Do Calcium Supplements Contribute to Clogged Arteries?

"Am I at risk for clogged arteries by taking calcium supplements?"
                   Woman age 65 living with osteoporosis

Excellent question.

The short answer:
Healthy bones DO need a sensible intake of supplemental calcium, along with adequate vitamin D and K, and magnesium for proper absorption. They also need ingredients that (1) promote balanced bone remodeling and (2) help prevent blood vessel calcification. OsteoNaturals products fit all these requirements.

The long answer:
In a recent study published in Climacteric, C.E. Lampropoulos, et al. assessed the correlation between osteoporosis and vascular calcification in postmenopausal women. The goal was to determine not only if there was a correlation (there have been numerous studies linking these as comorbidities) but also to determine if low dose calcium supplementation plus vitamin D contributed to calcification of arteries.

The study concluded that "Calcified plaques were significantly correlated with osteoporosis."  Osteoporotic women were "16 times more likely" to develop calcification of the abdominal aorta and "seven times more likely" to develop plaques and thickening of blood vessels compared to normal individuals. It also concluded that "low doses of supplements do not appear to cause any increase in vascular calcification in osteoporotic women." In other words, although bone loss and calcification of arteries go hand in hand their connection is NOT due to taking calcium supplements. And this is key! We need calcium for our bones to be healthy. Taking supplemental calcium is safe when used in moderation. Taking huge amounts of any supplement, including calcium, is never advisable. But a sensible intake of 600 to 1,000 mg/day of supplemental calcium (plus another 500 or so from the diet) is important for getting your 1,200 to 1,500 mg calcium/day as recommended by most bone-health experts. Making sure you get adequate vitamins D and K, and magnesium is also a vital part of the equation. You NEED these to ensure that the calcium you take in goes to the right places in your body: muscles, nerves and bone...and NOT settle into the blood vessels!

So what is it that makes women with bone loss be more susceptible to calcification and hardening of the arteries? The answer is INFLAMATION. We at OsteoNaturals know that simply taking in adequate calcium is NOT the total answer to improving bone health. The MOST important thing you can do for better bone health is to reduce inflammation-driven, excessive osteoclastic bone resorption. Inflammation, not a lack of calcium, is usually what fuels excessive bone loss. And that is where OsteoStim comes to the rescue. OsteoNaturals' OsteoStim has ingredients designed to do exactly that: modulate the activity between the osteoclasts and the osteoblasts so that the bone remodeling process comes more into balance. A balanced bone remodeling system is important for the skeleton to renew itself periodically...important for keeping it young, supple, and strong. AND, not only does OsteoStim have ingredients that promote balanced bone remodeling but it also has 300 mg of a very important antioxidant that, yes, you guessed it...helps prevent blood vessel calcification!

And as Lampropoulos, et al. showed in their research, since osteoporotic women are 16 times more likely to develop calcifications it is EXTREMELY important to address this head on! Alpha lipoic acid is THE perfect antioxidant that can help prevent this calcification. Studies such as the one by Ying, et al. demonstrate this beneficial effect. In this 2010  research, published in Life Sciences, Ying, et al. showed that lipoic acid "reduced atherosclerotic plaques in the abdominal aorta".

The combined effect of supplemental calcium, magnesium and other minerals from OsteoSustain and OsteoMineralBoost, plus improved bone remodeling and lowered atherosclerotic risk from our OsteoStim makes OsteoNaturals products your first choice for improved skeletal health.  

Lampropoulos, C.E., et al. 2016. Osteoporosis and vascular calcification in postmenopausal women: a cross-sectional study. Climacteric April 5:1-5.

Ying, Z., et al. 2010. Lipoic acid effects on established atherosclerosis. Life Sciences 86(3-4):95-102.