What is Sango marine coral and where does it come from?

The Sango marine coral grows in the waters around the island of Okinawa in Japan, where the so-called Sango coral reefs are found. There it is also known as the "Gold of Okinawa".

Okinawa is situated on a former coral reef of the Sango marine coral. Rain flows through the fossilized reef, absorbing the valuable, now ionized minerals and trace elements of the Sango marine coral, being simultaneously filtered and purified by the coral, and then filling the drinking water wells of the population.

The inhabitants of the Okinawa region in Japan are known for their high life expectancy and excellent health in old age. Civilization diseases such as cardiovascular problems and cancer were virtually unknown in Okinawa. This was confirmed in a study conducted from 1976 to 1994, the so-called... Okinawa Centenarian Study, a team of scientists investigated for the first time the diet of the small island people and why the people of Okinawa more frequently live to be 100 years old or older than in other regions of the world and also more frequently than in the rest of Japan, and in a third of all cases are still able to manage their everyday lives independently (see https://orcls.org/ocs/).

It was found that a key difference compared to other Japanese regions was Okinawa's unique water. v.a. the unique mineral composition of the drinking water, which is due to the Sango coral rock.

The bioavailability of Sango marine coral

The minerals in Sango marine coral are present in ionized form, which significantly improves their absorption by the body. In particular, the calcium from the marine coral is characterized by an above-average bioavailability of approximately 90%. as a Japanese study from 1999 was able to show (see https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jnsv1973/45/5/45_5_509/_article). D.h90% of the calcium we ingest actually reaches our cells and is not simply excreted.

In conventional preparations, calcium is often only present in its solid form as calcium carbonate. After ingestion, it must then be laboriously released during the digestive process. Only then can our body metabolize the mineral. This lengthy process frequently reduces the bioavailability of common preparations to 20-40%.

Reinhard Danne writes in his book "Sango Marine Corals" that the Sango marine coral, or rather the calcium it contains, is not only significantly more bioavailable, but can also be detected in the bloodstream within 20 minutes.

The researchers involved found that the minerals in marine coral are absorbed by the intestinal lining much better than conventional dietary supplements made from carbonate compounds. Sango marine coral, therefore, appears to be something truly special and not comparable to conventional carbonates.

Sango marine coral resembles human bones

The Sango marine coral is so similar in structure to our bones that it can be adapted as described here: https://www.freepatentsonline.com/DE20311110.html It would be ideally suited as a bone replacement material. Due to its similarity to human bone, it is not recognized by the body as a foreign substance.

French scientists discovered this in a study as early as the late 1980s (see...). https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jbm.820230708) that bone implants made from coral are slowly resorbed by the body's own bone tissue, while the coral is simultaneously replaced by new bone tissue over time.The scientists concluded that coral represents an excellent biomaterial that acts like a scaffold in the body, around which osteoblasts (bone cells) attach themselves, allowing new bone to form. Finnish researchers made a similar observation in 1996 (see [reference]). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0142961295003517?via%3Dihub).

A few years later, researchers at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Charité University Hospital in Berlin began using coral as a bone substitute material in the skull. The results were published a few years later (1998) in a journal for oral and maxillofacial surgery under the title "Natural coral calcium carbonate as an alternative substitute in bone defects of the skull" (see [reference]). https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s100060050037).

Why should calcium and magnesium be supplemented together?

Magnesium is necessary for the proper metabolism of calcium and its incorporation into bones. Without sufficient magnesium, calcium may be deposited in soft tissues or blood vessels, increasing the risk of calcification.

Excess calcium can also deplete the body's magnesium reserves. The ratio between these two minerals is crucial for the healthy function of muscles, nerves, and the cardiovascular system.

Calcium, for example, is responsible for muscle contraction. Magnesium, on the other hand, ensures muscle relaxation. An imbalance can promote muscle cramps or tension.

The recommended, optimal ratio of calcium to magnesium is approximately 2:1.

