Coral Calcium

 

 What is the difference between Coral Calcium and Calcium Citrate. Do they absorb the same or is the Coral Calcium more like the Calcium Carbonate?

 

Coral calcium describes the source of the calcium, usually from crushed shells.  There has been some concern in using this source for calcium since these shells can contain many heavy metals (like lead) which then may become incorporated into your body.  These brands are usually marketing themselves to a niche market that finds shell based sources more "natural". The citrate or carbonate describes the molecule that the calcium is attached to - kinda like calcium is riding in the citrate "car" or the carbonate "bus" in order to get inside your body.  The absorptive capabilities of the calcium is dependent upon what method it uses to get into your body.  The calcium citrate is better absorbed because the citrate molecule is more reactive in your body.  The calcium ion is the same no matter what it is attached to.  Although there may be other things attached to the whole molecule, as in the lead I mentioned earlier. On the back of any calcium supplement, the whole compound is described - so by reading the individual label you can determine if it is carbonate or citrate or sulfate or acetate, etc. regards,

Danielle, Thanks so much for the prompt response. I can see calcium citrate is the best.  Michele