• Coral calcium is a type of calcium formulated from 100% marine bed coral.
• Coral is created by a small sea animal that ingests the ionic ocean minerals and then secretes them into a coral formation.
  
• Coral Polyps digest the sea water rendering Calcium in a unique, highly bioavailable organic form.
  
• The coral is ground and the main constituent is Calcium (usually 1/3).
  
• It is a natural source of calcium with 73 other essential minerals and nutrients necessary for good health.
  
• Coral calcium contains magnesium, a mineral essential for the absorption of calcium in the body.
  
• The body is better able to utilize coral calcium than other calcium supplements because it is a highly absorbable form of calcium.
  
• Coral calcium contains every mineral, in similar proportion, found in the human body and they are in a balance that is similar to that found in the cells.

Types of Coral Calcium

There are two types of coral calcium:

• Marine grade (below-sea), which is basically dead coral debris dredged from the ocean in a very eco-unfriendly way.
• Fossilized (above-sea), which is pure coral that has aged a thousand years or more in caves or coral mines.

There is much debate about what is a better grade of coral calcium, marine grade or fossilized. As well, there are many discrepancies and claims on internet sites that state marine grade is harmful or not harmful for the ecosystem. We have taken the approach of stating all the facts about marine grade coral calcium.

Marine Grade

This coral calcium is taken directly from the seabed. It is basically sand containing a mixture of coral, sea shells, silica, rock and sea life. It is exhumed from the ocean bottom via a 250' industrial dredging ship lowering a large pipe to the bottom of the ocean and vacuuming. This process brings hundreds of tons of sand, coral, shells, marine flora and fauna to the surface. Many supporters of marine bed coral farming say they collect the coral bits from under and around the live coral reef. However, the dredging process can generate a thick layer of silt which smothers the reef killing the coral larvae that grow future reefs in the areas surrounding the existing reefs. The coral reefs are endangered and many scientists have opinions about using this process to produce coral calcium.

There is a high demand for marine grade coral from Okinawa, Japan. Since there are huge discrepancies about using this process, the Japanese government regulates this form of coral production very closely. In accordance with the Washington Treaty (a law governing the protection of the living coral reefs), living coral are not harmed in the gathering of the coral. Any reports to the contrary are baseless and are made for the most part, by people with a vested interest in confusing the issues.

There seems to be a better balance of calcium to magnesium ratio with the marine grade coral. A 2:1 ratio is generally considered the ideal ratio for calcium and magnesium intake for the human body.

What Scientists Think of the Below-Sea Collection Process

"Clearing large areas of coral rubble would certainly impact reef ecosystems, not only because coral larvae settle on rubble, but also because there are countless organisms that inhabit spaces within corals and rubble."

Dr. Michael Dowgiallo, PhD
Coral Reef Program Coordinator National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

"I would have an extremely hard time believing anyone who suggests that this activity would be benign. Dead corals may act as a substrate for new colonizers, so vacuuming up even dead corals or coral fragments might hinder the ability of reefs to recover in the future."

John Clark Field, PhD
Candidate School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences
University of Washington

Fossilized

Above sea coral calcium is made from coral that is washed up on the beach or dug out of the beach mines. This method is eco-safe and protects the living reef because the water is never touched when harvesting coral. Only the pristine white coral heads are harvested. This harvesting process involves removal of the protective layer of soil that accumulated over the eons, collecting the ancient coral and trucking it away for grinding. This process has minimal environmental impact. The above sea coral is pure resulting in a higher calcium content (37% compared to 20-24% for most below sea products). It does, however, have a lower magnesium content than below sea coral. "Weathering" of the coral through the years may be the reason for the lower magnesium content. To gain the proper 2:1 ratio many manufacturers add magnesium to their coral calcium product.

Many environmentalists and scientists say that people should stay away from marine grade coral since the collection process harms the natural ecosystem.

Both types of coral calcium are on the market today. The level of magnesium in the two types of calcium is the only real difference between the two types, all the other mineral content is the same. It is hard to determine which coral calcium is better since many people have benefited from both types.

Comparison	Fossilized Coral - Above Sea	Marine Coral - Below Sea
Purity	Above Average	Average
Coral Collection Process	Completely safe	Harms Wildlife
Supported by	Biologists, Professors, & Doctors	A few researchers
Has to be Heat-treated*	Not necessary	Must be heat treated

*Marine coral must be heat treated at over 1000 degrees. According to Professor Yoshino Yamauchi of the Aragonite Institute of Japan, "The ionization process of the aragonite fossil Coral is 6 times greater than that of calcite. Fossil coral calcium is also much greater in electrical conductivity...it is capable of entering into an immediate chemical reaction whenever it is required by the body." - Meaning fossilized coral can be absorbed much easier.