Full Version: confused about coral calcium
I have ben trying to look for a coral calcium supplement for a little while now, but am just getting confused and am wondering if I should even take one? The website I have bene looking at just reviews coral calcium products and tries to give you the right idea of where to go but I just get lost. Does anybody know about coral calcium products and have any suggestions at all?
Hi Pallen,
I think you have every right to be wary of coral calcium, and indeed salesmen/women in general, they are trying to look after their own interests more than your health as a rule. I don't know anything about coral calcium being superior so I did some checks and found this.This article was written by Cathy Wong and it claims it was reviewed by their medical board.
What is Coral Calcium?
Coral calcium is heavily promoted as a superior form of calcium. It is a form of calcium derived from coral reefs.
Corals themselves are tiny animals related to jellyfish and sea anemones. Coral forms a hard protective skeleton of calcium carbonate. When coral dies, new generations of coral grow on top of the calcium carbonate remains, eventually forming a coral reef.
Coral Calcium is not a Cure-All
One of the most aggressive promoters of coral calcium is Robert R. Barefoot, author of the book The Calcium Factor and owner of a company selling a coral calcium supplement called Coral Calcium Supreme Plus.
Barefoot and his company marketed coral calcium as a cure for diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, lupus, heart disease, and high blood pressure. His main premise was that excess acidity makes the body susceptible to disease and that coral calcium made the body more alkaline.
Another claim was that calcium deficiency was the cause of the diseases and that coral calcium was the cure.
In 2003, the Federal Trade Commision initiated legal action against Barefoot and his company. Kevin Trudeau, author of the book Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About, was also reported to violate the FTC Act by claiming that coral calcium could cure disease as the host of Barefoot's infomercials.
In January 2004, a federal court ruled in favor of the FTC against Barefoot and his company, prohibiting them from making unsubstantiated claims about their coral calcium product or any other product. The FTC also sent warning letters to websites making similar claims about coral calcium.
Barefoot still sells his coral calcium product, minus the claims that it can cure.
Apparently coral calcium contains traces of manganese, as well as mercury, uranium and cadmium and it may contain lead so I would be wary of using this form of calcium. Claims have been made by "salesmen" that the longevity attributed to the Okinawans could have been achieved by drinking water containing coral calcium but this was debunked by the researchers that did the "Okinawan Study"( Dr's Bradley and Craig Willcox and Makoto Suzuki). Okinawa Japan put out a position statement on coral calcium so read it for yourself.
http://www.okinawaprogram.com/coral_calciu...al-calcium.html
In view of the fact that coral calcium is more expensive and has been discredited I would look else where.
I think you have every right to be wary of coral calcium, and indeed salesmen/women in general, they are trying to look after their own interests more than your health as a rule. I don't know anything about coral calcium being superior so I did some checks and found this.This article was written by Cathy Wong and it claims it was reviewed by their medical board.
What is Coral Calcium?
Coral calcium is heavily promoted as a superior form of calcium. It is a form of calcium derived from coral reefs.
Corals themselves are tiny animals related to jellyfish and sea anemones. Coral forms a hard protective skeleton of calcium carbonate. When coral dies, new generations of coral grow on top of the calcium carbonate remains, eventually forming a coral reef.
Coral Calcium is not a Cure-All
One of the most aggressive promoters of coral calcium is Robert R. Barefoot, author of the book The Calcium Factor and owner of a company selling a coral calcium supplement called Coral Calcium Supreme Plus.
Barefoot and his company marketed coral calcium as a cure for diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, lupus, heart disease, and high blood pressure. His main premise was that excess acidity makes the body susceptible to disease and that coral calcium made the body more alkaline.
Another claim was that calcium deficiency was the cause of the diseases and that coral calcium was the cure.
In 2003, the Federal Trade Commision initiated legal action against Barefoot and his company. Kevin Trudeau, author of the book Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You to Know About, was also reported to violate the FTC Act by claiming that coral calcium could cure disease as the host of Barefoot's infomercials.
