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Calcification of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells and Imaging of Aortic Calcification and Inflammation
Published on: May 31, 2016
Associations of Dietary Calcium and Phosphorus With Vascular and Valvular Calcification: The ARIC Study
Yume Nohara-Shitama1, Yejin Mok1, Shoshana H Ballew1,2
1Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Insights
High dietary calcium and phosphorus intake in middle age did not increase vascular or valvular calcification later in life. This study found no link between calcium or phosphorus-rich diets and calcification in individuals over 75.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Health
- Nutritional Epidemiology
- Vascular Biology
Background:
- Inconsistent epidemiological data links high dietary calcium and phosphorus to accelerated vascular calcification.
- Previous studies often assessed diet at a single time point, lacking systematic evaluation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between middle-aged dietary calcium and phosphorus intake and coronary artery and extra-coronary calcification in older age.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of 1,914 participants from the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities (ARIC) study (mean age 80.5 years).
- Dietary intake assessed via food frequency questionnaires at earlier visits (1987-1995) and averaged.
- Calcification quantified using Agatston scores from chest CT scans (2018-2019).
Main Results:
- Dietary calcium intake showed an inverse association with coronary artery and ascending aorta calcification.
- The highest quartile of calcium intake was linked to reduced coronary artery calcification (OR 0.66).
- Dietary phosphorus showed similar but weaker inverse associations; no significant links found for other calcification measures.
Conclusions:
- Dietary calcium and phosphorus intake in middle age was not positively associated with vascular and valvular calcification in individuals over 75.
- Findings do not support a link between calcium or phosphorus-rich diets and increased vascular or valvular calcification.
Background:
High dietary calcium and phosphorus may accelerate vascular calcification, but epidemiological data are inconsistent. Most of those studies assessed diet at one point and have not been systematically evaluated.
Objectives:
The purpose of this study was to assess the associations of dietary calcium and phosphorus intakes in middle age with coronary artery and extra-coronary calcification at older age.
Methods:
We studied 1,914 participants from the ARIC (Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities) study (mean age 80.5 years) without coronary heart disease who underwent chest computed tomography scans at visit 7 (2018-2019) and completed a 66-item food frequency questionnaire at 2 earlier visits (visit 1 [1987-1989] and visit 3 [1993-1995]). Dietary calcium and phosphorus intakes were averaged between these 2 visits. Calcification was quantified by the Agatston score in coronary artery, ascending aorta, descending aorta, aortic valve ring, aortic valve, and mitral valve.
Results:
Dietary calcium intake was inversely associated with coronary artery and ascending aorta calcification, whereas the association was not significant for other measures of extra-coronary calcification. For example, the highest vs lowest quartile of calcium intake showed an adjusted OR of 0.66 (95% CI: 0.45-0.98) for coronary artery calcification (Agatston score ≥75th percentile). Dietary phosphorus intake demonstrated similar results, but the magnitude of the association was weaker than dietary calcium intake.
Conclusions:
Dietary calcium and phosphorus intakes at middle age were not positively associated with vascular and valvular calcification at over 75 years old. Our findings did not support the link between a calcium or phosphorus-rich diet and vascular and valvular calcification.
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