Who should not drink Coral water?

Let’s figure out what connection there is between weight loss and coral water (and whether there is any). Corals are not only ideal subjects for spectacular vacation shots, but also the main guardians of marine ecology. By their structure, they are the fossilized remains of polyps and can form entire islands over thousands of years. They reduce carbon dioxide in the water, create a protective coastal barrier and help maintain marine biodiversity. However, their beneficial properties extend not only to its inhabitants: corals are actively used in jewelry production and medicine. And in recent years, when the number of new weight loss programs began to hit record numbers, water with the addition of coral powder has become a real know-how of dietetics. We tell you how and why in our material.

A bit of history

The success story of coral water began in 1979, when the administration of the Guinness Institute (the same one that annually publishes the famous book of records) sent a journalist on a trip to the Japanese island of Tokunoshima. He was supposed to interview Mr. Izumi, the oldest person on Earth at that time. Shigetie Izumi was 115 years old at that time, and he could boast of excellent health, which allowed him to continue working until he was 105 years old (!). However, similar longevity was observed among other inhabitants of the island, which greatly interested researchers at the Guinness Institute. At the request of the journalist, Mr. Izumi underwent a full medical examination. Surprisingly, the man at a very advanced age turned out to be almost completely healthy. Soon after, a group of scientists arrived on the island and made an important discovery: the reason for the longevity of the inhabitants of Tokunoshima, which exceeded that of other regions of Japan and even the planet, was the quality of drinking water. The islands of Tokunoshima and Okinawa are rich in coral reefs, like many islands of the World Ocean. However, the corals of these islands are different from all the others and are found only on them. Among thousands of other coral species, Sango white corals have the ability to purify water and impart healing properties to it. They contain a unique composition of substances, including elements vital for the human body such as calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium. Water treated with these corals has a number of beneficial properties, which are actively used, including in detox programs and weight loss. So what is the secret of the healing properties of water enriched with corals?

How corals change water

Corals, like any powders based on them, are chemically active: upon contact with water, they are able to change its composition. Thus, corals purify water from chloride compounds, salts, and harmful microorganisms. But, most importantly, they saturate it with minerals, the deficiency of which is often encountered by residents of megacities. Corals give them away in ionic form, in which they are absorbed much better. However, the most valuable element that corals enrich the water with is the familiar calcium. Its composition is close to calcium, which is found in human bones, however, due to its ionic form, coral calcium is absorbed much easier and more fully than regular calcium.

coral calcium

Calcium performs a huge number of important functions in the body: it reduces the acidity of the internal environment of the body, regulates normal blood clotting, affects cell growth, the conduction of impulses in nerve tissues, and is also an indispensable element that regulates metabolic processes. The latter plays a special role in maintaining normal weight and losing weight (read also: “Myths about metabolism that you need to stop believing”). The fact is that almost all fluids in the human body, with the exception of gastric juice, have either a neutral or slightly alkaline environment. An increase in their acidity negatively affects the health of the body and causes many diseases, including those associated with metabolic disorders. Calcium helps fight excess acid. Its main source is our bones and the food we eat. However, this element is poorly absorbed, and when the body experiences a calcium deficiency, it begins to take it from the bones and reduce bone density. This is where we remember about coral water, which is a source of easily digestible calcium.

