High calcium levels in blood

Like anything – too much calcium can be a bad thing. High calcium levels in the blood can cause serious problems. While good for the body in the right dosage amounts, calcium can hospitalise a patient if levels get too high.

The body has a natural mechanism for protecting against calcium overdose. However, if the body consumes more than four grams of calcium a day, this ingenious system can be shot and will fail to regulate the levels.

However, this would require some extra hard work on behalf of the person taking the calcium. It would involve drinking gallons of milk and eating pots of yoghurt every day – at which point nausea would set in and the body would reject it. However, if the person is on calcium supplements, they would need to really aim at taking three or four times the normal amount every day. So unless the person is overdosing with intent to cause damage this is unlikely to happen.

High calcium levels in the blood can cause serious damage to the kidneys and the deposit of calcium in other areas of the body besides the bones.

Men and women who are already at risk for developing kidney stones should take caution about taking supplements. They can contribute to stone formation. Any person taking supplements may get constipation and acid stomach. Keeping total intake to 1500 mg/day virtually eliminates this problem.

Calcium supplements can be involved in drug interactions with medications. If you are on any type of medication – but particularly those for the heart – it is advised that you speak to your doctor before taking calcium supplements.