Calcium and magnesium in Sango marine coral

Furthermore, calcium and magnesium are present in Sango marine coral in an ideal ratio of 2:1 for our bodies. Only when this ratio is maintained can the minerals be optimally metabolized by our organism.

Is Sango marine coral vegan and gluten-free?

In fact, corals are marine animals and not, as is often assumed, marine plants.

The material used to produce these dietary supplements is not coral itself, but rather its natural byproducts in the form of calcium carbonate. Coral constantly deposits calcium carbonate, building enormous coral reefs over centuries. Naturally shed pieces of the coral skeleton, once formed by coral animals, are collected and processed into a powder. Therefore, Sango marine coral is also suitable for vegans.

Furthermore, Sango marine coral is gluten-free and can therefore be taken without hesitation by people with gluten intolerance.

Are coral reefs being destroyed for the Sango marine coral?

Sango marine coral is not harvested from living coral reefs for the production of high-quality nutritional supplements. Instead, only coral fragments that have naturally broken off from the coral reefs over time and are now scattered on the seabed around Okinawa are collected – under strict controls.

Possible side effects

In rare cases, taking Sango coral can cause side effects. At high doses, symptoms such as diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting may occur. However, these symptoms are uncommon and can often be alleviated or avoided by adjusting the dosage.In particular, people with kidney disease or those taking medications that affect blood calcium levels should consult a doctor before taking Sango coral. Additional calcium intake in the form of Sango coral could negatively impact the body's calcium balance.

Further sources

· European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) (2010), Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to calcium and maintenance of normal bone and teeth (ID 2731, 3155, 4311, 4312, 4703), maintenance of normal hair and nails (ID 399, 3155), maintenance of normal blood LDL-cholesterol concentrations (ID 349, 1893), maintenance of normal blood HDL-cholesterol concentrations (ID 349, 1893), reduction in the severity of symptoms related to the premenstrual syndrome (ID 348, 1892), “cell membrane permeability” (ID 363), reduction of tiredness and fatigue (ID 232), contribution to normal psychological functions (ID 233), contribution to the maintenance or achievement of a normal body weight (ID 228, 229) and regulation of normal cell division and differentiation (ID 237) according to Article 13(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, http://www.efsa.europa.eu/de/efsajournal/pub/1725.

· European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) (2010), Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to magnesium and “hormonal health” (ID 243), reduction of tiredness and fatigue (ID 244), contribution to normal psychological functions (ID 245, 246), maintenance of normal blood glucose concentrations (ID 342), maintenance of normal blood pressure (ID 344, 366, 379), protection of DNA, proteins and lipids from oxidative damage (ID 351), maintenance of the normal function of the immune system (ID 352), maintenance of normal blood pressure during pregnancy (ID 367), resistance to mental stress (ID 375, 381), reduction of gastric acid levels (ID 376), maintenance of normal fat metabolism (ID 378) and maintenance of normal muscle contraction (ID 380, ID 3083) according to Article 13(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006, http://www.efsa.europa.eu/de/efsajournal/pub/1807.

· Spencer, H.; Fuller, H.; Norris, C.; Williams, D. (1994), Effect of magnesium on the intestinal absorption of calcium in man, Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Volume 13, Issue 5, p. 485 - 492, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7836628.

· German Nutrition Society (DGE), Austrian Nutrition Society (ÖGE), Swiss Nutrition Society (SGE) (2018), DA-CH Reference Values ​​for Nutrient Intake, 2nd edition, 4th updated edition. Or online: https://www.dge.de/wissenschaft/referenzwerte/magnesium/; https://www.dge.de/wissenschaft/referenzwerte/calcium/.

· Goluch-Koniuszy, ZS (2016), Nutrition of women with hair loss problem during the period of menopause, Menopause Review (Przegląd Menopauzalny), Volume 15, Issue 1, p. 56 - 61, https://www.termedia.pl/Nutrition-of-women-with-hair-loss-problem-during-the-period-of-menopause,4,27186,0,1.html.