Weight loss and coral water

Coral calcium affects the maintenance of a healthy weight in the most direct way – by binding to fat molecules in the intestines and complicating their absorption. In this simple way, it helps remove most of the consumed fat from the body and minimize the gain of extra pounds. Coral water can be an excellent addition to foods rich in regular calcium and reduce the rate of fat formation in the body (read also: “Salads for weight loss: 6 ideal summer recipes”). An equally important role is played by the influence of calcium on the speed and quality of digestive processes, and ultimately on the amount of fat deposits in problem areas. Calcium ions are involved in the activity of smooth muscles of the digestive tract and the generation of enzymes for breaking down food, and in general are indispensable participants in metabolism and can regulate its speed and quality. Actually, these properties of calcium ions, which coral water is so rich in, helped make it a new dietary trend and a panacea for all ailments. However, regarding the latter there are more speculations than actually confirmed data. Coral water is filtered or distilled water in which corals crushed into a fine powder and lime deposits left in place of colonies of coral polyps are diluted. For more than 30 years, coral powder and water prepared from it have been considered one of the world’s most popular dietary supplements with truly miraculous properties, as their manufacturers claim. Surgeon Svetlana Levchenko (Institute of General and Emergency Surgery named after V.T. Zaitsev of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine) talks about whether coral water really has a unique effect, whether its use brings benefits to the body and for whom dietary supplements from coral are contraindicated.

Coral water: declared properties and reality

Natural coral is a mixture of calcium carbonate with an admixture of magnesium carbonate and trace amounts of iron oxide. Despite the fact that the composition of corals is known, its manufacturers are reluctant to talk about the composition of dietary supplements made from coral powder – it is quite difficult to find even on specialized sites. Instead of a composition, there is usually a list of statements about the unique properties of the additive. It is known that the basis (up to 40%) of coral powder is calcium. Coral dietary supplements also contain magnesium (up to 3%) and some other trace elements (zinc, iodine, silicon, iron). So, what is known about coral water and is it really so unique? Let’s take a closer look at each statement made by the manufacturers of coral dietary supplements and see if it is true.

Statement 1. Coral water contains a unique “ionic” calcium, which is 100% bioavailable to the human body

Calcium in non-ionized form is a metal that does not occur in nature in its pure form due to its extremely high chemical reactivity: this substance instantly reacts with water, oxygen and carbon dioxide that are part of the air. That is why non-ionized calcium obtained in laboratory conditions is stored not just in a tightly sealed container, but under a layer of paraffin or kerosene to prevent its oxidation. In nature, calcium is found exclusively in the ionic form Ca2+. Corals contain calcium in the form of carbonate, and in the same form it is present, for example, in chalk, eggshells or marble. Calcium carbonate is very slightly soluble in water, and heating does not solve the issue – as the temperature rises, the substance begins to disintegrate. The only way to “help” calcium carbonate dissolve in water is the presence of acids, in particular carbon dioxide. In this case, calcium carbonate turns into bicarbonate – in this form it is present in many mineral waters. Calcium carbonate is widely used in the food industry – as a natural colorant, anti-caking agent, acidity regulator, stabilizer, and is also often added to toothpastes. In corals, as in mollusk shells, calcium is also present in the form of carbonate. Once in the body, it behaves exactly like crushed chalk – it passes through the gastrointestinal tract in transit, without having a significant effect on metabolism, at most reducing the acidity of gastric juice (if a lot of calcium carbonate is taken). Therefore, there is no need to say that coral calcium has any unique digestibility.

Statement 2. Coral water alkalinizes the blood and prevents “acidification” of the body

“Acidification” is one of the most popular “scares” for fans of unconventional methods of influencing the body. They say that all kinds of toxins, poor nutrition and poor ecology lead to the fact that the blood becomes acidic and oxidizes the cells of the body. Adherents of coral water claim that when coral powder is diluted in water, the latter becomes alkaline and, with regular use, alkalinizes the blood. This statement has nothing to do with reality. Blood actually has a slightly alkaline reaction and the level of its acidity is constant, regardless of what kind of foods and drinks – acidic or alkaline – are consumed. The constancy of the acid-base level of the blood is ensured by a special mechanism – buffer systems. By the way, if you follow the logic of fans of coral water, alkaline mineral waters and even simple ingestion of baking soda should have exactly the same effect. Indeed, for some diseases, mainly of the digestive system, doctors recommend drinking mineral waters with an alkaline composition. But this does not and cannot affect the acid-base parameters of the blood in any way – the alkali is neutralized by the acid of the gastric juice.

