| Revision as of 19:26, 16 November 2006 edit209.158.113.3 (talk)No edit summary← Previous edit | Latest revision as of 14:22, 2 November 2024 edit undoVeg Historian (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users53,977 edits →References: add template | ||
| (362 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| {{Short description|Salt of calcium derived from fossilized coral reefs}} | |||
| '''Coral Calcium''' is a ] of ] derived from ]ized ]s. Because living coral reefs are endangered and cannot be harvested without significant damage to the ecosystem, coral calcium is harvested by grinding up above-ground ] deposits that were once part of a coral reef. | |||
| {{cs1 config|name-list-style=vanc}} | |||
| '''Coral calcium''' is a ] of ] derived from ]ized ]s (primarily from limestone and coastal deposits). It has been promoted as an alternative, but unsubstantiated, treatment or cure for a number of health conditions. | |||
| == Calcium supplement == <!-- Copied text from ], see that page's history for attribution under the CC BY-SA 4.0 License and the GFDL.--> | |||
| == Chemistry == | |||
| Coral calcium is a salt of calcium derived from fossilized coral reefs. Coral calcium is composed of calcium carbonate and trace minerals. Claims for health benefits unique to coral calcium have been discredited. Coral calcium, marketed as a cure for various diseases and linked to Okinawan longevity, is merely calcium carbonate and can be considered a ],<ref name="pmid17507729"/> and it supposed superiority to regular calcium carbonate has not been proven. The ] (OCS) in 2003 clarified that Okinawan longevity is due to a healthy lifestyle, not coral calcium. The OCS did not endorse coral calcium due to its cost, lack of scientific evidence supporting health claims, and environmental concerns about coral reefs. In 2004, the US Federal Trade Commission prohibited the marketers from making unsupported health claims about coral calcium.<ref name="pmid17507729">{{cite journal |vauthors=Straub DA |title=Calcium supplementation in clinical practice: a review of forms, doses, and indications |journal=Nutr Clin Pract |volume=22 |issue=3 |pages=286–96 |date=June 2007 |pmid=17507729 |doi=10.1177/0115426507022003286 |url=}}</ref> | |||
| Coral calcium itself is composed primarily of ] (CaCO<sub>3</sub>) with small amounts of ] and other ]s. Chemically, calcium carbonate from coral is no different from calcium carbonate from other sources, despite the claims of some companies selling this product. The only possible difference between coral calcium carbonate and other calcium carbonate would be its radio-carbon fraction. There is evidence that in some cases, molecules that contain radioactive atoms can deviate in chemical behavior from those that do not. | |||
| ⚫ | == Health claims == | ||
| Much attention has been given to calcium carbonate's ability to change the pH (or ]) of water-based solutions to which it is added. With respect to pH and alkalinity, the calcium component is less important than the ] component, which is chemically similar to the ] in ]. When dissolved in solution, calcium carbonate dissociates into calcium ] (positive ]s) and carbonate ] (negative ions). Once in solution, carbonate ions will increase the pH (and alkalinity) of solutions to which they are added. pH can be tested using a ]. | |||
| Coral calcium has been promoted as an ] treatment or cure for a number of health conditions, often as part of an ], by Robert Barefoot and others; Barefoot coauthored a book called ''The Calcium Factor,'' and marketed coral calcium supplements with infomercials.<ref name="jaroff">{{cite magazine|last1=Jaroff|first1=Leon|title=Coral Calcium: A Barefoot Scam|url=http://www.time.com/time/columnist/jaroff/article/0,9565,433084,00.html|magazine=Time|date=14 March 2003 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030605152023/http://www.time.com/time/columnist/jaroff/article/0,9565,433084,00.html|archive-date=5 June 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Barrett|first1=Stephen|title=A Critical Look at Robert Barefoot and Coral Calcium|url=https://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/DSH/coral.html|publisher=Quakcwatch|date=13 September 2012|access-date=8 March 2018|archive-date=12 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180312033540/https://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/DSH/coral.html|url-status=live}}</ref> According to a '']'' magazine article about Barefoot by Leon Jaroff, "The monthly cost of the recommended dose of Barefoot's calcium tablets is some 15 times greater than that of the ordinary drug store variety." Jaroff called Barefoot's marketing of coral calcium "one of the more successful scams of our age" and "sheer nonsense," and labeled him a "huckster".<ref name="jaroff"/> | |||
