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Food and health

Effects of a typical acute oral calcium load on arterial properties and endothelial function in healthy subjects

A Correction to this article was published on 04 September 2023

This article has been updated

Abstract

Background/objectives:

Often recommended, calcium supplements have been incriminated as increasing the risk of cardiovascular events, whereas dietary calcium has generally been exonerated. As a first step to address the vascular safety of such dietary measures at the clinical nutritionist toolbox, we sought to determine and compare the acute effects of a typical oral calcium load, provided either as a supplement or as food, on vascular parameters assessed noninvasively in healthy subjects.

Subjects/methods:

In this acute, cross-over, random-order intervention, 11 young and healthy vitamin D-sufficient volunteers (8 women/3 men, 33±6.1 years, body mass index 22.6±2.3 kg/m2), ingested 600 mg of calcium twice, once as calcium citrate and the other time from dairy products. Biochemical, vascular and hemodynamic parameters, before and 2 h after each challenge, were compared. Arterial stiffness was studied by measuring pulse wave velocity, augmentation index and large (C1) and small (C2) arterial compliance. Endothelial function was assessed by flow-mediated dilation (FMD).

Results:

Despite effective calcium loading accompanied by a significant 60% parathyroid hormone level reduction on both occasions, there were no clinically significant changes in the vascular parameters neither in comparison with baseline, nor between the studies. A decrease in heart rate with no change in cardiac output was noticed after the supplement.

Conclusions:

An effective calcium load has no clinically significant untoward effect on the vascular properties of young healthy subjects, regardless of its source. Additional studies should determine whether this holds true for chronic calcium supplementation, particularly in subjects with a priori vascular impairment.

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Acknowledgements

We are indebted to the nurses of the Institute of Endocrinology for their invaluable help in drawing and handling samples, and to the staff of the endocrinology core laboratory for their skillful determinations of vitamin D and PTH levels.

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Correspondence to K M Tordjman.

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The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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The original online version of this article was revised: the author name 'V Rouach' was incorrectly given as 'V Roach'.

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Yaron, M., Rouach, V., Izkhakov, E. et al. Effects of a typical acute oral calcium load on arterial properties and endothelial function in healthy subjects. Eur J Clin Nutr 68, 608–612 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2014.22

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