A new study from the Cleveland Clinic has found that calcium supplements, often recommended to older adults to prevent weak bones and fractures, may increase the risk of death in people with a specific heart condition called aortic stenosis.
This condition, which mainly affects older adults, causes one of the heart’s main valves—the aortic valve—to become stiff and narrow. As the valve becomes harder to open, it limits blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body.
Without treatment, aortic stenosis can be life-threatening. The only real solution is to replace the damaged valve in a procedure known as aortic valve replacement (AVR).
The study followed 2,657 patients with mild to moderate aortic stenosis over more than five years, with an average age of 74. Among them, 42% were women. The researchers divided the participants into three groups: one group took no supplements (about half the people), another took only vitamin D, and the third group took calcium, either alone or with vitamin D.
The results were concerning. People who took calcium supplements—either with or without vitamin D—were more likely to die from any cause or from heart-related issues than those who took no supplements.
Specifically, taking calcium plus vitamin D was linked to a 31% higher risk of death overall and double the risk of dying from cardiovascular causes. These people also had a 48% higher chance of needing valve replacement surgery.
Those who took only calcium had a 24% increased risk of death and were nearly three times more likely to need valve surgery compared to those who took no supplements.
In contrast, people who took only vitamin D did not have a higher risk of death or heart problems, suggesting that the increased risk is likely related to calcium, not vitamin D.
The study also showed that people who were taking calcium were more likely to already have other serious health conditions. For example, they had higher rates of diabetes and coronary artery disease.
Many were also taking medications like statins or warfarin, and some had already had heart surgery or were on kidney dialysis. These factors may partly explain why calcium users were at higher risk, but even after adjusting for these conditions, calcium supplements were still linked to worse outcomes.
These findings are especially important because calcium supplements are commonly given to older adults to prevent osteoporosis and fractures. But for people with aortic stenosis, these supplements might do more harm than good.
The researchers suggest that calcium may contribute to more calcification—or hardening—of the heart valve, which could speed up the progression of the disease.
The takeaway from this study is clear: for older adults with aortic stenosis, calcium supplements may raise the risk of serious heart problems and death. Doctors and patients should weigh these risks carefully and consider alternatives for bone health when heart valve disease is present.
More research is needed, but this study offers a strong warning that calcium supplements aren’t always safe—especially for those with existing heart conditions.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk, and Vitamin K2 could help reduce heart disease risk.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about how to remove plaques that cause heart attacks, and results showing a new way to prevent heart attacks, strokes.
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