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Industry Watchdog Coral calcium and the creatine patch are put to the test.
Coral calcium and the creatine patch are put to the test.
By Rehan Jalali
A coral cure-all?
Q: I’ve been seeing a lot of ads for coral calcium and how it is supposed to be the best calcium source out there. The ads also say that it can cure many ailments like cancer. Is this product legit? ?
A: Coral calcium has to get the award for one of the biggest scams in recorded history. This supposedly "miraculous" product contains an inexpensive form of calcium along with nominal amounts of other minerals such as magnesium (in a poorly absorbed form). One top coral calcium product only contains about 36 percent of the RDI for calcium per serving, yet a one-month supply can cost as much as $29.95!
Regular calcium carbonate or calcium citrate supplements cost as little as $5 or less for a one-month supply. The makers of coral calcium claim it can cure all kinds of health ailments and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) noticed. In mid-June, the FTC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) filed a lawsuit against the makers and marketers of Coral Calcium Supreme for making false claims that the supplement can treat or cure serious disease conditions. The FTC says that advertising must be truthful, not misleading and that claims for products must be substantiated, but that there is no scientific evidence that calcium offers such health benefits. "Calcium is good stuff. It builds strong bones, but it doesn’t cure cancer," said Howard Beales, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.
The FTC is taking it a step further and wants to reimburse customers who purchased this product. Another thing that is alarming about this product is lead content. ConsumerLab.com found that Coral Calcium Supreme contained 2.5 micrograms of lead per gram of calcium, which exceeds the state of California’s no-significant-risk-level by 1 microgram and requires that a warning label be placed on the bottle to be sold in California. There is little to no published research in humans showing the clear benefits of coral calcium over other forms of calcium like calcium citrate. According to the Berkeley Wellness Guide to Dietary Supplements "there’s no reason to think coral calcium is anything magical, let alone better than other calcium sources, or worth the extra expense."
I have to go back to my original words of wisdom—if it’s too good to be true, it probably is. Stick with calcium citrate and calcium caseinate (found in quality nutrition bars and shakes), or just drink your skim milk and eat your low-fat cottage cheese!
On the patch
Q: I sometimes have stomach problems using regular creatine monohydrate. I saw this new product called the Creatine Excel-Patch™ and it seemed like a really cool way to get creatine monohydrate into the body. Does this product work?
A: The product you are referring to is a transdermal skin patch that supposedly delivers 5 grams of creatine monohydrate into the body per patch. I nearly fell off the bench when I heard about this one. After going to the company’s Web site, I could not find any published research studies in human showing the benefits of using this patch.
They have typical things on their site that are red flags or the Watchdog. These include a "magical" story without research support, a lengthy question and answer section, and supposed customer testimonials. Of course, they do not have a clinical research or science section. They are trying to use the popularity of creatine to lure in customers. There are hundreds of studies showing the benefits of powdered creatine so I’m not sure why everyone thinks that a gel, patch or serum will be any better. By the way, supplements that are delivered through the skin (transdermally) are actually considered drugs by the FDA so this company better watch out. If I were you, I would save my money on this one.
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