On top of all the talk out there about the importance of calcium, there is the talk of the benefits of coral calcium as well. Calcium, as you may well know, is an essential mineral for your body. In addition, calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body. You get calcium from your diet and maybe even from certain supplements, but all the talk today about coral calcium can be confusing. Coral calcium is mostly made up of calcium carbonate, magnesium and traces of several other minerals. In terms of chemistry, calcium carbonate is no different than any other calcium. Calcium is a mineral and it is the same no matter what way it is obtained. However, the other trace minerals in coral calcium may be beneficial, which is the real reason that coral calcium is sometimes said to have additional benefits. So it is not the actual calcium, but what comes with it. Coral calcium is taken from fossilized coral. Living coral reefs are protected by endangered species laws and thus cannot be used. Doing so could do irreversible damage to the eco systems of the reefs. Coral calcium comes from limestone deposits that were part of ancient reefs. While the actual calcium contained in coral calcium is identical to any other limestone deposit’s calcium content, the fossilized reefs often contain other trace minerals that can help your body. Most of those trace minerals should be obtained in a good healthy diet, it is well documented that that average person doesn’t eat exactly what he should. Therefore, many people may benefit from the extra minerals contained in coral calcium. You will have to decide for yourself if coral calcium will really benefit you any more than a regular calcium supplement or even just a couple of glasses of milk a day. Coral calcium has been the subject of many unproven claims. The most controversial and wide spread is likely that coral calcium cures cancer. The claim is that it increases the pH of your body and helps to get rid of cancer cells. While it is true that scientists have shown that increased pH levels will kill a cancer cell, the level to which the pH must increase will also kill healthy human cells. Also, no matter how much coral calcium a you take in, your body’s pH will not increase. Your body will expel increased alkaline components in your urine, so you will really only increase the pH of your urine. There are likely benefits to coral calcium in terms of minerals and calcium, but curing cancer has never been proven to be one of the benefits. Calcium is a well known necessary mineral for human life, and the most prevalent in the body. Coral calcium is a good and effective source of it, but not the only one by any stretch of the imagination. It is known as a supplement and supplements are for improving nutrition, not for medicating or treating a disease. A high quality supplement can be a great way to supplement a good diet, but not a replacement for it. If you would like more information on my coral calcium secrets, or read more articles like the one you just read, please feel free to visit my amazing supplements blog

Are there 200 human diseases? We don't know; perhaps a doctor can tell. But proponents of coral calcium as human dietary supplements claim that the gifted mineral from Okinawa lagoons near Japan cures more than 200 diseases. They don't hesitate to include miraculous cures for blinds, AIDS patients, cancers, MS; oh-what-not, to the list of diseases that will be supposedly cured in just 10 minutes.

Take a few more curative and preventive goodies of coral calcium. Coral calcium consumers don't need hysterectomy, keep away rectal cancer; it cures migraine and so on. But is it for real? Has the world finally found an antidote to death threat? Well, hold a minute.

First, let us understand what is this coral calcium and what benefit it really brings us. Coral calcium is a type of calcium extracted from coral mined in Okinawa Island near Japan. The coral of Okinawa is said to be rich in calcium and magnesium content, which is useful as food supplement. It is also true that calcium is essential for bones and teeth, which can be sourced from anywhere including Okinawa coral reef.

Robert Barefoot and another self proclaimed doctor Carl J. Reich, who lost his license about 20 years ago in California for quackery made some outrageous claims about their magic discoveries and magic products over CFRB, a Canadian news radio. The claim went something like this: Their products, obviously made by coral calcium, had cured AIDS. And to diagnose whether someone had a disease, he used a litmus paper and the saliva of the subject, which showed whether he or she had an underlying condition (read AIDS).

Alzheimer's, MS, rectal cancer, and so many diseases were diagnosed with litmus test and because as they claimed, we were living in an alkaline environment, humans were succumbing to the diseases.

Let see what US FDA has to say on the curative qualities of coral calcium. Let there be no doubt, FDA deals with new discoveries in unambiguous terms. It has referred to claims by many distributors and manufacturers before dealing with them individually. It has exposed the therapeutic claims of coral calcium being curative and preventive in its effect. Under section 201(p) of the Act [21 USC § 321(p)], most coral calcium sold in the market are violations, as their promotional materials project coral calcium as drug. Further FDA has no established information on safety and efficacy aspect of consuming coral calcium for curative or preventive purposes.

In addition, the Federal Trade Commission has held a marketer, Kevin Trudeau of Coral Calcium Supreme as having misled consumers by false and unsubstantiated claims. By the way, you would do good to remember that Kevin Trudeau was convicted and jailed for credit card and financial fraud sometime ago.

Finally, if Okinawans live longer than most of us, that's a different story, which needs to be studied separately.

NamSing Then is a regular article contributor on many topics. Be sure to visit his other websites Coral Calcium, Calcium Supplement