Coral calcium
Encyclopedia
Coral calcium is a salt of calcium
derived from fossil
ized coral reef
s.
(CaCO3), with small amounts of magnesium
and other trace minerals. Calcium carbonate from coral is similar to calcium carbonate from other sources, with varying amounts of trace minerals.
Much attention has been given to calcium carbonate's ability to change the pH (or alkalinity
) of water-based solutions to which it is added. With respect to pH and alkalinity, the calcium component is less important than the carbonate
component, which is chemically similar to the bicarbonate
in baking soda. Coral calcium is a source of calcium, which is an essential mineral
for human life. Coral has a chemical structure that is very similar to the composition of human bone and is sometimes used as material in bone grafts.
depending on the grade. The final product is either bagged as powder, or mixed with silicon dioxide
(an anti-caking agent), rice flour, and magnesium stearate
which acts as a lubricant, then encapsulated and bottled for retail sale.
treatment or cure for a number of health conditions, including cancer. There is no medical evidence to support these 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 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.
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.
Calcium
Calcium is the chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. It has an atomic mass of 40.078 amu. Calcium is a soft gray alkaline earth metal, and is the fifth-most-abundant element by mass in the Earth's crust...
derived from fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
ized coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
s.
Chemistry
Coral calcium is composed primarily of calcium carbonateCalcium carbonate
Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the formula CaCO3. It is a common substance found in rocks in all parts of the world, and is the main component of shells of marine organisms, snails, coal balls, pearls, and eggshells. Calcium carbonate is the active ingredient in agricultural lime,...
(CaCO3), with small amounts of magnesium
Magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element with the symbol Mg, atomic number 12, and common oxidation number +2. It is an alkaline earth metal and the eighth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and ninth in the known universe as a whole...
and other trace minerals. Calcium carbonate from coral is similar to calcium carbonate from other sources, with varying amounts of trace minerals.
Much attention has been given to calcium carbonate's ability to change the pH (or alkalinity
Alkalinity
Alkalinity or AT measures the ability of a solution to neutralize acids to the equivalence point of carbonate or bicarbonate. The alkalinity is equal to the stoichiometric sum of the bases in solution...
) of water-based solutions to which it is added. With respect to pH and alkalinity, the calcium component is less important than the carbonate
Carbonate
In chemistry, a carbonate is a salt of carbonic acid, characterized by the presence of the carbonate ion, . The name may also mean an ester of carbonic acid, an organic compound containing the carbonate group C2....
component, which is chemically similar to the bicarbonate
Bicarbonate
In inorganic chemistry, bicarbonate is an intermediate form in the deprotonation of carbonic acid...
in baking soda. Coral calcium is a source of calcium, which is an essential mineral
Mineral
A mineral is a naturally occurring solid chemical substance formed through biogeochemical processes, having characteristic chemical composition, highly ordered atomic structure, and specific physical properties. By comparison, a rock is an aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids and does not...
for human life. Coral has a chemical structure that is very similar to the composition of human bone and is sometimes used as material in bone grafts.
Production
Coral grains are mined from fossilized coral beds on the coastline, and pumped from coral beds in shallow waters. Grains are then ground into a fine powder, and heat treated up to 1000 °F and/or ozonatedOzone
Ozone , or trioxygen, is a triatomic molecule, consisting of three oxygen atoms. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope...
depending on the grade. The final product is either bagged as powder, or mixed with silicon dioxide
Silicon dioxide
The chemical compound silicon dioxide, also known as silica , is an oxide of silicon with the chemical formula '. It has been known for its hardness since antiquity...
(an anti-caking agent), rice flour, and magnesium stearate
Magnesium stearate
Magnesium stearate, also called octadecanoic acid, magnesium salt, is a white substance which is solid at room temperature. It has the chemical formula . It is a salt containing two equivalents of stearate and one magnesium cation...
which acts as a lubricant, then encapsulated and bottled for retail sale.
Health claims
Coral calcium has been promoted as an alternativeAlternative medicine
Alternative medicine is any healing practice, "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine." It is based on historical or cultural traditions, rather than on scientific evidence....
treatment or cure for a number of health conditions, including cancer. There is no medical evidence to support these claims, and coral calcium has been identified by the United States Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
as a "Fake Cancer 'Cure' Consumers Should Avoid". The Federal Trade Commission
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act...
prosecuted several individuals 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 limestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
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
Dietary supplement
A dietary supplement, also known as food supplement or nutritional supplement, is a preparation intended to supplement the diet and provide nutrients, such as vitamins, minerals, fiber, fatty acids, or amino acids, that may be missing or may not be consumed in sufficient quantities in a person's diet...
, 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
Coral
Corals are marine animals in class Anthozoa of phylum Cnidaria typically living in compact colonies of many identical individual "polyps". The group includes the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and secrete calcium carbonate to form a hard skeleton.A coral "head" is a colony of...
takes millennia to grow, leading to environmental concerns.