Coral Calcium: Are You in Need?
Food Supplements > > Coral Calcium: Are You in Need?
There’s a great deal of controversy surrounding the alleged properties of the food supplement known as coral calcium. While some claim that it’s a miracle cure, designed to eliminate a plethora of illnesses, others insist that it’s not only a fake, but that you can get the same amount of calcium by popping a couple of Tums.
When we consider the facts, it’s fairly easy to see that there are some benefits to this food supplement, perhaps, but there’s no beam of light shining down on it from above. In addition to the calcium content, coral calcium also contains small amounts of magnesium – which you can easily get from a basic food supplement, such as a multi-vitamin. Beyond the fact that both of those elements are present in coral calcium, not much research has been done to determine its ability to provide any miraculous intervention in the area of diseases. It’s simply a food supplement that contains some calcium and a bit of magnesium – period.
There have been other calcium crazes in the past, some of which led to circumstances that put people’s health in jeopardy. Such was the case when, many years ago, food supplements would often contain calcium carbonate from oyster shells or bone meal. In the end, these items were found to contain large quantities of lead, which is quite harmful and has no place in a food supplement of any kind. While steps were taken to dramatically reduce the presence of lead in these calcium pills, there are no requirements for testing food supplements today, and many of them remain untested.
Basically, those who promote coral calcium “fever” would have you believe that there are some magical properties in this food supplement, as a result of its having come from the calcium of coral or other sea inhabitants. While our bodies certainly need calcium, the fact that it’s supplied to us through sea creatures has no bearing on how much it will help us to stay healthy. In a nutshell, calcium is calcium, and the same results can be gained through buying a roll of calcium fortified antacids for under a dollar. Yes, there are some who will claim that coral calcium has a super-abundant amount of calcium, but no solid evidence has been brought forward to prove this claim. Nearly all of the new information that’s being shared is designed to entice people to spend large amounts of money on a product that doesn’t do any more for them than good old standard, store-bought calcium carbonate, found in many food supplements.
According to recent advertising, some of the side effects of taking coral calcium include persistent headache, dry mouth, constipation, loss of appetite, irritability, depression, fatigue, pronounced thirst and a metallic taste in the mouth. If we remember that high contents of lead were found in oyster shells and bone meal, then it’s no small wonder that there would be a metallic taste in the mouth – or any of the other side effects – since this particular food supplement provides its calcium through sea creatures.
If you really feel that you’re in need of extra calcium, the best thing to do is to have a chat with your physician – then, go out and buy yourself a pack of Tums, and you’ll be all set.