Hi Hod,

I just received this article from another egroup I am in. Perhaps there is a slight warning on some products from this message:

Dear Friends:
I am the founder of Japan's Calcium Research Institute, past president of my country's Osteoporosis Foundation and author of over 400 scientific papers on calcium. Having dedicated nearly 50 years of my life to calcium research, I am generally recognized by the world's scientific community as an expert on calcium.

I have researched many calcium compounds. I understand that
numerous "miracle" health claims are being promoted about coral calcium by a U.S. television infomercial company. Scientific critique is required to put this topic in perspective.

Calcium, generically speaking, is an essential mineral with abundant health benefits. However, the calcium from coral acts no differently than calcium from any other source. The key to obtaining the health benefits of calcium is to make that calcium highly available to the body. Therefore, a calcium with better availability will have a greater health benefit. Unfortunately, coral calcium, chemically defined as calcium carbonate, has been shown in scientific studies - including those on humans - to be no more available to the body than other forms of calcium. As such, the infomercial claims about calcium from coral being a "superior" calcium are simply not true. Other infomercial claims need to be corrected. Any calcium will reduce the acidity or increase the alkalinity in the body, not just coral calcium. Also, the mineral concentrations found in coral calcium have not been clinically proven to offer any greater health benefit than calcium alone. Additionally, coral calcium alone is unlikely to be the reason for unusually low cancer rates of Okinawan inhabitants. Okinawan diets, rich in fish and vegetables, may be considerably healthier than those of my fellow Japanese Citizens, as well as Americans. Moreover, Okinawans enjoy less stress and pollution.

Much of the published human clinical studies on calcium focus on its ability to build bone density. Calcium that is well absorbed generally builds bone better than a less absorbable form. Studies have shown repeatedly that calcium carbonate, from sources such as coral calcium, are no better than other forms of calcium in building bone. As such, coral calcium is not likely to offer better overall "calcium-health" benefits than other forms of calcium. Coral calcium is a supplement of reasonable quality. Other calciums have demonstrated better activity.

Takuo Fujita, M.D.
Osaka, Japan
Note: Dr. Fujita's calcium research is available at
www.publishedresearch.com and www.pubmed.com.