From Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia.
Coral calcium is a salt
of calcium derived from fossilized
coral reefs. Living coral reefs
are endangered and cannot be
harvested without severe damage to
the ecosystem, so coral calcium is
harvested by grinding up
above-ground
limestone deposits that were
once part of a coral reef.
Chemistry
Coral calcium itself is
composed primarily of
calcium carbonate (CaCO3)
with small amounts of
magnesium and other trace
minerals. Chemically, calcium
carbonate from coral sources is no
different than from other sources
of the chemical, despite the
claims of some companies selling
this product.
Biology
While the calcium component of
coral calcium is identical to any
other limestone deposit,
fossilized coral reefs may contain
trace minerals helpful to the
human body, though it's unlikely
that a well-fed individual would
be deficient in any of these
minerals.
There have been many
unsubstantiated claims made
regarding coral calcium, perhaps
the most controversial of which is
that taking coral calcium can cure
cancer by increasing "body pH."
Scientific studies have been
performed indicating that cancer
cells cannot survive at
sufficiently high
pH (or
alkalinity) levels. What the
marketers of coral calcium usually
fail to mention is that these
studies were conducted
in-vitro and not in any living
animal. The reason for this is
that the pH required to kill
cancer cells also kills healthy
human cells.
Another problem with the "body
alkalinization" idea is that the
body pH doesn't change, regardless
of how much calcium carbonate is
ingested. The human body can only
function properly within a narrow
pH range, and if alkalinizing
agents such as CaCO3
are ingested, the body promptly
excretes the alkaline components
in urine. So, people who attempt
to increase the pH of their bodies
are really only succeeding in
raising the pH of their urine. The
same applies if acidic foods are
ingested in that the urine becomes
more acidic.
Calcium itself is an essential
mineral for human life, and
coral calcium is an effective
source of it, though by no means
the only one.
