Reduction of blood pressure with calcium supplementation in young adults
J. M. Belizan, J. Villar, O. Pineda, A. E. Gonzalez, E. Sainz, G. Garrera and R. Sibrian
Epidemiologic and animal studies have suggested an inverse relationship
between calcium intake and BP. Furthermore, calcium intake seems to be
inversely correlated with the incidence of eclampsia in pregnancy. In a
randomized clinical trial, young adults were allocated to a
calcium-supplemented group receiving 1 g/day of elemental calcium (15 men
and 15 women) or a placebo group (14 women and 13 men) for a period of 22
weeks. The calcium-supplemented group showed a significant decrease in
diastolic BP; this effect was stabilized after nine weeks in women and six
weeks in men. The reduction in diastolic BP was 5.6% and 9% from the
initial values for women and men, respectively. This study supports
epidemiologic and animal evidence of the effect of calcium intake on BP and
suggests the need for more research exploring the mechanisms involved in
the observed effect.