| There is no medical evidence to support these ], and coral calcium has been identified by the United States ] as a "Fake Cancer 'Cure' Consumers Should Avoid".<ref name=FDA2>{{cite web|title=187 Fake Cancer "Cures" Consumers Should Avoid|url=https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/EnforcementActivitiesbyFDA/ucm171057.htm|publisher=FDA|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171115170816/https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/EnforcementActivitiesbyFDA/ucm171057.htm|archive-date=15 November 2017|date=25 April 2017}}</ref> The ] prosecuted several individuals, including Barefoot, for making unsupported health claims about coral calcium,<ref name=FTC>{{cite web | url = http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/06/trudeau.shtm | publisher = ] | date = 2003-06-10 | access-date = 2009-01-15 | title = FTC Charges Marketers of Coral Calcium Supreme Dietary Supplement and a Pain-Relief Product With Making False and Unsubstantiated Claims | archive-date = 2009-01-18 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090118173745/http://ftc.gov/opa/2003/06/trudeau.shtm | url-status = live }}</ref> and the ] has issued a consumer advisory regarding false and misleading marketing claims associated with coral calcium supplements.<ref name=NCCAM>{{cite web|url=http://nccih.nih.gov/news/alerts/coral/coral.htm|title=Consumer Advisory: Coral Calcium|publisher=]|date=November 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041018060615/http://nccam.nih.gov/health/alerts/coral/coral.htm|archive-date=18 October 2004}}</ref> | |||
| ⚫ | == |
||
| There have been many unsubstantiated claims made regarding coral calcium, perhaps the most controversial of which is that taking coral calcium can cure ] by increasing "body pH." Scientific studies have been performed indicating that cancer cells cannot survive at sufficiently high ] levels. What the marketers of coral calcium usually fail to mention is that these studies were conducted ] and not on living tissue. The reason for this is that the pH level required to kill cancer cells also kills healthy human cells. | |||
| ==Health and environmental concerns== | |||
| 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 CaCO<sub>3</sub> 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. Additionally, it can be dangerous for people with certain medical conditions (such as ]) to take excess coral calcium. | |||
| Living coral reefs are endangered and cannot be harvested without significant damage to the ecosystem, and because of this, coral calcium is harvested by grinding up above-ground ] deposits that were once part of a coral reef. Calcium from coral sources needs to be refined to remove pollutants of the source environment. It is marketed as a ], but its benefits over other calcium supplements are unproven and biologically unlikely, <ref name=NCCAM/> and several marketers have been found guilty of fraud and were ordered to pay $20.4 million and to refrain from making unsubstantiated claims in the future.<ref name=FTC/> Additionally, coral near ] has absorbed relatively high amounts of lead and mercury, leading to concern that these unregulated supplements may be contaminated.<ref name=JADA>{{cite journal |author=Blumberg S |title=Is coral calcium a safe and effective supplement? |journal=J Am Diet Assoc |volume=104 |issue=9 |pages=1335–6 |date=September 2004 |pmid=15354144 |doi=10.1016/j.jada.2004.07.022 }}</ref> Further, ] takes millennia to grow, leading to environmental concerns if harvesting of live coral becomes widespread.<ref name=JADA/> | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| Calcium itself is an essential ] for human life, and coral calcium is an effective source of it, though by no means the only one. 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-nourished individual would be deficient in any of these minerals. | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] | |||
| == |
==References== | ||
| {{Reflist|30em}} | |||
| * | |||
| * - FTC news release, Jan 22, 2004 | |||
| {{Unproven and disproven cancer treatments}} | |||
| * - Gabe Mirkin, M.D. | |||
| * - Leon Jaroff, ''Time'' magazine article | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
Latest revision as of 14:22, 2 November 2024
Salt of calcium derived from fossilized coral reefsCoral calcium is a salt of calcium derived from fossilized coral reefs (primarily from limestone and coastal deposits). It has been promoted as an alternative, but unsubstantiated, treatment or cure for a number of health conditions.
