Here’s something that confuses many people: some people who take calcium supplements every day have bad bone health than people who don’t take supplements at all. This seems impossible, but there’s a scientific explanation.

The False Security Problem When people take calcium pills, they often think they’re completely protecting their bones. This false sense of security leads them to ignore other important aspects of bone health, like exercise, vitamin D, and eating calcium-rich foods.

The Calcium Traffic Jam Sometimes, when you take large doses of calcium all at once, it creates a “traffic jam” in your digestive system. Your body can only process so much calcium at one time, so the excess gets wasted. Meanwhile, this calcium traffic jam can block the absorption of other important bone nutrients.

The Calcium Paradox Some studies have found that people taking high doses of calcium supplements have more heart problems and kidney stones. This happens when calcium isn’t properly directed to the bones and instead gets deposited in soft tissues where it doesn’t belong.

This is why many doctors are now questioning whether traditional calcium supplements are the best approach for everyone.