Calcium supplements linked to early death in elderly patients with valvular heart disease

A study published online in the journal Heart found that regular calcium supplementation in older adults was associated with a lower risk of osteoporosis and fractures than those with aortic stenosis, a progressive and potentially fatal condition.

What's more, the findings showed that these supplements appeared to worsen the condition, whether or not they were combined with vitamin

Aortic stenosis is the stiffening and narrowing of the aortic valve, the main outflow valve of the heart

The only effective treatment is to replace the faulty valve, a process known as AVR (aortic valve replacement)

The relationship between diet and calcium or vitamin D supplementation and cardiovascular disease risk and death is a heated debate

Therefore, the researchers wanted to look at the potential effects of these supplements on death from any cause and cardiovascular disease, the need for AVR, and the progression of aortic stenosis in older adults

So they followed the heart health of 2,657 patients (mean age 74, 42% women) with mild to moderate aortic stenosis between 2008 and 2018: an average monitoring period of more than 5.

Participants were divided into those who did not take any supplements (1292; 49%), those who only took vitamin D supplements (332; 12%), and those who only took calcium-fortified or reduced-calcium vitamin D supplements ( 1033; 39%), 115 of whom took only calcium supplements

People who took supplements had significantly higher rates of diabetes and coronary artery disease than those who didn't

During the monitoring period, 540 (20.

More than one-third of people in each group developed severe aortic stenosis after 5 years

Vitamin D supplementation alone did not appear to affect survival

Calcium supplementation alone was also associated with an increased risk of death from any cause (24%) and a nearly three-fold increased risk of AVR

This is an observational study, so no cause can be established

But the researchers concluded: "With a large sample size and long-term follow-up, our study shows that calcium supplementation does not confer any [cardiovascular] benefit, but may instead reflect an increased overall risk and mortality of AVR, Especially those who are not doing AVR

In a related editorial, Professor Jutta Bergler-Klein of the Medical University of Vienna points out that billions of dollars are spent each year on vitamin and mineral supplements for the elderly because they believe they are good for health
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But we may need to rethink -- at least when it comes to calcium supplements -- she suggests, adding that the findings should give doctors a pause and a second to think about how to treat osteoporosis patients with heart disease
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"For patients with calcification [aortic stenosis] and high-risk [cardiovascular disease], the current study strongly adds to the evidence that long-term continuous calcium supplementation should be avoided, if not mandatory," she wrote
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