Well, interestingly enough, there have been occasional questions raised about whether taking a calcium supplement can lead to calcium being deposited in the walls of blood vessels, leading to cardiovascular complications. While the media has spun this as a huge public health issue, many experts believed that this was likely being portrayed as a much larger issue than it actually was. Nonetheless, a significant amount of time and money was invested in determining if this was actually a health concern.

The results are now beginning to come in, and are very much in support of the safety of calcium supplements. In fact, the results from two very large studies were just published this April.  The first of these studies was focused on combined vitamin D and calcium supplementation. Because vitamin D dramatically increases calcium absorption from the small intestine, one would imagine that if there were any complications caused by calcium, cosupplementation with vitamin D would exacerbate these issues. This study—the largest of its kind to date, found no evidence that supplementation with calcium and vitamin D was linked to cardiovascular disease.[fn value=1][/fn]

This shouldn’t be too shocking given the fact that many other studies support these findings.[fn value=2][/fn] In fact, another study confirming the safety and effectiveness of calcium supplements, titled “A 7-Year Longitudinal Trial of the Safety and Efficacy of a Vitamin/Mineral Enhanced Plant-Sourced Calcium Supplement,” was published only 5 days later. The results of this study echoed that of the previously mentioned study: calcium supplementation is quite safe.

This shouldn’t be too shocking given the fact that many other studies support these findings.[fn value=2][/fn] In fact, another study confirming the safety and effectiveness of calcium supplements, titled “A 7-Year Longitudinal Trial of the Safety and Efficacy of a Vitamin/Mineral Enhanced Plant-Sourced Calcium Supplement,” was published only 5 days later. The results of this study echoed that of the previously mentioned study: calcium supplementation is quite safe.

If you are still concerned about potential issues with calcium, there are several other pieces of information that should help alleviate concern. Many people are aware that vitamin D can help increase calcium absorption from the intestine into the bloodstream, however how calcium gets from the bloodstream and into bones is less well known to most people. Studies show that vitamin D and vitamin K actually work together to direct calcium into the bones from the bloodstream.[fn value=3][/fn] This is because these two critical vitamins regulate the production of a hormone known as osteocalcin, which is one of the body’s primary bone building hormones.[fn value=3][/fn]  This synergistic action between vitamins and minerals highlights how important it is to make sure you are consuming adequate vitamin K and vitamin D in order to properly support healthy bone formation.

Vitamins, minerals and hormones all work together in a highly organized fashion. So don’t throw away your calcium supplements quite yet, but instead consider looking for calcium supplements that also contain vitamin D and vitamin K.

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