When we try and resolve one health worry, it can be worrying to hear we could be creating other problems for our wellness. For some time calcium supplements used to prevent brittle bones has been linked with hardening of our arteries, but research indicates we may not have to worry about these side effects any longer.
Supplementing our bones
Suffering from the side effects of medications is a risk we all take when we decide to start new drugs to tackle health problems. It can cause worry when those side effects could have a serious impact on our wellbeing, so this new investigation by Hebrew SeniorLife can set our minds at rest over osteoporosis drugs. If we have some risk factors for brittle bones we may be prescribed calcium, as this mineral is required to build bone cells.
Some health boards recommend taking this daily, with supplements for those of us concerned that our diets won’t provide enough of the mineral. But some research indicates that calcium may lead to calcified plaques forming in our arteries, which can cause heart and circulation problems. The recent medical research breaks this link and suggests we may not be putting our wellbeing in danger if we regularly take calcium supplements.
No heart attack link
Authors of the study examined the diets of 1,300 and their use of calcium supplements. To test the health of their arteries they all had scans four years later to see if vessels contained plaques that cause blockages. The results showed that the arteries of people who took calcium supplements scored the same on a calcification scale as those who had lower levels of the mineral in their diets. This indicates that taking extra quantities of calcium via supplements is not linked to future heart disease. Our GPs can give us detailed information on our diets and how it can affect our bone health, especially if we suffer from osteoporosis or low BMD.
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