Taking too much this supplement can hurt your heart, doctors warn
It is quite sure to get this mineral in your diet, but supplements can be risky.
According to the Responsible nutrition council (CRN), 75% of Americans take a diet supplements , almost all believe that these pills are essential for their health. In theory, it makes sense. What damage to put additional nutrients in your body? But most people are surprised to learn that the Food and Drug Administration of the United States (FDA) does not regulate supplements such as drugs, but rather as a sub-category of food.
"What it means is that the manufacturer [of supplement] can introduce anything in the market which, according to them, is sure", Pieter Cohen , MD, an internist at the Cambridge Health Alliance and an associate professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School, explained to the American Medical Association (Ama).
"The work of the FDA is to identify the products that cause damage after being on the market and to remove them from the shelves from the stores," he adds.
So there is very little monitoring of what is in your supplements and safe doses. As for the latter, doctors claim that an extremely common supplement may have serious cardiovascular risks if they are excess.
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Calcium supplements can increase your risk of heart damage.
Calcium is a mineral most often associated with healthy bones. In addition, "your heart, muscles and nerves also need calcium to function properly", " Mayo clinic Notes.
But according to the National Health Institutes (NIH), up to 40% of American adults consume less than the recommended quantity of calcium, which increases the risk of low bone mass, fractures and osteoporosis.
Adult men should obtain 1,156 mg of calcium per day, while women should target 1,009 mg. But since so many people do not reach these goals thanks to their diet, they turn to calcium supplements.
However, if you do too much on these supplements, your heart may be in trouble.
In a 2016 study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association , Researchers from Johns Hopkins Medicine and the University of North Carolina (UNC) in Chapel Hill analyzed 10 years of medical tests covering more than 2,700 patients to examine the causes of heart disease.
They concluded that the calcium taking in the form of supplements "can increase the risk of plaque accumulation in the arteries and cardiac damage".
"As a person is aging, the calcium -based plate accumulates in the main blood vessel of the body, the aorta and other arteries, preventing blood circulation and increasing the risk of heart attack," explain the researchers.
"When it comes to using vitamin and mineral supplements, in particular calcium supplements taken for bone health, many Americans think that the more better", co-author of the study Erin Michos , MD, current director of cardiovascular health of women at Johns Hopkins, said in a press release . "But our study adds to all evidence that excess calcium in the form of supplements can harm the heart and the vascular system."
Other doctors agree that increased levels of calcium in the blood - a condition known as hypercalcemia - Can be problematic for your heart health.
"Hypercalcemia can seriously affect heart function and the cardiovascular system and can cause arrhythmia (an increase in irregular cardiac rhythms) and EKG anomalies due to the increase in calcium levels disturbing the electrical activity of the heart", " Brynna Connor , MD, health care ambassador at NorthwestPharmacy.com , previously explained to Best life .
"Indeed, calcium is a positively loaded ion which, in the blood in normal quantities, helps bring electrical activity to the heart (with muscles and the brain)," she continued. "However, when too much calcium is in the blood, it can change the electrical activity of the heart, causing a change of heart rate."
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But you should not limit your food calcium intake.
However, doctors agree that hypercalcemia is rarely caused by food. In fact, the 2016 study revealed that "a diet rich in calcium -rich food seems to be protective".
This is probably due to the fact that the body differently metabolizes calcium and calcium.
"It may be that supplements contain calcium salts, or this could come from a significant dose both that the body is unable to deal with", author of the study John Anderson , PHD, professor emeritus of nutrition at the UNC global public health school, said in a statement.
Therefore, if you want to increase your calcium intake through what you eat, the following foods are very high in calcium:
- Simple and weak yogurt in bold
- Fortified orange juice
- Partial mozzarella
- Sardines
- Fat -free milk
- Enriched soy milk
- Tofu
- Canned salmon
- Cottage cheese
- Cereals enriched in fortification
- Spinach
It is also important to understand that for your body to adequately absorb calcium, it also needs vitamin D .
If you worry about your calcium levels, or if you plan to take a calcium supplement, speak first with your doctor.
