Calcium is a very important mineral that is always necessary for your body to survive. The majority of calcium in your body is stored in your bones and teeth to give them strength. The remaining 1% is in the blood and is well-regulated to regulate important processes such as blood clotting, nerve signaling, and muscle contractions.
Doctors and health magazines have been telling women for decades to take a calcium supplement each day to prevent osteoporosis and keep bones strong.
Because of this broad message, millions of people have come to believe that they should take high doses of calcium every day and that this is a perfectly safe and essential practice.
It is important to note that recent clinical information and new medical guidelines have created a major debate in primary care. You must know recognize that taking calcium in pill form may not be benefiting your bones as much as you believe. It may be endangering your heart, in fact!
So before you add calcium to your daily routine, it’s important to know calcium supplement risks and how you can take them safely.
What Does Calcium Actually Do in Your Body?
Your bone are aren’t static. They are continually being demolished and reconstructed. This process is known as remodeling. If dietary calcium is low, the remodeling balance tips to breakdown, and the bone density is lost over time.
In addition, a low calcium intake means that the body will directly withdraw calcium from the bone to maintain healthy hearts and nerves. That’s why doctors originally suggested taking supplements: to prevent draining the bones. Calcium is important for the following functions:
- Bone architecture
- Proper Muscle Function
- Nerve function regulation
- Cardiovascular regulation
- Blood clotting
- Hormonal secretion
The recommended calcium intake for children is 700 mg/day, rising to 1,000 mg/day for teenagers aged 13 to 18, and to 1,200 mg/day for women over the age of 50 and men over the age of 70. Recommendations for calcium intake are 700 mg/day for children, 1,000 mg/day for teens, and 1,200 mg/day for women age 51 and older, and men age 70 and older.
The tolerable upper intake level is the highest amount of a nutrient that is likely not to cause harm, and it is 2,500 mg/day for adults under 50 and 2,000 mg/day for adults over 50.
Calcium Supplement Risks
The reasoning behind using a high-dose pill looks promising on paper, but it fails to take into account how humans digest food. Calcium-rich foods release calcium slowly over a few hours.
If you are taking a calcium supplement, particularly in high doses such as 500mg or 1,000mg, all in one go. It adds more calcium to your blood than your body can process at a time. Your body has to make a quick decision on what to do with the excess.
This quick rise in calcium levels is associated with a variety of documented risks with calcium supplements.
1. Heart Disease
This is the worst risk that may occur with improper calcium supplementation. If you have excess calcium in your bloodstream, it cannot simply be deposited in your bones.
Rather, it becomes calcified (hardened) within your soft tissues. Several clinical studies have found that taking high amounts of supplemental calcium can also raise the risk of calcium deposits forming in heart arteries, causing heart attacks.
2. Kidney Stones
Your kidneys have to filter the excess calcium out of your blood. Taking high doses puts your kidneys under additional strain, thus putting you at high risk for painful kidney stones.
Consuming more than 2,000 mg of calcium per day from your diet or supplements is also linked to an increased risk of kidney stones. Other sources say that the risk of kidney stones increases when calcium intake exceeds 1,200–1,500 mg per day. The kidney stone risk is higher with supplemental calcium than with dietary calcium for the same reason as the cardiovascular risk.
If you have a personal or family history of calcium oxalate kidney stones, discuss this with your provider to avoid any calcium supplement risk.
3. Digestive Issues
The high dosage of calcium often leads to bloating, constipation, and gas, and it may become uncomfortable to take daily.
Calcium carbonate and calcium citrate may have similar side effects. But calcium carbonate is more likely to cause gastrointestinal side effects. These can cause constipation, bloating, nausea, etc.
For older adults who already deal with constipation, this is an important consideration in choosing whether and which type of supplement to use.
4. Hypercalcemia
Excessive calcium intake, either from supplements or in combination with vitamin D, may lead to a blood calcium level that is higher than normal.
If you have too much calcium in your blood, this leads to a condition called hypercalcemia, which is characterized by many negative symptoms, such as:
- Fatigue
- Muscle weakness
- Nausea
- Loss of appetite
- Extreme thirst and urination
- Constipation
- Confusion
- Brain fog
- Depression
- mood disturbances
- Bone pain
- In severe cases, cardiac arrhythmias
Dietary calcium alone is an extremely rare cause of hypercalcemia in people with normal kidney function. Its occurrence is more common with high-dose supplementation, especially in combination with high-dose vitamin D.
