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Health Risks From Calcium Fortified foods

Does calcium from fortified foods come with the same health risks as calcium supplements?

Calcium supplements increase the risk of certain cardiovascular problems but I haven’t been able to find if foods fortified with calcium would have the same effects. I also wonder if foods fortified with algae ( lithothamnium calcareum) would have the same effect.

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Answer

If I am understanding what you are asking, I think it would be rather difficult to consume too much calcium from diet alone unless you’re consuming tons of fortified foods daily. Especially in conjunction with calcium supplements. Calcium potassium pumps regulate muscle relaxation/contraction and influxes of calcium mess with these pumps (this is an extremely simplified explanation), so that is the relation between risk of CV problems and too much calcium. I know someone who had been taking too many calcium supplements and had a tetany seizure (involuntary inability to relax muscle).

Answer

I’m not a doctor, a scientist or a nutritionist, and as far as I know there is no research showing a solid connection between calcium-fortified products and negative cardiovascular outcomes. It is absorbed and the advantages of an adequate calcium intake are well-established (although some may say current recommendations are a bit high). However, I do think there are reasons to believe fortified products effect us like supplements, and not like dietary calcium:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5620030/

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/acute-effects-of-calcium-citrate-with-or-without-a-meal-calciumfortified-juice-and-a-dairy-product-meal-on-serum-calcium-and-phosphate-a-randomised-crossover-trial/DA229B574E5B3CEA832078DB22289FB2

No idea about calcium carbonate vs algae sourced.

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