Can Too Much Calcium Lead to Heart Attacks?

A recent research study done at the University of Auckland in New Zealand has been finding that there is a possible elevated risk of heart disease and heart attacks in post-menopausal women supplementing with calcium.  In a study of 1500 women who were given calcium supplements to prevent osteoporosis there was a 40% increase of heart attacks in the women given a calcium supplement of 1000 mg per day.   It was initially thought that heart diseases could be prevented by supplementing with calcium.  Many scientists speculate on what the cause of this surprising finding may be, such as calcium depositing on the wall of the blood vessels leading to coronary artery disease but the answer may be quite simple. 

In naturopathic medicine one learns early in training that supplementing with a single mineral or vitamin for an extended period of time (and in some cases not so extended periods) can lead to detrimental effects on the body.  It is rare in nature to find a single mineral or vitamin in isolation from it's balancing partners so too it is unusual that I will recommend supplementing a vitamin, mineral or amino acid by itself for more than a few weeks at a time.  Common examples include b12 supplementation without supplementing with folic acid will lead to folic acid deficiencies and vice versa.  Zinc supplementation without copper will lead to leaching of copper out of the body.  Excessive sodium intake leads to potassium deficiency and so on.  So it is natural and reasonable to think that supplementing with calcium alone can lead to deficiencies of the body, one major concern being magnesium. 

Magnesium is required for the utilization of calcium in the bones and in the absence of magnesium, calcium levels will be elevated in the blood and not used to build bones.  Magnesium is depleted by over-supplementing with calcium and since magnesium is imperative for prevention of osteoporosis, heart attacks, muscle spasms, PMS and other bodily functions, it is normal to expect that if your doctor recommends that you take calcium you should also be told that you need a proportional amount of magnesium to assist with the calcium utilization (in this case about 2:1 calcium to magnesium). 

Dairy is often cited as a good source of calcium but its magnesium content is quite low so here are some other food sources that have higher magnesium content to integrate into your diet:

Good sources of magnesium
Nuts and seeds	per 1 ounce
Pumpkin seeds	152mg
Sunflower kernels	100mg
Almonds	78mg
Cashews	73mg
Peanuts	50mg
Walnuts	45mg
Wheat bran cereals	per 1 ounce
100% Bran	134mg
All Bran	106mg
Wheat germ	90mg
Raisin Bran	48mg
Legumes	per 1/2 cup
Tofu	94mg
Baked beans	72mg
Chickpeas, cooked, canned	52mg
Lentils, cooked	43mg
Fruits and Vegetables
Potato, med. w/skin	56mg
Spinach, 1 cup raw	50mg
Spinach, 1/2 cup cooked	79mg
Avocado 1/2 Hass	35mg
Banana, med.	34mg
Seafood	per 3 ounces
Shrimp, cooked, peeled	43mg
Salmon	31mg

The important question in preventing osteoporosis is not only how much calcium you are getting but also how much magnesium you are getting.  People with low magnesium will have a number of symptoms such as leg and muscle cramping, heart palpitations, increased pain, migraines, PMS, blood sugar regulation problems.  Don't forget when supplementing any vitamin to talk to an expert or do some research on the supplement you are taking.  Many people mistakenly believe that supplements can be taken for long periods of time or at high levels because they are naturally derived.  If you don't know what you are doing and your doctor cannot guide you I encourage you to seek additional advice.  If you take too much of the wrong kind of magnesium you can get loose stools or diarrhea.  Magnesium is best taken in malate or citrate forms.  You should take about 1 mg of magnesium for every 2 mgs of calcium.  If you are taking diuretics, supplement with calcium or drink alcohol you should really be thinking about magnesium rich foods and possibly supplementing with magnesium in an easy to absorb form.

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Comments

[Cyndy]

i wanted my 43yo husband, who is a prostate cancer survior (surgery in 2006), to start taken calcium, magnesium, zinc supplements. He has done soy milk for the 10 years we have been marriage. soy, weekly greens, a bowl of cereal and handful nuts a week are about the total calcium he gets from food. no multi vits. he work on computer all day so no sun except for commuting. can he safely take this supplement? the ratios are 1000mg of calcium, 400mg of mag and 15mg of zinc.

thx

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