Robert R. Barefoot
November 12,2002 However, as coral calcium has become one of the hottest topics on the internet, and success is being found by those selling the coral, I have become concerned that there are those with a vested interest in misleading the public in order to increase sales a different type of calcium product. There are two types of coral; the high-grade marine coral harvested from the ocean and the low-grade beach (rock) coral harvested from the beaches. You will be able to find much information on this website pertaining to the benefits of the high-grade coral (Coral Calcium Supreme). I will try to educate you here on the differences between the two types and let you make your own decisions. As you might know, the high-grade coral is produced by the disintegration caused by wave action and marine life feeding on the coral reefs. The microscopic particles become what is known as coral sand. In Okinawa this coral sand is carried by the ocean currents about 4 miles out to sea where it gets deposited in deep channels. It is carefully vacuumed up and any potential losses are carried further out to sea, away from the reefs by the ocean currents. The low-grade beach coral has had many of its nutrients leached out by the weathering the many years it has been exposed to the sunlight. Those selling the cheap rock coral try to boost thier sales by informing the public that mining the marine coral is destroying the reefs. Nothing could be further from the truth. These statements have highly offended the coral reef experts in Japan. In addition, those selling the low-grade rock coral calcium claim that the marine coral is not the perfect 2:1 ratio of calcium to magnesium. This of course is also false as there are hundreds of official Japanese essays that dispute this claim along with numerous scientific publications that describe the 2:1 ratio. The bottom line is that there are millions of Japanese who consume the high-grade marine coral daily while there are virtually only a few Japanese who consume rock coral. The Japanese cannot understand how the American public can be duped into paying a high-grade price for such a low grade product. The answer is greed. Currently about 90% of
the American market is taking the low grade. To tell the difference,
look at the label. It should say "Marine Coral" with about 24% calcium
and 12% magnesium "from coral calcium". If the calcium is much higher
and the magnesium is low or if it is added, then you are being
cheated. |
