I heard a news story recently about a new machine that identifies calcium deposits in the heart. Seems these deposits are indicators of future heart trouble.
I'm wondering, if too much calcium is taken through acombination of food & supplementation, can it lead to more such deposits in the heart and other places? Women are advised to supplement with calcium after menopause to keep bones intact, but are we damaging our cardiovascular system by doing so?
I appreciate any postings from those familiar with this. Thanks!
Cheers, Ann
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I heard a news story recently about a new machine that identifies calcium deposits in the heart. Seems these deposits are indicators of future heart trouble.
I'm wondering, if too much calcium is taken through acombination of food & supplementation, can it lead to more such deposits in the heart and other places? Women are advised to supplement with calcium after menopause to keep bones intact, but are we damaging our cardiovascular system by doing so?
Calcium metabolism is way to complex for a short answer. Yes, some women (and men) benefit from supplementing extra calcium at any age, regardless of menopause or andropause, while others invite all kinds of medical conditions doing the same thing. One reason is that some people store too much calcium in soft tissue outside of bone (including arteries) as a result of lacking co-factors to help with utilizing calcium properly, and others have difficulty with assimilating calcium because of unfavorable stomach acid or intestinal conditions - or again - lack of co-factors (such as Vitamin D), to help sufficient uptake. To get a better idea of why it takes an individual analysis to determine whether someone would benefit from supplementing extra calcium or not, you could do a Google search on 'cellular interactions of calcium' which will likely bring up a more detailed account of what you are looking for.