Statement 3. Coral water has a powerful rejuvenating effect on the body

Another property of coral water, also associated with its alkaline reaction, is its restorative effect on the body’s cells, stimulating their rejuvenation. However, the alkaline reaction of water is neutralized by acidic gastric juice, so the anti-age effect cannot be achieved. No other mechanisms of rejuvenation have been found when taking coral water – in particular, there is no evidence that it contains antioxidants, which actually help cells fight oxidative stress and slow down the aging process. To date, the rejuvenating effect of coral water has no scientific evidence.

Statement 4. Coral powder neutralizes the “memory phenomenon” of water

Fans of alternative medicine believe that water is able to “remember” information about the substances dissolved in it, their properties, structure and composition. Purifying water using a filter or other methods does not help rid the liquid of contaminants; it will still have a negative effect on the body. The same “memory phenomenon” of water underlies homeopathy. Adding coral powder to water, according to distributors of such dietary supplements, allows you to “erase memories” of past pollution and improve the bioenergetic potential of water. Of course, there is no reliable evidence of all this; scientists consider the concept of “water memory” unscientific. And if the water actually does not have “memories,” then it is impossible to “erase” them – neither with coral powder nor with anything else.

Statement 5. Coral powder allows you to restore the crystalline form of water

Manufacturers of dietary supplements with coral claim that water is in a state of liquid crystal, and when it is contaminated, the “correct” structure of such a crystal is disrupted, and the water becomes harmful to health. Adding coral powder to water allows you to restore the shape of the crystal and return the beneficial properties to the water. Any person minimally familiar with a physics course knows that water does not have the aggregate property of “liquid crystal”. Only water in a solid state is a crystal, that is, ice – its molecules actually have a certain order. When ice melts and water transforms into a liquid state, the crystalline bonds are destroyed and the molecules become mobile. Only freezing it can restore the structure of water again; no additives with coral can somehow streamline the movement of liquid molecules.

Statement 6. Coral water radically saturates the blood with oxygen

Another statement from the manufacturers of dietary supplements with coral, which has nothing to do with reality. Saturation of blood with oxygen occurs mainly in the alveoli of the lungs. The more oxygen in the inhaled air, the more it enters the blood, so various devices are used to saturate the blood with oxygen: inhalers, masks, pressure chambers. There is another way to saturate the body with oxygen – the so-called enteral oxygenation, or the introduction of oxygen into the gastrointestinal tract, through the walls of which it enters the blood. Initially, it was carried out using a probe into which humidified oxygen was supplied; later, the Soviet scientist Sirotinin invented a more tasty and pleasant method of enteral oxygenation – an oxygen cocktail, which is a liquid base (for example, freshly squeezed juice), which is saturated with oxygen in a special apparatus – a concentrator and turns into foam that can be eaten with a spoon. However, coral water has nothing to do with oxygen cocktails and cannot in any way help saturate the blood with oxygen. If an oxygen cocktail at least contains oxygen, even if it is difficult to say how much of this oxygen will be absorbed into the blood, then there is none in coral water.

Claim 7: Coral water cures cancer

An unsubstantiated statement based on the statements discussed above about the unique structure of coral water and its properties as a liquid crystal. Back in 2009, the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) added coral dietary supplements to the list of “fake” cancer drugs.

Statement 8. Coral water has been tested using ORP meters and dark-field microscopes, which have confirmed its effectiveness

A popular statement that manufacturers and sellers of dietary supplements with coral try to use in order to give them weight in the eyes of buyers. ORP (or ORP) metry is a technique for measuring the acid-reduction potential of a liquid, in other words, its pH. Distilled water has a neutral reaction; adding coral powder to it makes it slightly alkaline. Accordingly, the ORP meter will show this and nothing more. This technique will not tell you about any special properties of water. Dark-field microscopy is used to diagnose certain infectious diseases and is a way of examining blood to evaluate its cellular structures and detect pathogens. The properties of coral water, according to its manufacturers, are assessed by examining slides with dried drops of water in a dark-field microscope, which have a “correct” shape in water with coral, as opposed to an “irregular” shape in any other water. In essence, this is an assessment of crystals of the same calcium carbonate and other impurities in water; it has nothing to do with the actual properties of water. By the way, it was research in a dark-field microscope that became the basis for a recent attempt by the manufacturers of one of the most famous dietary supplements with coral to provide a scientific basis for their product. However, an article published in the journal Water in 2021 looks unconvincing and only indicates that “the mineral composition of natural coral has a significant effect on the structure of water.” How such water affects the human body is unknown.

