近年研究发现绝经女性补钙显著增加心肌梗死等心血管疾病（CVD）的发病风险，并引起公共卫生领域的极大关注，然而其诱发原因及分子机制尚不明确。我们在人群研究中发现补钙可显著增加绝经女性颈动脉中膜厚度以及心肌梗死的发病风险。动脉粥样硬化（AS）斑块的破裂及脱落是导致心肌梗死的主要原因，而颈动脉中膜厚度的增加又是AS发生的指示性标志，因此，我们推测雌激素缺乏状态下补钙可能通过促进AS斑块的形成，进而增加CVD发生的风险。考虑到绝经女性补钙的广泛性和高频性，其可能导致的任何风险都关系着我国公共健康，应被重视并有必要进行深入研究。本项目拟通过卵巢去除术模拟女性绝经状态，阐述雌激素缺乏状态下补钙与AS斑块形成的关系及其作用机制，明确雌激素如何发挥保护作用，并对安全的补钙剂量以及钙剂种类进行深入研究，为指导绝经女性科学补钙、降低补钙引起的CVD风险提供科学依据，为膳食干预或临床防治绝经女性AS提供新靶点。

It has recently been recognized that calcium supplementation is associated with an increased incidence of myocardial infarction and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in post-menopausal women, which has absorbed great attention from public health area. However, limited study has addressed the reason and potential mechanisms of the detrimental effects of calcium supplementation on the heart. Our previous cross sectional survey revealed that calcium supplementation significantly increased the risk of myocardial infarction in post-menopausal women. Besides, data from our previous randomized controlled trial showed that calcium supplementation coupled with estrogen deficiency significantly increased carotid intima-media thickness. Myocardial infarction is most clinically occurred as a result of the erosion or rupture of atherosclerotic plaque. Additionally, increased carotid intima-media thickness has been well-regarded as a risk factor of atherosclerosis. We, therefore, proposed that calcium supplementation increases the risk of CVD by accelerating atherosclerotic plaque formation in estrogen deficiency. Given its wide and frequent use of calcium supplements, any adverse effects derived from calcium supplementation have important clinical and public health implications. This study was designed to investigate the effects and potential mechanisms of calcium supplementation on the pathological process of atherosclerosis in estrogen deficiency, which was induced by ovariectomy to mimic estrogen deficiency in post-menopausal women. Moreover, this study also aimed at identifying the protective role of estrogen by which preventing against the adverse effects of calcium, and clarifying the safe dose and type of calcium replenisher. This project will provide scientific evidence for directing calcium supplementation and lowering CVD risk in post-menopausal women, and also provide new targets for the clinical and diet prevention and cure of AS in post-menopausal women.