Calcium is often thought of as the mineral that protects your bones, but it does so much more, according to a 2019 review in Nutrients. When you don’t get enough calcium, your parathyroid gland releases a hormone that conserves the calcium in your body but constricts your blood vessels. A low-calcium diet also releases calcitriol, which also affects your blood pressure function.
A 2019 review in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at multiple studies concerned with calcium intake and the risk of hypertension. Among almost 250,000 people, those who had the most calcium in their diets had an 11% lower risk of high blood pressure than those whose diets were low in calcium. The more calcium-rich foods, the better. For every 500 milligrams of calcium you have in your diet, your risk of hypertension goes down by 7%.
Low-calcium diets might also be linked to body mass index, according to a 2016 article in Public Health Nutrition. People who had elevated blood pressure and a BMI of 25 or higher tended to have significantly lower amounts of calcium in their diets. Obesity and high blood pressure are two factors that increase your risk of heart disease.