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Calcium supplements controversy in osteoporosis: a physiological mechanism supporting cardiovascular adverse effects

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Abstract

Recently, administration of calcium supplements for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis has become a highly controversial issue. The findings of epidemiological studies are not necessarily supportive of the practice and are also open to different interpretations. In this article, we attempt to broaden the discussion and provide evidence that calcium supplementation may fail to compensate for renal calcium loss, and also that the resultant increased calcium load in the circulation could lead to extraskeletal deposition, including in the coronary arteries.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. John Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, USA

    Karolina Paziana

  2. Musculoskeletal Institute, The Botnar Research Centre & Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology & Musculoskeletal Diseases, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 7LD, UK

    Michael Pazianas

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  1. Karolina Paziana
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  2. Michael Pazianas
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Correspondence to Michael Pazianas.

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Paziana, K., Pazianas, M. Calcium supplements controversy in osteoporosis: a physiological mechanism supporting cardiovascular adverse effects. Endocrine 48, 776–778 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-015-0550-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12020-015-0550-9

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