Product Spotlight Coral Calcium
Coral Calcium may be the best form of calcium yet.
Introduction
Now® is pleased to offer Coral Calcium, a nutural complex of calcium and trace minerals dereived from fossilized stony coral. It's one of the most popular supplements on the market, but we've waited until our technical staff could review the available research on Coral Calcium before adding it to our product line, due in part to the number of health claims made about this product. Now® Coral Calcium is a high quality dietary supplement more affordably priced than other coral calcium supplements of comparable quality.
What is the bigh deal with calcium?
Calcium is extremely important for your health but, ironically, one of the hardest nutrients for your body to absorb. Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body and is involved in numerous bodily functions. Its absorption, however, is dependent on a couple of factors. One of the most important is the presence of magnesium and other minerals. Coral Calcium contains trace amounts of magnesium and provides up to 72 trace minerals that have been shown to enhance absorption and bioavailability. Coral Calcium also helps to balance pH, or the acid-base balance. A healthy body maintains a neutral pH range. Lower pH induces a state called acidosis; higher pH includes alkalosis. Either state can compromise good health, so Coral Calcium is an important factor in maintaining neutral body pH and therefore overall health.
Why calcium from coral?
Two reasons. One is the coral itself. Most coral is actually a colony of invertebrate animals that reside in stony, protective exoskeletons. Over time this colony grows over the rock-like accumulation of calcareous (calcium-containing)exoskeletons from dead coral. These exoskeletons contain almost every trace mineral found in the human body, including calcium. The other reason is seawater. Because of its proximity to the erath's crust and underwater volcanic eruptions, seawater is very high in minerals, and its mineral composition is similar to that of most plants and animals on earth. Fossilized coral has soaked in searwater for years and has partially absorbed its mineral content. As the seas have receded over time, fossilized coral has been left above water, rich in minerals and readily available for harvesting without causing damage to living reefs.
Why only fossilized coral?
Coral reefs are very delicate underwater ecosystems. Harvesting coral exoskeletons directly from living reefs is extremely damaging to the reef and the surrounding marine life that depends on the coral for food and shelter. Another method is dredging or vacuuming the sand around a reef to obtain dead coral and coral fragments, but this method robs coral reefs of the raw material they need to grow. Like other suppliers, NOW® Coral Calcium is imported from Okinawa, where the Japanese government strictly regulates the mining of coral, allowing only fossilized coral from above sea level to be mined, thereby protecting existing coral reefs.
