The role of dietary calcium and magnesium in the development of hypertension was studied in nine groups, each consisting of nine spontaneously hypertensive rats aged 8–31 weeks. The animals were fed AIN 76A semi–purified diets varying in calcium (0.075, 0.5 and 2.5%) and magnesium (0.01, 0.05 and 0.75%) concentrations according to a 3 × 3 factorial design. Dietary calcium and systolic blood pressure were inversely related, significantly (P< 0.05) after 12 weeks. Total and ultrafilterable serum calcium concentrations were also significantly negatively correlated with blood pressure (r = –0.46;P= 0.001 and r = –0.57;P= 0.001, respectively). Repeated measures analysis of variance indicated that dietary magnesium had no effect on systolic blood pressure, and no calcium × magnesium interaction on blood pressure was observed. Signs of magnesium deficiency, calcium deposits in the kidneys, and histological lesions were observed in groups on a high–calcium diet receiving normal and low levels of magnesium. Thus a lowering of blood pressure by calcium supplementation, without concomitant magnesium supplementation, was accompanied by biochemical and histological abnormalities in this animal model.