Is This Popular Supplement Wrecking Your Heart?

It’s practically become a right of passage for seniors… especially women.

Once you start getting older and worried about your bones, some well-meaning doctor will suggest calcium supplements.

It’s been the standard recommendation for decades… and it’s also terrible advice.

Because those calcium supplements – the same ones you may have been popping for years – may not do a darned thing to strengthen your bones.

But they could put you on the fast track to a heart attack or stroke.

Let me explain…

A lot of folks in mainstream medicine seem to think that when you take calcium, it just magically finds its way to your bones.

But here’s the truth…

That calcium is just as likely to stay in your arteries.

And you know what it does there, right? It helps form plaque.

In fact, a new study out of Hong Kong looked at a group of patients with cardiovascular disease. And they found that patients taking calcium-only supplements were 21% more likely to have another heart-related event.

That’s right… this supplement you’re taking to improve your health may actually have the opposite effect.

This is something I’ve told my readers about before. The fact is, when you take calcium, you need other nutrients like vitamin D or K2 to help it get to your bones.

And if you don’t have adequate levels of those nutrients, the calcium can stay in your arteries instead.

In fact, researchers found that when calcium was combined with vitamin D, there was no increase in heart risk.

The data was pretty clear… we shouldn’t be giving people calcium supplements without making sure patients’ vitamin D levels are adequate, too.

Plus, vitamin D is essential for your bone health on its own.

To get your vitamin D levels up, I’d always prefer you focus on sun exposure. Make sure you are getting direct sunlight every day, on as much exposed skin as possible.

This will naturally help increase your D levels – plus, you get all of the other health benefits of sunlight, including an improved mood and healthier circadian rhythm.

View Sources

MedPage Today. (2026, April). Further doubt on heart-healthiness of calcium supplements. https://www.medpagetoday.com/cardiology/generalcardiology/120719