[acb-diabetics] too much calcium not good

[Patricia LaFrance-Wolf]

Calcium Supplements Can Increase Risk of Kidney Failure

 

Negative health effects linked to taking too much supplemental calcium are
on the rise. Milk-alkali or calcium-alkali syndrome is growing in large part

because of widespread use of over-the-counter calcium and vitamin D
supplements.... 

 

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The milk-alkali syndrome arose in the early 1900s when patients ingested
abundant amounts of milk and antacids to control their ulcers. This practice
increased

individuals' risk of developing dangerously high levels of calcium in the
blood, which could cause high blood pressure and even kidney failure. The
incidence

of the milk-alkali syndrome declined when newer ulcer medications became
available, but it appears to be on the rise again thanks to increased use of
over-the-counter

calcium and vitamin D supplements used mainly as preventive and treatment
measures for osteoporosis. In many cases, patients with the syndrome require

hospitalization.

 

Stanley Goldfarb, MD, and Ami Patel, MD, (University of Pennsylvania School
of Medicine) recommend changing the name of the milk-alkali syndrome to the

calcium-alkali syndrome because the condition is now associated with a large
intake of calcium, not milk. Postmenopausal women, pregnant women,
transplant

recipients, patients with bulimia, and individuals who are on dialysis have
the highest risks of developing the calcium-alkali syndrome due to various

physiological reasons.

 

According to the authors, the obvious preventive strategy against the
calcium-alkali syndrome is to limit the intake of calcium to no more than
1.2 to 1.5

grams per day. "Calcium supplements taken in the recommended amounts are not
only safe but are quite beneficial. Taken to excess is the problem," said

Dr. Goldfarb. "Even at the recommended dose, careful monitoring of any
medication is wise and yearly determinations of blood calcium levels for
those patients

taking calcium supplements or vitamin D is a wise approach," he added.

 

Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN). June 2010 

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