This Popular Supplement Can Spike Your Heart Attack Risk by 30%... Posted By Dr. Mercola
An analysis has found that there is a 30 percent increased risk of myocardial infarction for those taking 500 mg or more of elemental calcium.
This could mean that the use of supplements to "prevent" osteoporosis must now be reconsidered. The practice may be causing an epidemic of cardiovascular calcification, hypertonicity of the cardiac tissue, arrhythmias, and heart attacks both through heart muscle cramping and destabilized plaque and subsequent occlusion.
According to the study, as reported by Green Med Info:
“Calcium supplements ... increase the risk of cardiovascular events, especially myocardial infarction ... A reassessment of the role of calcium supplements in osteoporosis management is warranted.”
Sources:
British Medical Journal 2011; 342: d2040 Green Med Info Dr. Mercola's Comments:
Follow Dr. Mercola on Twitter Follow Dr. Mercola on Facebook
For many years, the general medical industry has been pushing calcium supplements as your primary form of "insurance" against osteoporosis, reciting the mantra "calcium builds strong bones and teeth," far and wide.
Calcium is added to everything these days, from pasteurized milk to baby formula, orange juice, and boxed foods like breakfast cereals. And certainly, your body does need calcium. In fact, calcium from whole foods may even extend your lifespan.
But this is NOT the case for calcium supplements.
The belief that calcium is what builds strong bones is absolutely ingrained in our society, but has no basis in reality—calcium is but ONE of the many minerals your body needs for building strong bones. Calcium supplements have demonstrated little benefit, and here is one more piece of research suggesting they may increase your risk for a cardiovascular event.
This is just another example of marketing madness taking precedence over a deeper understanding of human biology, and why we need well-designed scientific studies before making blanket statements about any intervention. This isn't the first study to suggest your calcium supplement may be doing more harm than good.
Research Studies You May Never Hear About
Continued...
