Calcium Supports Healthy Blood Pressure

WAGENINGEN, Netherlands--A new meta-analysis conducted out of Wageningen University suggests calcium supplements may help regulate blood pressure (BP), particularly in people with low calcium intake from their diet. After a search for randomized trials of calcium supplementation and BP in non-pregnant subjects, 71 trials were identified, 40 of which met the criteria for the meta-analysis, with a total of 2,492 subjects. A random effects model was used to obtain the effect of calcium supplementation on BP, overall and in predefined population subgroups. Daily calcium supplementation (mean dose 1,200 mg) reduced systolic BP by -1.86 mm Hg and diastolic BP by -0.99 mm Hg; in people with calcium intake under 800 mg/d, supplementation dropped systolic BP by -2.63 mm Hg and diastolic BP by -1.30 mm Hg. Researchers concluded adequate calcium intake is important for the prevention of hypertension.

The meta-analysis appeared in the Journal of Human Hypertension (20:571-80, 2006).