Nutritional and endocrine modulation of intracellular calcium: implications in obesity, insulin resistance and hypertension

Mechanisms of calcium intake in lowering serum cholesterol levels

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), a group of disorders of the heart and blood vessels, are the leading cause of death globally. An estimated 17.1 million people die of CVDs each year, more than 40% of whom die from coronary heart disease (CHD). Hypercholesterolemia is a major risk factor for increasing CHD morbidity and mortality, and serum cholesterol level is a key predictor of CHD development. A number of studies have demonstrated that calcium supplement can lower serum cholesterol levels, which means that calcium might play an important role in preventing the development of CVDs, especially CHD. In this paper, the mechanisms of calcium intake in lowering serum cholesterol levels are summarized, including increasing the excretion of bile acids, interfering with cholesterol absorption, inhibiting the absorption of saturated fatty acids, promoting energy metabolism, regulating plasma 1,25(OH)₂D levels, affecting blood insulin sensibility and controlling appetite.