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Abstract
No single study or avenue of investigation can resolve the scientific controversies that entangle efforts to determine the effects of specific nutrients on medical conditions. To reach consensus in this area requires a substantial body of plausible, reproducible and consistent data from various investigative approaches—such as the data that now exist regarding the relationship between dietary calcium and blood pressure. In this paper we describe the plethora of epidemiological and clinical studies and analyses that have been published in the last two years and which cumulatively reveal the consistency of the available data regarding the influence of dietary calcium on blood pressure regulation. Nearly 20 years of investigation in this area has culminated in remarkable and compelling agreement in the data, confirming the need for and benefit of regular consumption of the recommended daily levels of dietary calcium.
Key teaching points:
• After nearly 20 years of controversy, the relationship between dietary calcium and blood pressure is being confirmed by a large body of recently published data consistently reporting a blood pressure-lowering effect of adequate calcium intake.
• Meta-analyses of 23 observational studies and of 42 randomized controlled trials have identified statistically significant reductions in hypertension risk and in blood pressure levels.
• The impact of calcium on blood pressure appears to be greatest in persons consuming regularly low levels of dietary calcium, the primary source of which is dairy products.
• The health benefits of adequate calcium, including lower risk of osteoporosis and colon cancer as well as hypertension, can be realized by simply consuming the recommended dietary calcium levels for an individual’s age and gender (1000 to 1500 mg/day).
Key teaching points:
• After nearly 20 years of controversy, the relationship between dietary calcium and blood pressure is being confirmed by a large body of recently published data consistently reporting a blood pressure-lowering effect of adequate calcium intake.
• Meta-analyses of 23 observational studies and of 42 randomized controlled trials have identified statistically significant reductions in hypertension risk and in blood pressure levels.
• The impact of calcium on blood pressure appears to be greatest in persons consuming regularly low levels of dietary calcium, the primary source of which is dairy products.
• The health benefits of adequate calcium, including lower risk of osteoporosis and colon cancer as well as hypertension, can be realized by simply consuming the recommended dietary calcium levels for an individual’s age and gender (1000 to 1500 mg/day).