Coronary Artery Calcification.

[cardinalfan]

Does anyone know what causes coronary artery calcification? I've read that calcium supplements are more of a cause, than naturally occurring dietary calcium,

[Met00]

Yes, there's certainly evidence that calcium supplementation can lead to calcification of the arteries and may also cause kidney stones, whereas this doesn't appear to be an issue with dietary calcium. Taking Vitamin K2-MK7 or K2-MK4 can help send calcium to the bones and prevent these problems, but, in the UK at least, the advice now is to get as much calcium as possible from diet and only supplement to make up any shortfall.

[cardinalfan in reply to Met00]

Thank You, Met00!

[Tlflom in reply to cardinalfan]

Met00 is correct, K2 is good at sending minerals to bone and not everywhere else.

[yogalibrarian in reply to Met00]

In the US as well, the advice is to get your nutrients from food and to use supplements to make up for the deficits between RDA and food. Vitamin D is probably the one of the few exceptions.

The other is what you need to do if you live in a food desert or a food swamp, Some astounding number of US countries do not have a grocery store....

[yogalibrarian]

O'Keefe JH, Bergman N, Carrera-Bastos P, et alNutritional strategies for skeletal and cardiovascular health: hard bones, soft arteries, rather than vice versa. Open Heart 2016;3:e000325. doi: 10.1136/openhrt-2015-000325

openheart.bmj.com/content/3...

I've included the abstract, but it's worth reading the full article. Remember, the emphasis is on nutrients coming from a healthy diet not miscellaneous add-ons.

ABSTRACT

"The focus of this paper is to explore better strategies for optimising bone strength and reducing risk of fracture, while at the same time decreasing risk of cardiovascular disease. The majority of Americans do not consume the current recommended dietary allowance for calcium, and the lifetime risk of osteoporosis is about 50%. However, traditional mononutrient calcium supplements may not be ideal. We comprehensively and systematically reviewed the scientific literature in order to determine the optimal dietary strategies and nutritional supplements for long-term skeletal health and cardiovascular health. To summarise, the following steps may be helpful for building strong bones while maintaining soft and supple arteries: (1) calcium is best obtained from dietary sources rather than supplements; (2) ensure that adequate animal protein intake is coupled with calcium intake of 1000 mg/day; (3) maintain vitamin D levels in the normal range; (4) increase intake of fruits and vegetables to alkalinise the system and promote bone health; (5) concomitantly increase potassium consumption while reducing sodium intake; (6) consider increasing the intake of foods rich in vitamins K1 and K2; (7) consider including bones in the diet; they are a rich source of calcium-hydroxyapatite and many other nutrients needed for building bone."

[cardinalfan in reply to yogalibrarian]

Thank You, yogalibrarian!

[Kitchenbuddy]

Great article. Thanks for sharing.

[TWEETYCAT]

Unfortunately, as seniors age, we do not produce enough stomach acid that is needed to absorb nutrients, calcium, iron, magnesium, etc. I don't think many of the medical profession is aware of this. I read a recent paper by a doctor who is a osteo specialist and 92% of his patients with osteo were not producing stomach acid required to absorb minerals. He concluded that this is why people who take supplements to help with bone health continue to get worse because acid is not being produced to break down and absorb those minerals. You can test yourself to see if you are producing enough acid. Take 1/4 tsp of baking soda and dissolve it in about 3 to 4 0z of tepid water and drink it all at once. If within 3 to 5 minutes, you do not belch or begin belching, you do not produce enough stomach acid and be tested by your physician. Also for calcification of arteries, I have found that Source Naturals pomegranate extract works really well in keeping your arteries clear and I have been using for years. I had a scan about 3 years ago and I had no calcification.

[Foodie2shoes]

I started supplementing with Calcium/K2/Vit D 2 years ago when my MD wanted to put me on Boniva. I have ostepenia, but was continuing to lose ground. In the past 2 years, I added weight training, yoga and joined an OsteoStrong program. My DEXA showed marked improvement- actually gained bone in 3 of the 4 measurements! I was thrilled. But then I was diagnosed with atherosclerosis and mild (one scan came back moderate) calcification of my aorta. Although my cardiologist said this is seen with age (I'm 75), he did not even ask about supplements. Now I don't want to take them anymore, so just upping my dietary calcium. I may go back to a separate Vit. D supplement in the winter. (less sunshine). Its frustrating that one thing that is supposed to help may actually damage our bodies in other ways. *Sigh.

[Nomester2]

I had to give up calcium supplements decades ago when I started growing bone spurs necessitating joint surgeries. Around that time began taking magnesium 400 mg q.d., vitamin K2-MK7, vitamin D3, and boron, with lots of high fat cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese and calcium-containing foods. Had a heart scan last year with 0% calcification of the arteries, in spite of high cholesterol. Not sure if this works for everyone but it has for me.

[cardinalfan in reply to Nomester2]

Thank You! I'm doing a similar approach. Except for the magnesium. But I'll check into that too!

[cardinalfan in reply to Nomester2]

I've included Plain flavored Keifer, into my dietary calcium. One cup has almost 400 milligrams of calcium.