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Is It Safe To Continue To Take Calcium Supplement That My Bones Do Need?

Posted on 10 hours ago

Question: Hi, doctor. A while back, I wrote to u about having the aching in the legs and had a test that showed I have calcified blood vessels in the legs but doctor said not to the extent where a procedure was warranted. My question is about calcium. Every blood test for years now show I am low on calcium so I do take a supplement. I'm confused about the calcification in the blood vessels and how or if it effects me taking a calcium supplement. Don't want to add to the problem in the legs so wanted to know if these are two different calciums and is it safe to continue to take calcium supplement that my bones do need.
Thank u so much.

Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (13 hours later)

Brief Answer:
yes

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

the calcium in your blood is a different story! It's regulated by the endocrine glands of your body and has nothing to do with the calcification of the arteries. Stiff blood vessels are due to atherosclerosis. The arteries become calcified as we age particularly when someone has high blood pressure, high lipid levels, diabetes mellitus, or is a smoker. There are other factors that come into play as well, but these are the most important ones.

I hope it's clear now! Please let me know if you have further questions.

Kind Regards,
Dr.Panagiotis Zografakis
Internal medicine specialist

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. LAKSHMI