If you can get your daily calcium needs from dietary sources rather than supplements, you may be helping your heart in the process. A study published in the June issue of the journal Heart found that people who take calcium supplements face a higher risk of heart attack than those who dont take calcium supplements. In addition, researchers found a slight protective effect of dietary calcium, with study participants who had the highest dietary intake of calcium experiencing a lower risk of heart attack than those who consumed the least calcium from food sources each day. Researchers emphasized that this study, as well as others that have also suggested a higher heart risk associated with calcium supplements, should not be interpreted as a reason to stop taking calcium supplements. Such supplements are often recommended to older adults to combat age-related bone density loss.
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