What Causes Calcium In The Arteries?

Calcium that builds up in the arteries can restrict blood flow to vital organs. Understanding what leads to calcium deposits in the arteries is important for reducing the risk of stroke, heart attack and peripheral artery disease, which can claim lives and destroy quality of life years. Calcium is one of the components of atherosclerotic plaque that forms in the inner walls of blood vessels and is a waste product.

Inactivity

Inactivity promotes calcium buildup in the blood vessels. Regular aerobic exercise lowers cholesterol levels and keeps blood pressure under control, both of which contribute to blocked arteries. The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity weekly. Sedentary individuals should start a walking program to include 30 minutes, five days a week. Exercise increases beneficial nitric oxide to the blood vessel walls, preventing oxidation that can "harden" plaque.

Smoking

Tobacco smoke speeds the formation of atherosclerosis, which begins in childhood. Calcium, cholesterol and other waste products begin to deposit in the lining of the arteries -- endothelium -- during childhood. Tobacco use may stimulate the production of other toxic substances that further damage and inflame endothelial cells, causing more calcium buildup and hardening of substances in the arteries.

Hypertension

High blood pressure, or hypertension, inflames the endothelium, promoting adherence of cholesterol, calcium and other molecules inside the arteries. The journal "Current Hypertension Reviews" published an article in February 2009 titled "Inflammation: A Link Between Hypertension and Atherosclerosis," which suggests high blood pressure alters endothelial function and increases oxidative stress to promote calcium buildup and atherosclerosis in the arteries.

PTSD

Research presented at the American Heart Association's Sessions 2010 showed that veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, had more calcium buildup in their arteries, explaining a previously known higher risk of death from heart disease among those suffering from stress. The study, according to Naser Ahmadi, M.D., M.S., and Ramin Ebrahimi, M.D., co-principal investigators, is the first to make a direct association between PTSD and atherosclerotic coronary disease as measured by coronary artery calcification. The findings show PTSD leads to higher levels of calcium in the arteries and increased risk of atherosclerotic heart disease.

Sleeping Less

In December 2008, the University of Chicago Medical Center published the study "Skipping Sleep May Signal Problems for Coronary Arteries," which shows that less sleep causes more calcium buildup in the arteries. The research found that 27 percent of 495 volunteers who slept less than five hours a night had calcium in their coronary arteries, compared to 11 percent who slept five to seven hours a night. The analysis, called the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study, failed to identify why less sleep leads to calcium buildup in the arteries. The researchers say it might be from higher blood pressure that occurs with less sleep or from the stress hormone cortisol, which is also linked to increased artery calcification.