Beware of Coral Calcium

Auburn, June 26, 2003 -- There are all sorts of healthy ways to include calcium in your diet, but taking coral-calcium supplements isn’t one of them, according to one expert.

Some manufacturers of coral-calcium supplements claim these products, which are allegedly made from coral derived from ocean waters bordering the Orient, possess special, even remarkable, qualities. Taking them, they say, will help you lose weight, reduce blood pressure and, among other things, even cure colon cancer.

“This is presented as some kind of magical substance, when it actually isn’t,” said Dr. Robert Keith, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System nutritionist and Auburn University professor of nutrition and foods. “What you’re getting is a form of calcium carbonate, which is the same thing you get from a lot of calcium products, such as common anti-acid tablets”

Like many of the false claims associated with dietary supplements, the hype surrounding coral calcium is partly grounded in truth.

“We know, for example, that calcium -- no matter where you get it -- is associated with certain good things,” Keith said. “We know that it promotes healthy bones and aids in the prevention of osteoporosis, a crippling bone disease that occurs mostly among women late in life.”

It is also true that calcium can help reduce blood pressure levels among calcium-sensitive people, a relatively small segment of the population, Keith said. Some studies also have shown calcium may play a role in preventing colon cancer, he added.

Still, as Keith stressed, what we know about calcium and its benefits bears little resemblance to the claims of many coral-calcium manufacturers.

“People are looking at it as a way to lose weight, lower blood pressure or cure cancer,” Keith said.

“Granted, you need calcium. It serves important functions within the body. If may help reduce blood pressure among some people. It may even be involved in the prevention of colon cancer. But in the vast majority of cases, it’s not going to make an obese person thin, a hypertensive person develop low normal blood pressure. And it’s definitely not going to cure colon cancer.”

“What these supplement manufacturers are doing is taking the positive effects associated with calcium and stretching them to make outlandish claims,” he added.

And besides, Keith said, no matter how you manufacture or package it, calcium is still calcium. Just because it may have been mined deep below the sea near the islands of Japan doesn’t make it any more exotic or effective than the calcium commonly found in the 50-cent anti-acids bought over supermarket counters.

Even the magnesium commonly found in coral calcium products can be easily derived from other products, such as one-a-day vitamin/mineral supplements.

If that isn’t reason enough to avoid these products, there is one other problem associated with taking coral-calcium supplements – one that may even carry grave health risks, Keith said. That’s because in addition to calcium, many of these products may contain lead, mercury and other potentially harmful substances.

“Coral calcium, after all, is derived from organisms at the bottom of the ocean that collect a lot of chemicals,” Keith said. “Yes, you get calcium, but you may also be getting lots of other substances, including unacceptable levels of lead.”

As it turns out, the gig may soon be up for some coral-calcium supplement manufacturers.

Recently, the Federal Trade Commission has been monitoring Web sites making these false claims and has not liked what it has seen. In fact, WebMD reported recently that one supplement manufacturer, Coral Calcium Supreme, already has been charged with making false claims about the benefits of coral calcium.

(Source: Dr. Robert Keith, Alabama Cooperative Extension System Nutritionist and Auburn University Professor of Nutrition and Foods, 334-844-3273.)

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