An evaluation of the effects of dietary calcium and fibre supplementation on blood lipids and blood pressure in elderly individuals. Dietary supplementation with calcium and fibre can reduce blood cholesterol in hypercholesterolaemic patients. Although these effects are well-documented, it remains unclear whether such supplements will also affect total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in those with normal blood lipid concentrations. In addition, the effects of dietary fibre and calcium on blood pressure is of interest in an elderly population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with calcium and dietary fibre on blood lipids and blood pressure in elderly subjects. Fifty elderly subjects (46 women and 4 men) who were on a routine diet were assigned to one of two experimental groups which were given a supplement of 1500 mg/day of calcium as calcium carbonate (n=28) or 15 g/day of dietary fibre as psyllium powder (n=22) for a six-month period. A group of 20 subjects, matched for age, sex, race and lifestyle factors, were kept on their regular diet. All subjects were given a 2-month washout period, and then placed on the alternative treatment. In the calcium group total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol fell significantly during the treatment period (P<0.05) with no change in triglyceride levels. HDL cholesterol was not significantly affected by calcium supplementation. In the fibre group there was no significant change in total cholesterol or triglyceride levels, while HDL cholesterol increased significantly (P<0.05). Calcium supplementation resulted in a significant reduction in blood pressure (P<0.05), while the consumption of fibre had no significant effect. Thus, calcium supplementation reduced total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels, while fibre supplementation had no significant effect. However, the consumption of dietary fibre resulted in an increase in HDL cholesterol, while no change was observed with calcium supplementation. Neither dietary fibre nor calcium supplementation had a significant effect on blood pressure. Thus, a regular diet supplemented with calcium may be a useful way of reducing blood cholesterol and blood pressure in elderly individuals, and may be an alternative to traditional treatment with drug therapy.