Calcium Delivery by Coral Calcium

A preliminary study comparing blood levels of free Calcium following the administration of Coral Calcium in young adult rats

Dr. Velva McWhinney – Texas Praire View A&M, Prairie View, Texas
Dr. Arup Sen, GenoMechanix, LLC, Gainesville, Florida

Introduction

Calcium is an important mineral that supports various bodily functions, including bone health. Several forms of Calcium are currently marketed in solid and liquid formulations. Various factors, including diet and the solubility of the Calcium preparation in water, are known to affect the uptake of Calcium. As a result, formulations containing other minerals, vitamins and other materials (binders, flavors, preservatives etc.) are often found in solid and liquid Calcium delivery formulations.

This study was designed to perform a preliminary evaluation of the uptake of an all natural Calcium carbonate present in above-sea coral in young adult rats.

Study Rationale

Initial objective of this study is to assess the assimilation of Calcium by monitoring blood levels of free Calcium following a single administration of Coral Calcium without any formulation that use other ingredients. A second goal of this study was to evaluate whether the addition of Coral Calcium in water versus milk would make a readily detectable difference.

This study is of a limited scope that only assesses blood levels of free Calcium following a single administration. There is significant debate about the means by which blood Calcium is measured as a measure of bioavailability. Therefore, initial conclusions from this study remain subject to applicable criticisms. The applicability of data from a rat study to humans is complicated by multiple facts, including the higher metabolic rates and the substantially shorter gastrointestinal tract in rats. It is also not clear how much, if any, of the Calcium being delivered is being deposited in selected tissues, especially bone, during the study period and how that might affect the estimation of total Calcium delivered by the Coral Calcium in milk or water.

Due to the complexity of factors that could affect the uptake and effects of calcium, this study design was made simple: administer an amount that is approximately equal to the “recommended daily dose” for adult human males on a “mg/Kg body weight” in young adult male rats (without any adjustments for the metabolic rate difference between rats and humans).

The Experiment

Freshly weighed amounts of Coral Calcium were added to water [Zephyrhills 8 oz. bottles] or milk [All Natural Reduced Fat Store Brand Milk], stirred gently (without creating foam, especially the milk solution) in order to prepare a uniform suspension. Samples prepared in milk were kept in the refrigerator until just before use and were brought up to ambient temperature with gentle shaking in order to yield a uniform suspension. No attempt was made to artificially adjust the pH of the preparations.

A single administration in 0.25 cc was delivered to each of 4 rats. Blood was collected by tail bleeding. Free Calcium was measured in plasma using the QuantiChrom Calcium

assay kit following manufacturer’s protocol (Bioassay Systems Inc., Hayward, CA) and using Calcium chloride as standard.

 

Results

As expected, Coral Calcium yielded a suspension in both water and milk at the concentration used in the study - 175 grams per liter of water. This suspension contains approximately 65 mg elemental Calcium per cc.

A single dose of 0.25 cc of Coral calcium-supplemented milk or water was administered (approximately 16.25 mg elemental Calcium) in each rat in the group.

The change in mg/deciliter (mg/dL) over time is shown in the graph below during a time span of 12 hr during which time the Calcium level had returned to the level prior to administration of Coral calcium.

There were significant variations between animals that received Coral calcium. The plot shown above is an average over four rats at each time point. Most likely explanation for this is the difficulty with administering identical amounts of the solids in a suspension. A significantly larger study with several animals at each time point will provide a more reliable value by averaging over a larger data set. An alternative explanation is that the rate of uptake varies from animal to animal when the material is not totally dissolved; however, the total amount taken up over a 12 – 24 hr period may be comparable.

Demonstrable rise in blood level was seen within about 1-2 hr following administration, reaching peak levels within 2-4 hrs followed by a decline starting at about 6 hrs and returning to pre-administration levels by 12 hrs. The preparation in water showed a slight delay in rise compared to the milk suspension and the overall area under the curve (an estimate of total uptake) appeared to be within 15% - 20% of each other and well within the experimental variation, given the variation between animals. Based on estimated total blood volume in young adult rats the estimated total blood calcium (estimated from the Area Under the Curve [AUC]) was between approximately 25% – 35% of the total Calcium administered.

Comments and Conclusions

The overall conclusion of this preliminary study is that Coral calcium is an effective delivery vehicle for calcium. It is conceivable that materials used in formulations, for example Vitamin D, Vitamin K, and/or Magnesium, may enhance the delivery of SanC- Cal. Additional studies, especially with a larger number of animals observed over a longer period and evaluated for functional benefits such as bone density or the ability to prevent osteoporosis-like syndromes in ovariectomized (ovaries removed surgically in newborns) female rats will yield new and valuable information regarding SanC-Cal.