Study shows calcium, Vitamin D have neutral effect on postmenopausal women's blood pressure

NEW YORK A seven-year research study published in the November issue of the journal Hypertension that evaluated supplementation with calcium and vitamin D and its effect in helping to prevent high blood pressure in older, postmenopausal women determined that the two supplements combined neither had a positive nor negative effect on blood pressure, according to a Reuters Health report published Thursday.

"Shortcuts with dietary supplements cannot be substituted for encouraging people to adopt dietary patterns that have been shown to lower blood pressure and decrease the risk of hypertension," stated lead researcher Karen Margolis, of HealthPartners Research Foundation.

As part of the Women's Health Initiative, the research team studied the effects of 1,000 mg  of calcium plus 400 international units vitamin D3, or placebo, in women 50 to 79 years of age. There were 18,000 women in each study group.

After an average follow-up of seven years, there was no significant difference between groups in the change in blood pressure, or in the number of women who developed hypertension or prehypertension.