Talk:Coral calcium/Overhaul

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[edit] Health claims controversy

^Might need tweaking

There have been many unsubstantiated claims

"theories" would be easier to understand

made regarding coral calcium, perhaps the most controversial of which is that taking coral calcium can cure cancer by increasing "body pH." Scientific studies have been performed indicating that cancer cells cannot survive at sufficiently high pH levels. What the marketers of coral calcium usually fail to mention is that these studies were conducted in-vitro and not on living tissue. The reason for this is that the pH level required to kill cancer cells also kills healthy human cells.

Another problem with the "body alkalinization" idea is that the body pH doesn't change, regardless of how much calcium carbonate is ingested. The human body can only function properly within a narrow pH range, and if alkalinizing agents such as CaCO₃ are ingested, the body promptly excretes the alkaline components in urine. So, people who attempt to increase the pH of their bodies are really only succeeding in raising the pH of their urine. The same applies if acidic foods are ingested in that the urine becomes more acidic. Additionally, it can be dangerous for people with certain medical conditions (such as kidney failure) to take excess coral calcium. ^[1]

Calcium itself is an essential mineral for human life, and coral calcium is an effective source of it, though by no means the only one. While the calcium component of coral calcium is identical to any other limestone deposit, fossilized coral reefs may contain trace minerals helpful to the human body, though it's unlikely that a well-nourished individual would be deficient in any of these minerals.

A proponent of natural medicine and nutritional supplements has condemned coral calcium and its fraud.^[2]