Relationship of mineral metabolism and long-term calcium and cholecalciferol supplementation to blood pressure in normotensive men

To better understand the effects of calcium and cholecalciferol supplementation on blood pressure, we examined systolic and diastolic blood pressures in 65 men treated with 1000 mg Ca/d and 1000 IU cholecalciferol/d or placebo for 3 y. Subjects were normotensive and had no medical condition and took no medication known to affect mineral metabolism or blood pressure. At baseline, systolic blood pressure was positively related to fasting calcium excretion and negatively to ionized calcium concentrations. Phosphorus concentrations (negatively) and fasting calcium excretion (positively) were correlated with diastolic pressures. Nevertheless, calcium and cholecalciferol supplementation did not influence blood pressure at any time during the study. These results suggest that whereas calcium metabolism may be related to the control of blood pressure, dietary calcium and cholecalciferol intakes do not play a major role in its regulation in normotensive individuals. Calcium and cholecalciferol supplements should not be expected to have an effect on blood pressure in normotensive populations.