Be careful with calcium!
Is taking calcium in old age harmful?
In recent years, in developed countries, calcium preparations have been widely prescribed to elderly people in order to prevent age-related bone fragility. But the evidence for the safety of their use has been obtained mainly in animal studies. And recently it turned out that "extra" calcium can contribute to a more severe course of diseases of the cardiovascular system
One of the frequent ailments of elderly people is osteoporosis, in which bones become brittle and can break even with a small load. To prevent this condition, elderly people are often prescribed calcium supplements, including in combination with vitamin D, a deficiency of which prevents the binding of this element in bone tissue.
On the other hand, approximately 2% of people over 65 years of age, and 4% over 85 years of age, develop aortic stenosis. In this disease, the aortic valve of the heart is affected, through which it releases blood into the main vessel – the aorta. Due to the proliferation of connective tissue and calcium deposits (similar to those observed during the formation of skeletal bone), the valve becomes rigid and narrows, hindering the flow of blood from the heart to the aorta and further throughout the body.
The only effective method of treating this disease is an operation to replace (prosthetics) the aortic valve. And among the risk factors for development is an increased level of calcium ions and vitamin D in the blood.
Scientists from the Cleveland Clinic (USA) A retrospective study was conducted, analyzing data collected over 10 years on the health status of 2,657 people over 60 years old who were diagnosed with mild or moderate aortic stenosis. Some of them did not take any dietary supplements all the time (49%), others took only vitamin D (12%) or calcium or calcium supplements with vitamin D (39%). The average period of supplementation was more than 5.5 years.
During the follow-up, some patients developed severe aortic stenosis and underwent aortic valve replacement; some died from both cardiovascular diseases and other causes. The analysis showed that taking vitamin D did not affect these indicators. However, taking calcium supplements, including in combination with vitamin D, was associated with a significantly higher risk of death from both all causes and cardiovascular diseases. Such patients were also more likely to need aortic valve replacement.
And that's not all. Those who took calcium supplements were more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes mellitus and coronary heart disease; they needed more medications, and often coronary artery bypass grafting and renal dialysis.
The increase in mortality associated with taking calcium supplements did not depend in any way on the sex of the person and the presence of osteoporosis at the beginning of the study. Although it is known that postmenopausal women are more prone to osteoporosis, and with bone demineralization, calcium enters the bloodstream, which can contribute to the process of calcification of the aortic valve flaps.
However, the researchers noted that people who were prescribed calcium supplements initially had more risk factors for developing cardiovascular diseases. Nevertheless, they conclude that in old age, calcium supplements will not only not benefit, but, on the contrary, may increase the risks of heart and vascular damage. In any case, the results obtained suggest that the appointment of calcium preparations should be approached with greater caution, at least in patients with calcifying aortic valve stenosis.
Article by Kassis et al. Supplemental calcium and vitamin D and long-term mortality in aortic stenosis is published in the journal Heart.
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