Calcium is an essential mineral, meaning it must come from dietary sources because the body cannot manufacture it. Coral calcium is a calcium salt harvested from beds of fossilized coral reef. In addition to calcium carbonate, coral calcium also contains trace minerals such as magnesium. Some dietary supplement manufacturers promote coral calcium as a natural treatment for various conditions, including cancer. However, there is no evidence to support these claims.
Calcium Basics
According to the “Physicians’ Desk Reference for Herbal Medicines,” the average adult is composed of roughly 2 percent calcium, of which 99 percent is stored in teeth and bone. Some of this mineral is depleted through your skin, hair, nails and kidneys every day, says the National Osteoporosis Foundation in Washington, D.C. Food is the most complete source of calcium, especially dairy and dark, leafy greens. Most people do not need to take a calcium supplement if they eat a balanced diet.
Effects in the Body
Calcium is used by the body as food for osteoblasts, specialized cells that reside in bone marrow that are responsible for making new bone. Calcium is also involved in various enzymatic process, nerve transmission, kidney function, blood coagulation and in smooth muscle tissue that regulates muscle contraction, including those affecting the heart and lungs. Because calcium has so many functions, there is a popular view that more of this mineral can naturally prevent or treat disease.
False Health Claims
Some natural health advocates tout coral calcium as an alternative treatment for cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, multiple sclerosis and lupus. However, the United States Food and Drug Administration has placed this supplement on its “Fake Cancer 'Cure' Consumers Should Avoid” list, and the United States Federal Trade Commission successfully challenged two major promoters of coral calcium in a federal court. In response, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine issued a consumer advisory in 2004 stating that there is no scientific evidence that coral calcium is effective against any of these conditions.
Environmental Impact and Human Health
There is evidence that harvesting coral calcium adversely affects the environments from which this substance is harvested, such as the Okinawan coral reef. According to a report presented at the International Coral Reef Symposium in Okinawa in 2004, coral mining is a contributing factor in the deterioration of the global coral reef ecosystem. The "Status of Coral Reef Ecosystems of the World" annual report for 2008 states that 19 percent of the world’s coral reefs are gone and another 15 percent are at serious risk for loss within 10 to 20 years.
Safety in Humans
The National Osteoporosis Foundation warns that calcium supplements made from the exoskeletons of marine animals – the “building blocks” of coral reef – may contain unsafe levels of heavy metals, including lead.
References
- “Physicians’ Desk Reference for Herbal Medicines”; Thomas Brendler, et al.; 2007
- National Osteoporosis Foundation: Calcium: What You Should Know
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Fake Cancer 'Cure' Consumers Should Avoid
- U.S. Federal Trade Commission Press Release; FTC Charges Marketers of Coral Calcium Supreme Dietary Supplement and a Pain-Relief Product With Making False and Unsubstantiated Claims; June 2003
- U.S. Federal Trade Commission Press Release; Marketers of Coral Calcium Product Are Prohibited from Making Disease Treatment and Cure Claims in Advertising; January 2004
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Consumer Advisory: Coral Calcium
- ReefCheck.org: A Decade of Reef Check Monitoring: Indonesian Coral Reefs, Condition and Trends
- U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: Status of Corals
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