Coral calcium
Coral calcium is calcium carbonate harvested from crushed, fossilized coral reef deposits, chemically similar to other calcium carbonate supplements and to ordinary limestone; no property specific to a coral source gives it superior bioavailability or a disease-curing action. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s evidence database states that coral calcium “has not been shown to treat or prevent cancer, and is not superior to other forms of calcium supplements” (MSKCC, last updated 5 Jan. 2022). The FTC’s 2003 complaint alleged that the disease-cure claims made for “Coral Calcium Supreme” were false and unsubstantiated; a 2004 settlement resolved those charges, barred the specific claims, and more broadly barred Trudeau from making health claims for any product in future advertising (FTC press release, 7 Sept. 2004; Trudeau v. FTC, 456 F.3d 178, D.C. Cir. 2006, recounting the underlying complaint and injunction). This entry documents the ingredient as marketed in the Trudeau infomercials specifically; it does not evaluate every coral-calcium product sold under other brands.