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Coral Calcium... PART 3…the Real Benefits!
3/19/2003 12:00:00 AM
In the last issue of Xtend-Your-Life we had a brief look at some of the more outrageous claims that some of the promoters of coral calcium make. In this issue which is the final one in the 'coral calcium' series I will have a look at some of the REAL benefits of coral calcium. These are benefits for which the supporting evidence is really strong.
The following are claims that have scientific support:
- Coral calcium becomes ionic when exposed to moisture thus making it significantly more bio-available.
- Coral calcium, of which calcium is only one component also includes a further 74 trace minerals in proportions fairly similar to that of the human body. NOTE: This does not apply to the below sea 'marine' coral calcium which has additional magnesium added.
- Coral calcium changes the pH of the body fluids (not the blood which maintains a constant pH).
- Coral calcium will help weight loss.
Let's look at these claims/benefits one at a time...
Coral calcium becomes ionic...
Bio-availability is one of the key issues for all minerals, and in particular for calcium. Coral calcium unlike some other calcium derivatives such as its inorganic cousin calcium carbonate has the ability to become ionic when it comes in contact with moisture. Note: This ability certainly applies to the above sea type coral which is in its natural state. It may not apply to the below sea or marine type because that variety of coral has been subjected to extreme heat during processing for the removal of excess heavy metals. The heat changes the coral from a natural aragonite form to a calcite crystal.
Anyway... the ability to become ionic (which is even smaller than colloidal) means that the calcium can do some good. It needs to be ionic and in the presence of other minerals (not excess magnesium which is an antagonist to calcium) and vitamin D3 when it gets into the blood stream. If all these factors are present then ionic exchange of calcium can take place. In other words the calcium in the blood can be absorbed by the bones to take care of bone calcium deficiencies.
This is why many people who are taking a lot of calcium supplements which are not ionic will often find that their osteoporosis continues to get worse, and even more serious that the calcification of soft tissues which can lead to arthritis and heart disease is accelerated. Unless the calcium can be converted into an ionic form they would be better off not taking it as these calcium supplements may actually speed up the leeching of calcium from the bones.
Coral calcium contains 74 trace minerals...
This is also true; there are 74 trace minerals in coral calcium. Just exactly what benefits these trace minerals give to the human body is not as yet fully understood. Nonetheless there is sufficient evidence to suggest that it is beneficial to take these trace minerals in the proportions as they occur in nature in the form of coral. It is interesting to note that the ratio of calcium to magnesium in above sea coral is about 43:1 which is very similar to the ratio in the human body which is 48:1. Similar ratios to the human body have been noted with some of the trace minerals as well. This would explain why pieces of coral are often used by orthopedic surgeons for bone grafts as the body readily accepts the coral as part of its natural structure.
An exception to this is the below sea coral calcium which has a 2:1 calcium to magnesium ratio. Although they claim this is natural it is nonsense and the manufacturers have never been able to substantiate their claims. Magnesium is an antagonist to calcium and to a number of other minerals if taken in excess. In other words it acts to neutralize the calcium if present in excessive amounts. For this reason I don't believe extra magnesium should be added to coral minerals.
I feel that the additional natural trace minerals present in coral calcium are a major factor in its efficacy. In fact some scientists believe that the trace minerals in the coral are even more important than the calcium itself due to the beneficial effects they have on nerves and enzymes.
Coral calcium changes the body's fluids from being acidic to alkaline.
Remember that we are talking about body fluid here, not blood. The pH of the blood remains constant. There is no doubt that coral calcium changes the pH of urine and saliva from acidic to alkaline. This is easily proved.
As you will probably recollect I raised this issue last week as some promoters use this fact as an argument in suggesting that coral calcium will cure cancers. As I said, I think that this claim is way 'over the top'. Nonetheless, changing your body fluid from being acidic to slightly alkaline can only be good for your health... and in that regard coral calcium will help.
Coral calcium will help weight loss...
This is an interesting benefit which has not been latched onto yet by many coral calcium promoters... but, I am sure that you won't have to wait long to see this happening.
In February the US National Institute of Health published a review of studies that linked the intake of dietary and supplemental calcium to body weight. Their researchers found that:
- Subjects with elevated body weight had lower levels of calcium intake.
- Those people which had the highest levels of weight loss also had the highest levels of calcium intake.
- Those people with diets high in dairy and calcium had greater losses of fat in the truck area. (Note: Don't get your calcium from dairy unless it is in the form of occasional hard cheese)
The NIH felt that the studies that they reviewed were conclusive enough to justify larger population based clinical trials. They are currently enlisting volunteers for this new study.
But, before you get too excited about this just remember that this is but one component of weight normalization. I will tell you the rest when I get to finish the special weight loss report, which is not too far away now.
Conclusions...
There is a place for coral calcium within your health regime. However, it must be appreciated that it is just one component of many. If you are a female over 35 it is indeed desirable for you to take supplemental calcium and above sea coral calcium is a good choice. The problem with coral calcium though, is that many of the high quality products are quite expensive. Because we are comfortable with overall benefits of coral calcium we have developed our own product which is vastly superior because of what we have added to it.
As you probably realize coral calcium has to have various co-factors with it for maximum efficacy…boron and vitamin D3 being two of these. Other co-factors can also be of benefit. With this in mind we developed a product which is only a little more expensive than good quality coral calcium products (and cheaper than some) but is vastly superior in the nutrients that it delivers. Even though it has the full dose of pure coral calcium per day (1,500mgs) it also contains a further 4,500 of other beneficial nutrients primarily in the form of New Zealand red and green phytonutrients.
I think you will find it is well worth checking out. You can do so by clicking here.
In good health,
As a result of my research I decided that there is a place for coral calcium in the nutritional program of individuals. Therefore I gave the go ahead to our formulators to design a new Xtend-Life formula using the purest coral calcium available and combining it with some other interesting ingredients, namely a fortified red and green phytonutrient mix which we have developed using New Zealand grown ingredients. This product will be synergistic with our other Xtend-Life products. This product was in the process of being designed to provide the calcium needs for customers. The coral calcium will substitute for the other forms of calcium that we were planning to use.
**** CORAL CALCIUM WITH PHYTONUTRIENTS ****
We have developed a new unique Xtend-Life product that not only gives the benefits of coral calcium but also that of red and green phytonutrients. Each daily dose of 2 level teaspoons full is equivalent to 12 normal capsules. This is why we are providing it in a powder form.
It is perfect for older folk who have difficulty in swallowing pills and also for children. If you are already using coral calcium or plan to do so this is an excellent product to use because you not only receive a full dose of the purest coral calcium possible, but you will also get the benefits of all the extra phytonutrients grown in a pristine New Zealand environment.
For more info click here.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS:
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: Subscribers and customers are invited to submit questions for inclusion within this newsletter. Space does not permit the publication of all Q & A's, but we promise to answer all questions directly. Your questions are considered confidential and only your first name and last initial with State or Country will be published. To ask a question please
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Ben writes:
Do Xtend-Life supplements contain ephedra or caffeine?
Warren Matthews answers:
No, we don't believe in using either of these substances. Even the green tea in our Total Balance is decaffeinated.