In January 2004, a federal court ruled in favor of the FTC against Barefoot and his company, prohibiting them from making unsubstantiated claims about their coral calcium product or any other product. The FTC also sent warning letters to websites making similar claims about coral calcium.
Barefoot still sells his coral calcium product, minus the claims that it can cure.
Apparently coral calcium contains traces of manganese, as well as mercury, uranium and cadmium and it may contain lead so I would be wary of using this form of calcium. Claims have been made by "salesmen" that the longevity attributed to the Okinawans could have been achieved by drinking water containing coral calcium but this was debunked by the researchers that did the "Okinawan Study"( Dr's Bradley and Craig Willcox and Makoto Suzuki). Okinawa Japan put out a position statement on coral calcium so read it for yourself.
http://www.okinawaprogram.com/coral_calciu...al-calcium.html
In view of the fact that coral calcium is more expensive and has been discredited I would look else where.
Deleted
Hi Pallen68,
No disrespect mate but this looks horribly familiar.
Cheers
No disrespect mate but this looks horribly familiar.
Cheers
Taken from: http://www.supplementinfo.org
"Recently, coral calcium has been claimed to be a vastly superior form of calcium, even though its calcium content is primarily calcium carbonate. One small, controlled human study reported that coral calcium was better absorbed than ordinary calcium carbonate.
However, the method used in this study to measure calcium absorption has been criticized as much less sensitive than other methods. No research has compared coral calcium to calcium citrate or to CCM. There is little evidence at this time that coral calcium is superior to other forms of calcium.
Whatever the form, calcium supplements typically are absorbed better when eaten with meals. Moreover, research indicates that taking calcium with meals may reduce the risk of kidney stones and supplementing with calcium between meals might actually increase the risk."
This web site, hopefully is organized better than the ones you've been using with regard to not getting lost in the maze of supplement and vitamin information. It is run by a not-for-profit organization (Dietary Supplement Information Bureau) whose goal is to educate--not sell products.
Leslie K
"Recently, coral calcium has been claimed to be a vastly superior form of calcium, even though its calcium content is primarily calcium carbonate. One small, controlled human study reported that coral calcium was better absorbed than ordinary calcium carbonate.
However, the method used in this study to measure calcium absorption has been criticized as much less sensitive than other methods. No research has compared coral calcium to calcium citrate or to CCM. There is little evidence at this time that coral calcium is superior to other forms of calcium.
Whatever the form, calcium supplements typically are absorbed better when eaten with meals. Moreover, research indicates that taking calcium with meals may reduce the risk of kidney stones and supplementing with calcium between meals might actually increase the risk."
This web site, hopefully is organized better than the ones you've been using with regard to not getting lost in the maze of supplement and vitamin information. It is run by a not-for-profit organization (Dietary Supplement Information Bureau) whose goal is to educate--not sell products.
Leslie K
Hi 2nomadic4me (Leslie K),
Welcome to HealthCastle Forum and it is good to see some-one interested in science rather than just wanting to "flog" a product.
Have you looked at the 25 year study on the Okinawans, Okinawa is a corral island with lots of calcium in the water, yet their intake of calcium is only 500 mgs per day, Finland ingests the most calcium at 1300 mgs per day and America and Scandinavia run second with 800 mgs per day. The Okinawans live longer and have a much better health profile (this study was published in 2001)
http://www.okinawaprogram.com/coral_calciu...al-calcium.html
http://www.okicent.org/study.html
Cheers
Welcome to HealthCastle Forum and it is good to see some-one interested in science rather than just wanting to "flog" a product.
Have you looked at the 25 year study on the Okinawans, Okinawa is a corral island with lots of calcium in the water, yet their intake of calcium is only 500 mgs per day, Finland ingests the most calcium at 1300 mgs per day and America and Scandinavia run second with 800 mgs per day. The Okinawans live longer and have a much better health profile (this study was published in 2001)
http://www.okinawaprogram.com/coral_calciu...al-calcium.html
http://www.okicent.org/study.html
Cheers
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