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

Sango sea 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 "Okinawa Gold."

Okinawa is located on a former coral reef of Sango sea coral. Rain flows through the fossilized reef, absorbing the valuable, now ionized minerals and trace elements of the Sango sea coral. The water is simultaneously filtered and purified by the coral, and then fills the local population's drinking water wells.

The inhabitants of the Okinawa region in Japan are known for their high life expectancy and excellent health in old age. Lifestyle diseases such as cardiovascular problems and cancer were virtually unknown in Okinawa. 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 people in Okinawa live to be 100 years old or older more often than in other regions of the world and also more often than in the rest of Japan, and in one third of all cases are still able to manage their daily lives independently (see. https://orcls.org/ocs/).

It was discovered that an important difference to other Japanese regions was Okinawa's special water. v.a. the unique mineral composition of the drinking water, which is derived from the Sango coral rock.

The bioavailability of Sango sea coral

The minerals in Sango sea coral are present in ionized form, which significantly improves their absorption in the body. Calcium from the sea coral, in particular, is characterized by above-average bioavailability of ~90%. as a Japanese study from 1999 showed (cf. https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jnsv1973/45/5/45_5_509/_article). D.h90% of the calcium we consume actually reaches our cells and is not simply excreted again.

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

Reinhard Danne writes in his book “Sango Sea Corals” that Sango sea coral and the calcium it contains are not only significantly more bioavailable, but can also be detected in the bloodstream within 20 minutes.

The researchers involved discovered at the time that the minerals in sea corals are absorbed much better by the intestinal mucosa than conventional dietary supplements containing carbonate compounds. Thus, Sango sea coral appears to be something special and not comparable to conventional carbonates.

Sango sea coral resembles human bones

The Sango sea coral is so similar to the structure of our bones that it - as described here: https://www.freepatentsonline.com/DE20311110.html - would be ideal as a bone substitute material. Because of its similarity to human bone, the body does not perceive it as a foreign substance.

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

A few years later, the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Charité University Hospital in Berlin began using coral as a bone substitute for cranial bone. 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 [link missing]. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s100060050037).

Why should calcium and magnesium be supplemented together?

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

An excess of calcium can also deplete the body's magnesium reserves. The balance between the 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 about 2:1.

Calcium and magnesium in the Sango sea coral

Calcium and magnesium in Sango sea coral are also present in an ideal ratio of 2:1 for our body. Only when this ratio is maintained can the minerals be optimally metabolized by our organism.

Is Sango sea coral vegan and gluten-free?

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

The material used to produce the dietary supplements is not the actual coral, but its natural byproducts in the form of calcium carbonate. The coral constantly deposits calcium carbonate, thus building enormous coral reefs over the centuries. The naturally broken pieces of the coral structure, once formed by the coral organisms, are collected and processed into powder. Therefore, Sango sea coral is also suitable for vegans.

In addition, Sango sea coral is gluten-free and can therefore be consumed without concern by people with gluten intolerance.

Are coral reefs being destroyed for the Sango sea coral?

Sango sea coral is not harvested from living coral reefs for the production of high-quality nutritional supplements. Instead, only coral fragments that have naturally detached from the coral reefs over time and are now found scattered across the seafloor around Okinawa are collected – under strict control.

Possible side effects

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

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.