Coral Calcium Suppluments And Shellfish Allergies

[Silliest of Yaks]

Just wanted to pass along a warning from the Mayo Clinic website:

"Do not take coral calcium if you're allergic to shellfish. Coral calcium, which is obtained from ocean coral reefs, can trigger allergic reactions, such as hives, breathing problems and swelling, in people with shellfish allergies. "

- Open Original Shared Link

Unlike products that actually CONTAIN shellfish ingredients, coral calcium is not technically shellfish, and is available in supplements without any sort of warning label. Seeing as how many of us take calcium (either because we cannot tolerate dairy or have other absorption/bone density/neuro issues, etc) and food allergies and sensitivities seem so common among celiacs, it seems like others in the group might benefit from this warning.

I feel like I'm pretty smart about reading labels and the like, but this one somehow snuck past me. I didn't have an immediate reaction, but after taking the supplement on and off for awhile, I noticed that occasionally my tongue would get a bit swollen and I was getting unexplained hives. Given the amount of weird stupid health issues I have going on and haven't made sense of, it took until a near-anaphylactic experience (tight throat accompanied by hives and a HUGE tongue that barely fit in my mouth) for the lightbulb to go off that I was definitely having an allergic reaction to something. I took two Benadryl right away, which luckily did the trick, but looking back, maybe I should have used my epi-pen. I thought about everything I had eaten, medications I'd taken, and then it hit me. My calcium supplement was derived from coral, and I’d taken one within about a half-hour of the reaction. Duh. Anyway, be smart with the calcium supplements!

Some are also derived from oyster shell, but these are legally required (FDA major allergen labeling) to make note of it. Still something to look out for, since we all know that food and supplement labeling is an imperfect system!