Lack of an association between calcium intake and blood pressure in postmenopausal women

The cross sectional relationship between blood pressure and current calcium intake was examined in 199 white women aged 46–66 yr with no history of hypertension. Calcium intake was assessed from 3-day food logs and from elemental calcium composition of the reported calcium supplement. No significant correlation between calcium intake and blood pressure was detected even after controlling for other known risk factors for hypertension. In logistic regression analysis, the relative risk of having a systolic blood pressure ≥ 130 mmHg, or a diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mmHg according to calcium intake, was not significantly different from 1.0. These data suggest that dietary manipulation of calcium intake may not be beneficial in the prevention or treatment of hypertension in older women.