Who needs to take calcium supplements?
You should not take a calcium pill just because you are getting older. If possible, try to obtain calcium from your diet.
But in certain cases, a healthcare provider will suggest taking a calcium supplement if you fit into any of the following categories:
Diagnosed Deficiency: If it’s found through a blood test that you are indeed deficient in calcium, a brief calcium supplementation may be required.
Osteoporosis: If the DEXA scan indicates that you already have a high risk of bone loss, your doctor might prescribe a supplement in addition to other medications to prevent any additional bone loss.
Digestive Condition: If you have a digestive disorder such as Celiac disease or Crohn’s disease, or have undergone gastric bypass surgery, you may not absorb calcium from food, so it should be taken as a supplement.
Who Should Avoid Them Completely?
It is important to know certain contraindications. For instance, people with a health problem such as hypercalcemia (high blood calcium) should not take any calcium supplements.
Also, you should not use them if you have a history of kidney stones or if you use some heart drugs. Thus, it’s always crucial to consult your medical professional to avoid calcium supplement risks before determining whether you require a supplement.
Do Calcium Supplements Actually Prevent Fractures?
You can’t guarantee that you won’t break a bone by taking a calcium pill at high doses. It’s important to be aware that there are different results from recent clinical trials. Evidence shows that there is no significant reduction in hip fracture or osteoporosis risk in older adults who use calcium supplements only.
Bones are complex, living tissue. Just putting calcium into your body does not guarantee that it becomes denser or stronger. Calcium needs to be absorbed and channeled to the bone to help prevent fractures.
All of these studies have found that dietary calcium, optimal vitamin D levels, and weight-bearing exercises are more effective at preventing fractures. Taking a pill without these other factors provides very little protection.
Additional Factors that Support Bone Health
When it comes to building strong bones, calcium alone is not enough. These cofactors are essential, and you should make sure that your body has them:
Vitamin D: You must have optimal Vitamin D levels. Vitamin D is the key to opening the door in your intestines so that calcium can first be absorbed into your blood. Your calcium supplement will be largely ineffective without Vitamin D.
Vitamin K2: It’s the most important missing factor. Vitamin D brings calcium into the blood, and Vitamin K2 directs the calcium. It helps activate proteins that direct calcium to bone and teeth and protect against deposits in your arteries and kidneys.
Magnesium: This helps activate Vitamin D and regulates the balance of calcium in your body. If your diet is low in magnesium, it upsets the effectiveness of calcium supplementation and impairs your bone health.
How to get calcium safely?
You should concentrate on food first, nutrition rather than pills. Dietary calcium is absorbed slowly and naturally along with the other vitamins and minerals provided in the food, without the dangers of calcium supplement use.
These foods should be consumed regularly:
- Yogurt
- Cheese
- Milk
- Sardines
- Canned salmon
- Cooked vegetables like kale, collard greens, and bok choy
- Nuts such as almonds and sesame seeds
If you and your doctor feel that a supplement is needed, you should use these safety tips:
Don’t use high doses: A low dose (200mg – 300mg) should be used. More than 500mg taken at a time offers no additional benefit for your bones and significantly raises your risk for heart and kidney disease.
Always take with food: Do not take your supplement alone to avoid the blood spike.
Always take it with K2 and D3: Never take calcium alone in a pill. It is recommended that you use it with a Vitamin D3 + K2 supplement so that the calcium is absorbed by the bones rather than the heart.
Conclusion
A calcium supplement is undoubtedly a good tool when used correctly and for the right medical reasons. However, you should not blindly take one just because it is a common habit. The calcium supplement risks to the heart and kidneys are real. These occur with high doses, particularly when they’re not combined with the right nutrients.
If you have concerns regarding your bone health, consider an appointment with your provider.
Do not guess, ask for a baseline DEXA scan (a special type of X-ray to measure bone density) and a Vitamin D blood test. These are typical, evidence-based tests and are usually provided by your health insurance. Your provider can develop a safe, tailored plan to help keep your bones safe, without jeopardizing your heart.
At Kairos, Lola, one of our integrative primary care nurse practitioners, is here to determine whether you actually need a calcium supplement or if dietary changes are enough for your specific body.
Book your consultation today!
