Heart blockage is a sign of coronary artery disease, the most common form of heart disease in the United States, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. Heart blockage involves damage to the artery and insufficient blood flow to the heart. Calcium contributes to the development of heart blockage but is not the sole cause. Consult your doctor about your diet and how calcium contributes to heart blockage.
Coronary Artery Disease
Coronary artery disease is characterized by blockage of the coronary arteries that is usually caused by atherosclerosis, a condition involving the buildup of plaque on the interior walls of your arteries. As plaque builds on the wall of your coronary artery, your blood vessels become narrower, increasing blood pressure and slowing down the flow of blood. Pieces of plaque can break away from the arterial wall and cause blood clots that partially or completely block the passage of blood, limiting the amount of oxygenated blood that reaches your heart and increasing your risk of a heart attack or stroke.
Plaque
Plaque is made from an accumulation of fat, cholesterol and calcium in the blood. The endothelium, blood cells that line the interior of your arteries, become inflamed and dysfunctional. One of the primary roles of the endothelium is to produce and secrete nitric oxide, a gas that relaxes and expands the blood vessels, enabling more blood flow. Calcium’s specific role in the buildup of plaque is not completely known, but it contributes to the hardness of plaque that is involved in blood flow blockage that may be the key reason for increased risk of heart attacks.
Calcium and Heart Attacks
Increasing your dietary intake of calcium, particularly from supplements, may increase your risk of heart attacks. The results from 15 clinical trials demonstrate taking calcium supplements increases your risk of experiencing a heart attack, according to research by scientists at the University of Auckland in New Zealand and published in the "British Medical Journal" in 2010. The scientists do not know the particular reason why calcium supplements are associated with heart attacks in some individuals but not others. Nonetheless, adding more calcium to plaque-filled arteries increases your risk of heart blockage.
Prevention
Reducing dietary factors, such as saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol, that contribute to heart blockage may help you lower your risk of coronary artery disease. Replacing unhealthy fats with healthy fats, such as polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids may improve your blood cholesterol and reduce the amount of plaque that forms in your coronary artery. Scientists at the Heart Research Institute in Sydney, Australia found a meal containing polyunsaturated fat reduces endothelium inflammation and increases blood flow, according to research published in the "Journal of the American College of Cardiology" in August 2006.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Heart Disease Facts; 2010
- Heart Blockage: Heart Blockage
- The Cleveland Clinic; Coronary Artery Disease - Overview; 2010
- MedlinePlus; Blood Clots; June 2011
- "British Medical Journal"; Effect of Calcium Supplements on Risk of Myocardial Infarction and Cardiovascular Events: Meta-Analysis; Mark Bolland, et al.; 2010
- "Journal of the American College of Cardiology"; Consumption of Saturated Fat Impairs the Anti-Inflammatory Properties of High-Density Lipoproteins and Endothelial Function; Stephen Nicholls, et al.; Aug 2006