Real benefits of coral water

As we see, the miraculous properties of coral water, which distributors of dietary supplements with coral picturesquely talk about, have not been confirmed by anything. The only thing that coral water can really be useful for is that it can serve as a source of calcium. Calcium is one of the most important microelements necessary for the normal functioning of the human body. Calcium is the basis of bone tissue and teeth; it is calcium that makes them strong. In addition, calcium is directly involved in the process of muscle contraction; without this ion, normal blood clotting becomes impossible. Calcium activates cells of the immune system – macrophages, which carry out phagocytosis (absorption) of pathogenic microorganisms. Calcium also plays an important role in the digestion process – it activates alpha-amylase, an enzyme necessary for the breakdown of complex carbohydrates. In addition, calcium is a participant in many metabolic reactions occurring in the human body. Finally, calcium ions are involved in signal transmission in the nervous system. For a person who regularly exercises, maintaining a sufficient level of calcium in the body is especially important: regular physical activity becomes a test for bones and joints, while some athletes are forced to adhere to a diet – for example, during “cutting” they limit the consumption of dairy products, which are natural source of calcium. To maintain normal levels of calcium in the body, an adult needs to receive an average of about 1000 mg of the substance daily (the norm varies depending on age). However, can coral water be considered an optimal source of calcium? As I already mentioned, calcium in it is in the form of carbonate – far from the most easily digestible and accessible to the body. It is much more effective to take calcium supplements, in which it is present in the form of organic salts – gluconate or citrate. We should not forget that the main source of calcium is food, not supplements – they should be taken only if there is a clear deficiency of the microelement in the diet. The main food source of calcium is dairy products: milk, cheeses, cottage cheese, sour cream, butter. Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) increases the absorption of calcium, so it is recommended to monitor its level and eat foods rich in cholecalciferol – fish, meat, eggs, liver, and, if necessary, take vitamin D3 supplements.

The dangers of coral water and contraindications to its use

• the level of calcium and magnesium in the blood is higher than normal (hypercalcemia, hypermagnesemia);
• heart rhythm disturbances;
• first trimester of pregnancy, lactation period.

Excessive consumption of coral water can cause nausea, vomiting, stool disorders, and excessive gas formation in the intestines. Therefore, it is important to consult a doctor before starting to take coral water.

Impact of coral mining on ecology

Modern man is obliged to take environmental issues responsibly, so I cannot help but mention this issue. Fortunately, living corals, which are in danger of extinction, are not used for the production of dietary supplements. Coral powder is made from dead sections of coral reefs, but it cannot be said that their extraction on an industrial scale is safe for the ecosystem – it leads to changes in the natural landscape. It is unlikely that the dubious benefits of coral water are worth disrupting the ecosystem of the world’s oceans that has been formed over thousands of years, especially when there are other, more accessible sources of calcium.

In any case, it is important to understand: coral water is not a miracle cure or a panacea for all diseases; it does not cure cancer, does not saturate the blood with oxygen, and is not a unique source of calcium. This is just one of many dietary supplements, quite expensive and at the same time far from the best in its properties, so you should not place excessive expectations on coral powder.

Read more about popular health myths:

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• Psychosomatics: does it exist? Can stress cause illness?
• Can you lose weight if you drink a lot of water? Is it true that you need at least 2,5 liters per day? The main myths about water
• More about training, nutrition, sports medicine and sports as an activity – in the “Health” section
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Photo: /Amritanshu Sikdar, engin akyurt; /Francesco Ungaro;