posted by coralcalcium-watchdog.com
Laboratory analysis of the two kinds shows each variety has 74 minerals and have similar quantities of the minerals. Above-Sea Coral tends to have a little higher percentage of Calcium - 35 to 38% while the Marine variety has 20 - 24% calcium.
So when you read about a company having 500 mg of Coral calcium per capsule, you know that roughly 1/3 of that is pure calcium - most of the better companies will point out the exact percentage. All of it comes from Okinawan Coral and toxic levels of heavy metals is a non-issue for all above-sea and almost all below-sea coral.
The fossilized coral suppliers claim that theirs is in aragonite form which is more soluble than the marine variety which is heat treated and becomes a calcite form of crystal. This has been verified in a Japanese laboratory. The Marine coral suppliers say theirs is advantageous due to a natural 2:1 ratio of calcium to magnesium. Our research indicates that magnesium has likely been added to accomplish this ratio - which is fine. Some of the fossilized brands have magnesium added too, but the fossilized companies are up-front about it.
Whenever a company promotes something as "naturally occurring" and it has been added, it makes us wonder where else the truth is being stretched on their product. A little foray to Okinawa last summer unearthed another matter of concern regarding "Marine" coral - that is the purity of a product that involves vacuuming the ocean floor. We obtained raw marine coral product samples which have a high sand content. This is not all bad as sand is not toxic or harmful. It is just not a pure coral product. These impurities are likely the reason Marine Coral has a lower calcium content than Fossilized coral.
We know that Mr. Barefoot is currently promoting "Marine Coral", but one must remember his history of representing a number of coral companies over the years and each brand he represents at the time has "the best form". When he represented Fossilized Coral it was the best - currently he is representing Marine Coral, but we hear rumors that he may switch again soon to promoting fossilized coral. It doesn't really matter. We recommend that you choose your coral based on it's merits, not on who is promoting it. If one was to choose a coral based on the credentials of the promoter, one would be better off backing the likes of a Dr Bruce Halstead MD, PhD who is better qualified, and wrote the definitive title on Fossilized Coral Stony Minerals (available through several companies on the web) - his choice was Above-Sea sourced coral.
Every company has a list of amazing success stories with their brand of Coral which we have no reason to doubt given the well documented longevity of the Okinawan people who live on a giant fossilized coral reef and ingest Coral minerals daily from their water! Although we would take "Marine" Coral if it were the only type available, we favor fossilized coral for reasons noted above. Some people also favor the fossilized form on ethical grounds - because the Marine vacuuming process can be damaging to the Coral environment.
