UC Berkeley Wellness Guide to Dietary Supplements: Coral Calcium

Wellness Guide to Dietary Supplements

Coral Calcium

Presumably derived from the “remnants” of coral, coral calcium consists primarily of calcium carbonate, along with small amounts of other minerals such as magnesium. It is probably the most expensive calcium pill you can buy.

Claims, purported benefits: The best source of calcium for your bones, superior to calcium carbonate from other sources. A cure-all: relieves pain and treats some 200 diseases, including Alzheimer’s, cancer, diabetes, and lupus by balancing the body’s acidity.

Evidence: There has been little or no good research on coral as a treatment for disease. The claims are marketing hype. The FDA and FTC have cracked down on some sellers, but lots of nonsensical claims are still being made. If your body were as acidic as some of the labels suggest, you wouldn’t survive long enough to swallow the supplement.

Bottom line: There’s no evidence that coral calcium cures or treats any disease, or that it is better than a basic, inexpensive calcium carbonate pill. Generic calcium carbonate pills can cost as little as five cents a day, compared to as much as a dollar a day for coral calcium. Plus, you can easily get the other minerals in coral calcium from foods or a basic multivitamin/mineral pill. If you are prone to kidney stones, check with your doctor before taking any form of calcium. Some coral calcium products may contain high levels of lead.

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Wellness Report on Dietary Supplements 2008

Have you ever wondered about the health claims on a bottle of vitamins, herbs, or some other “natural” remedy? Been curious about how a popular supplement works—and what the evidence is for its effectiveness and safety? Are you helping yourself—or throwing your money away—when you buy a particular supplement?

You can find answers to all your questions in our newly updated Dietary Supplements 2008—one of the titles in a series of special Wellness Reports by Dr. John Swartzberg and the editors of the UC Berkeley Wellness Letter. Whether you already take supplements or are thinking about it, you will benefit from the expert advice in this concise yet comprehensive 64-page report. It provides current, authoritative information on 60 of the most widely used supplements and includes in-depth reviews of supplements recently in the news—from Vitamin D and fish oil to those claiming to enhance your memory and your immune system.

With this single convenient resource, you can quickly check the facts behind the claims, discover what the latest studies show, learn which products are safe or harmful.

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