Coral Calcium Benefits - Discover The Essential Facts and Naked Truth Behind Coral Calcium Supplements!
What are the coral calcium benefits? How can you
achieve them and what are the precautions? How to choose the best
supplement? Find out the answers here.
Over the past few years,
Coral
calcium has been regarded as among the
most popular supplements. In fact, very outrageous claims have been
made with regards to this nutrient. We will make the facts clear and
separate the hype and the myth from the real truth.
Coral Calcium Benefits: The Essential Facts
To begin with, coral calcium is derived from the coral reefs that lie
beneath the ocean off the Japanese islands, particularly Okinawa. Coral
reefs are basically living organisms; but the coral calcium supplements
are made from the deceased coral.
What makes the coral very rich in calcium is that the tiny polyps feed
on mineral rich plankton. This makes them rich not only in calcium but
also many other minerals.
In order to produce the supplements, the coral are not killed. Instead,
they die of natural processes. When the coral dies, they either get
washed up towards the shore or descend down to the ocean floor.
The variety of coral calcium supplements that are produced from the
coral that lie in the ocean bottom are known as
"below sea", and are
also called as "Marine coral calcium".
On the other hand, those supplements that are produced from the coral
that is washed up on the shores are referred to as "fossilized coral
calcium" or
"above sea"
coral calcium.
Difference between "Above Sea" and "Below Sea" Coral Calcium
It is important to distinguish between above sea and below sea coral
calcium because:
All the coral that is harvested from beneath the ocean is
very
contaminated. The oceans all over the world have become
highly
contaminated, and Japan is no exception to this global phenomenon. They
contain large amounts of PCBs (pesticide residues) and industrial
pollutants.
Taking note of this scenario, even the FDA recommends not consuming
more than a certain amount of ocean fish as they contain very high
levels of toxins such as lead, mercury, etc.
Now, due to this significant contamination of coral calcium that is
harvested beneath the ocean floors, it has to be heated in extremely
high temperatures, so that majority of the toxins and heavy metals are
evaporated.
In addition to that, the harvesting of undersea coral calcium is also
very
ecologically
damaging. The large ocean dredges suck up the ocean
floor, and it also vacuums up numerous sea structures and life
indiscriminately.
Whereas, in the case of "above" sea coral calcium (which is washed
ashore) this problem of contamination does not arise as they are not
exposed to the toxins in the ocean.
In addition to that, it is also true that the above sea coral calcium
was actually washed ashore a few million years ago, and this has formed
the coral islands. So, the time that this coral actually existed in the
ocean, the waters were unpolluted and absolutely pristine.
Thus, the coral calcium that is harvested above sea does not have to go
through extremely high temperatures, but rather it is given
ozone
treatment that removes off all the bacteria present.
How Can You Achieve the Coral Calcium Benefits?
To begin with, we're sorry to state that there is lack of medical
evidence or any clinical studies that prove that coral calcium is
capable of curing more than 200 diseases (as has been claimed often),
or that it can cure cancer -- which is one of the coral calcium
benefits most often claimed
by the product sellers.
A majority of the coral calcium benefits are actually
attributed
by taking the data of the Okinawa people, who reside in Japan and then
these data are extrapolated and attributed to the consumption of coral
calcium!
To cite an example, Okinawa has around 10 times the number of people
who are
centenarians
(people of the age of 100 and above) in comparison
to the Okinawans residing in the US.
Besides that, they also have a much lesser incidence of strokes,
coronary heart disease and some types of cancer as compared to the
North American people. The Okinawa people are generally in excellent
health, as well as enjoy their mental faculties well into the ages of
80s and 90s.
However, the reality is that vibrant health and longevity are
multi-faceted
-- that is they are not the result of any single cause or
factor.
To make it more clear, a couple of studies that were conducted to test
the coral calcium benefits on the
Okinawa people, showed that they:
1) Consumed a great deal of fish, plant-based nutrients, soy and some
red meat. In fact, their average daily intake of calories is much less
than the average intake of the North American people.
2) In addition to that, they have a regular exercise regimen and it is
their life long activity.
3) They live a life style that is much less stressful in comparison to
the Western lifestyle and they consume much lesser prescription drugs.
4) They enjoy better and stronger social support well into their elder
years.
However, it would be wrong to assume that coral calcium does not play
any role in the longevity and good health of the Okinawa people. It
definitely does.
But, this is also true that you cannot expect to live well beyond the
age of 100 in excellent health just by taking a supplement daily (even
if it might be the most beneficial one).
Health Benefits of Calcium
Furthermore, it is a long accepted medical fact that calcium is vital
for many of the essential functions in our body. Some of the major ones
are:
- Healing of the body from wounds
- Promoting healthy heart functioning
- Aiding the nutrients to disperse properly across cell
membranes
- To lower the blood pressure
- Maintaining strong teeth and bones
In addition to that, calcium is also very important to
prevent
osteoporosis.
Osteoporosis is also regarded as the "silent killer" as it goes
undetected for many years, until a fall or a slip somewhere causes the
already weak bones to fracture easily.
Coral Calcium Benefits
Coral calcium is among the
most
highly absorbable forms of calcium.
Numerous studies have proven that it is much better than milk or any of
the other dairy calcium sources because its free of very high amounts
of undesirable saturated fats. This is among the prime reasons that
make coral calcium among the best health supplements.
In addition to the above, coral calcium also contains not just calcium,
but much more than that. The tiny polyps that form the coral reefs
eventually ingest a wide variety of minerals, which gives coral calcium
a totally natural content of
more
than 70 different types of minerals!
This makes it special because most vitamins and minerals work in
synergy with each other. For example, in order to be effective calcium
requires magnesium and vitamin D.
Coral Calcium: Precautions
If you are suffering from poor kidney function or any kidney diseases,
it is advisable that you avoid taking coral calcium.
Many coral calcium sellers claim that the greater quantity you consume,
the better it is. But this is untrue. In fact, anything (even water)
can be potentially dangerous if it is consumed in excessive quantity.
This also applies to coral calcium benefits, as an excessive
consumption of calcium
can cause
hypercalcemia
-- a condition which can result in:
- Disturbed neuromuscular function
- Dehydration
- Muscle weakness
- Thirst
- Constipation
- Vomiting
Our opinion is that there are no reasons why you should exceed 2 g per
day, and we consider
1
to 1.5 g as an optimal level of intake.
Tips on Choosing the Best Coral Calcium Supplement
A lot of debate goes on which type of coral calcium gives better
results -- below sea or above sea. Our opinion is that the
"above sea"
form is superior.
The reasons are as follows:
1) The below sea form of coral calcium suffers from
very high
contamination levels. Besides that, it is also subjected
to extremely
high temperatures in order to remove the impurities. Even after this
heat treatment, not all the pollutants are removed and it contains more
toxins than the above sea form of coral (even before its ozone
treatment).
2) The below sea form of coral dredging leads to a lot of
ecological
damage. We are environmentalists at heart and we do not
support such
activities that cause significant ecological damage.
3) There is a greater calcium concentration per serving in the above
sea form of coral calcium. It contains around
35% concentration of
calcium, while the below sea form contains only about 23%.
Keep in mind that coral calcium contains not just calcium, but also
comprises lots of other minerals. But, when you're looking out for
a supplement to achieve the coral calcium benefits, you should
pay special consideration to the
best yield of calcium per serving.
Additional Resources
Coral
Calcium (246 KB)- Discover the essential facts about Coral
Calcium, how it affects your health, its benefits and the
misconceptions regarding it. Find out an in-depth report on Coral
Calcium in this ebook.