Calcium

Does calcium lower blood pressure?

Updated 4 Nov 2026

Short answer

Slightly. A 2022 Cochrane review of 18 trials with 3,140 people with normal blood pressure found 1.37 mmHg lower systolic and 1.45 mmHg lower diastolic pressure.[1] The effect was larger in people under 35: 1.86 and 2.50 mmHg.[1] At 1,000 to 1,500 mg a day it was 1.05 and 2.03 mmHg.[1]

None of these trials counted how many people developed high blood pressure or reported side effects.[1] The review does not cover people who already have high blood pressure.[1] One expert review adds that blood pressure was more than 5 mmHg higher than with placebo in the hours after a large calcium dose.[2]

The DASH diet, which adds calcium from low-fat dairy, lowered blood pressure by 5.5 and 3.0 mmHg. That diet also adds potassium and magnesium, so the share due to calcium is unknown.[3]

Sources (3)

  1. Calcium supplementation for prevention of primary hypertension. Cormick G, Ciapponi A, Cafferata ML, Cormick MS, Belizán JM Cochrane Database Syst Rev, 2022. PMID 35014026
  2. Calcium Supplementation- Efficacy and Safety. Reid IR Curr Osteoporos Rep, 2025. PMID 39937345
  3. Calcium: Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. NIH Office of Dietary Supplements. ods.od.nih.gov

More about calcium

What is calcium?Which foods contain calcium?Does calcium need vitamin D to work?How much calcium can the body absorb at one time?What is calcium used for?What happens if you do not get enough calcium?

For education; not medical advice. Talk to a doctor before you start, stop or change a supplement.