Coral Calcium - Science or Hype?
by Dr. Alan Tomlinson

 Coral Calcium
by Dr. Alan Tomlinson

There has been a lot of talk lately about Coral Calcium. Time Magazine said, “It may be one of the more successful scams of our age.” Between the Late Night Infomercials and the Government actions there is a need to separate fact from fiction.

The late night marketing blitz used to sell millions of dollars worth of coral supplements makes the health benefits seem very promising. A closer review, unfortunately, reveals that the claims made have little if any basis in fact, and the science referred to has either been made up, or is grossly misquoted.

Coral reefs are formed when soft coral polyps excrete, or deposit calcium carbonate to produce a hard protective shell around the living polyp. Thousands, even millions of these polyps and their protective skeletons make up a coral reef. It is this rock hard substance that is being peddled on television.

Let’s take a look at some of the claims, and the facts…

Coral Calcium is much better than Calcium Carbonate or Limestone – 
The problem with this claim is that Coral Calcium IS Calcium Carbonate and limestone deposits are simply ancient Coral reefs buried thousands of years ago. Companies dig it up and make concrete, cinder blocks and Supplements from it. Webster’s Dictionary defines Limestone as “a rock that is formed chiefly by accumulation of shells or coral.”

People on Okinawa have been putting Coral sand in their food for hundreds of years –
This one is truly comical. In an effort to make swallowing chunks of coral seem healthy they have recently added this statement to their marketing hype. NO ONE in their right mind eats sand for their health! The people on Okinawa do grow their crops in Calcium rich soils however, and they eat a lot of mineral rich sea vegetables that grow above the coral around the islands. These plants provide a real food form of minerals that the body can utilize effectively. They don’t get their nutrients from crushed coral, they get it from healthy living plants containing a complex matrix of real food nutrients!

People on Okinawa consume 10,000mg. of Calcium per day, and never get sick – 
According to The Okinawa Centenarian Study, a major international research project “The average calcium intake in Okinawa is only about 500 mg a day (1998 Okinawa Prefecture Health and Nutrition Survey). This is a far cry from claims of "100,000 mg of calcium a day." In addition, this study also chronicles the incidence of Cancer, Heart Disease and Stroke in Okinawa (although the figures are lower than Americans, those living on Okinawa do get sick.)

Coral Calcium is 100% absorbable in 20 minutes –
There is no scientific basis for this claim. For calcium to be absorbed in 20 minutes would mean that it's being absorbed in the stomach. Calcium is absorbed in the small intestine. In addition, this calcium, without the proper protein chauffeurs, cannot be used properly by the cells and may end up deposited in tissues throughout the body. The consequences of this unhealthy practice could be disastrous!

The Journal of the American Medical Association said Calcium reverses cancer – 
The AMA has NEVER said that Calcium cures, stops or reverses cancer. A study published in 1998 showed a reduction in cell proliferation (growing or increasing in numbers rapidly.) Statements like this go way beyond simply stretching the truth, they are dangerous and negligent.

Finally the Government Steps In…

On June 9^th, 2003, the Federal Trade Commission filed suit against the makers of these infomercials for “their deceptive acts or practices and false advertisements in connection with the advertising, promotion, and sale of purported “coral calcium” supplements.” In the court document many of these claims are specifically mentioned, and the FTC charges that, “these and other claims go far beyond existing scientific evidence.”

Does it make sense that your body is supposed to get its nutrition from ground-up Japanese coral?  Of course not, and the word from respected Doctors and Scientists from around the world is “stay away from Coral Calcium.”

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