensible solutions to protecting your heart in my Heart Attack Prevention and Repair Protocol. To learn more about this comprehensive online learning tool, or to enroll today, click here now!
Source:
“Supplemental calcium and vitamin D and long-term mortality in aortic stenosis.” Heart 2022;108:964-972.