title: Effect of calcium supplementation on diastolic blood pressure in young people with mild hypertension.
abstract: In a double-blind trial 90 mildly hypertensive subjects aged 16-29 years were randomly assigned to 1 g calcium per day or placebo. Calcium supplementation did not affect systolic blood pressure, but at six and twelve weeks diastolic blood pressure had fallen by 3.1 (p = 0.04) and 2.4 (p = 0.11) mm Hg, respectively, more in the calcium group than it had in the placebo group. Subjects with a baseline plasma parathyroid hormone (PTH) higher than the median showed a 6.1 mm Hg (p = 0.01) greater fall in diastolic blood pressure after six weeks and 5.4 mm Hg (p = 0.01) after twelve than in the placebo group. The fall in diastolic blood pressure was greater in the calcium group than in the placebo group in subjects with a lower than median serum total calcium and in those with a large bodyweight. Calcium supplementation may lower blood pressure in young people with mildly raised blood pressure, particularly in those with high plasma PTH and/or low serum total calcium.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010281:Parathyroid Hormone / Q000097:blood; D011897:Random Allocation; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D010281:Parathyroid Hormone; D002118:Calcium