Current Developments in Nutrition · Jul 2026
Validation of Fluoride Quantification of Small Volumes of Human Milk Using a Fluoride Ion-Selective Electrode
By May CA, Bolarinwa IF, Salia R et al.
Objectives: Calcium supplements are frequently used in the elderly patient population to treat low bone density.However, there is also research data to suggest that these supplements increase coronary and valvular calcification, thereby increasing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.This study evaluates a cohort of patients with osteopenia/osteoporosis taking calcium supplements rather than obtaining calcium from diet to determine whether they have a higher incidence of heart valve and/ or coronary calcification.Methods: This was a retrospective chart review of 308 patient charts with a diagnosis of osteopenia/osteoporosis (from a single provider endocrine practice) over one year, of which 186 had cardiac imaging data (echocardiography or CT scans).Of these, 108 were taking Calcium supplements, while 80 were not.Additional variables included age, gender, LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, serum creatinine levels, and the presence or absence of diabetes.Results: This study shows a very strong correlation between calcium supplementation and the development of valve or coronary calcification in 71% of individuals (p-value < 0.00001; in multivariate analysis, p-value < 0.00012), whereas only 37% of individuals who got calcium from diet developed valve or coronary calcification.Mean age, however, was higher (3 years) in individuals with calcification, a statistically significant difference (p-value of 0.033).Gender was not evaluated as a risk factor, as only 20 of 186 patients were male.After adjusting for risk factors, the odds ratio of developing calcification with supplement use was 4.3.Conclusions: Calcium supplementation was strongly associated with an increased risk of calcification.This correlation persisted despite accounting for other risk factors for valve and coronary calcification, including LDL and serum creatinine levels and the presence of diabetes.Encouraging patients to get calcium from their diet rather than supplements is a simple, cost-effective way to improve cardiovascular health.Future studies should include data on calcium supplement dose and intake duration.