Long term human studies on the lipid effects of oral calcium

Ingestion of 2 g of supplemental dietary calcium carbonate daily over a period of one year by eight hyperlipemic men and two hyperlipemic women caused a significant 25% decrease in serum cholesterol, after these subjects had shown stable levels for the previous year, and when compared to a group without therapy. Body weights for both groups remained stable throughout the period of observation. The experimental group also showed a reversal in the cholesterol-phospholipid ratio from a preexperimental ratio of 1.04 to a ratio of 0.92. In addition there was a 113 mg per 100 ml decrease in serum triglycerides and a 48 mg per 100 ml decrease in serum phospholipids, but these were not statistically significant due to the large between individual variations and the limited sample size. Calcium carbonate should be considered as a potential agent for usage in long term studies designed to produce hypolipemia, since it appears to be effective and without significant side effects.