Calcium supplement
Coral calcium is a salt of calcium derived from fossilized coral reefs. Coral calcium is composed of calcium carbonate and trace minerals. Claims for health benefits unique to coral calcium have been discredited. Coral calcium, marketed as a cure for various diseases and linked to Okinawan longevity, is merely calcium carbonate and can be considered a calcium supplement, and it supposed superiority to regular calcium carbonate has not been proven. The Okinawa Centenarian Study (OCS) in 2003 clarified that Okinawan longevity is due to a healthy lifestyle, not coral calcium. The OCS did not endorse coral calcium due to its cost, lack of scientific evidence supporting health claims, and environmental concerns about coral reefs. In 2004, the US Federal Trade Commission prohibited the marketers from making unsupported health claims about coral calcium.
Health claims
Coral calcium has been promoted as an alternative treatment or cure for a number of health conditions, often as part of an alkaline diet, by Robert Barefoot and others; Barefoot coauthored a book called The Calcium Factor, and marketed coral calcium supplements with infomercials. According to a Time magazine article about Barefoot by Leon Jaroff, "The monthly cost of the recommended dose of Barefoot's calcium tablets is some 15 times greater than that of the ordinary drug store variety." Jaroff called Barefoot's marketing of coral calcium "one of the more successful scams of our age" and "sheer nonsense," and labeled him a "huckster".
There is no medical evidence to support these health claims, and coral calcium has been identified by the United States Food and Drug Administration as a "Fake Cancer 'Cure' Consumers Should Avoid". The Federal Trade Commission prosecuted several individuals, including Barefoot, for making unsupported health claims about coral calcium, and the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine has issued a consumer advisory regarding false and misleading marketing claims associated with coral calcium supplements.
Health and environmental concerns
Living coral reefs are endangered and cannot be harvested without significant damage to the ecosystem, and because of this, coral calcium is harvested by grinding up above-ground limestone deposits that were once part of a coral reef. Calcium from coral sources needs to be refined to remove pollutants of the source environment. It is marketed as a dietary supplement, but its benefits over other calcium supplements are unproven and biologically unlikely, and several marketers have been found guilty of fraud and were ordered to pay $20.4 million and to refrain from making unsubstantiated claims in the future. Additionally, coral near Okinawa has absorbed relatively high amounts of lead and mercury, leading to concern that these unregulated supplements may be contaminated. Further, coral takes millennia to grow, leading to environmental concerns if harvesting of live coral becomes widespread.
See also
References
- ^ Straub DA (June 2007). "Calcium supplementation in clinical practice: a review of forms, doses, and indications". Nutr Clin Pract. 22 (3): 286–96. doi:10.1177/0115426507022003286. PMID 17507729.
- ^ Jaroff L (14 March 2003). "Coral Calcium: A Barefoot Scam". Time. Archived from the original on 5 June 2003.
- Barrett S (13 September 2012). "A Critical Look at Robert Barefoot and Coral Calcium". Quakcwatch. Archived from the original on 12 March 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
- "187 Fake Cancer "Cures" Consumers Should Avoid". FDA. 25 April 2017. Archived from the original on 15 November 2017.
- ^ "FTC Charges Marketers of Coral Calcium Supreme Dietary Supplement and a Pain-Relief Product With Making False and Unsubstantiated Claims". Federal Trade Commission. 2003-06-10. Archived from the original on 2009-01-18. Retrieved 2009-01-15.
- ^ "Consumer Advisory: Coral Calcium". National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. November 2004. Archived from the original on 18 October 2004.
- ^ Blumberg S (September 2004). "Is coral calcium a safe and effective supplement?". J Am Diet Assoc. 104 (9): 1335–6. doi:10.1016/j.jada.2004.07.022. PMID 15354144.
