Bob Barefoot and Coral Calcium

Bob (Robert) Barefoot was born in 1944 and is a major proponent of coral calcium, a popular name for a dietary supplement derived from petrified calcium deposits extracted from dead coral reefs.

Until 2004, he presented his products in an infomercial hosted by Kevin Trudeau. In May of 2000, T-UP, Inc., a Baltimore company was ordered by the Maryland Attorney General to stop making what it described as unsubstanted health claims extolling the benefits of coral calcium in people with diseases like Cancer and AIDS.

Some rumors have been circulated that Bob Barefoot went to jail over these issues with coral calcium.

The FTC also raised complaints against Bob Barefoot. Again, he was not jailed over these complaints, but he did plead guilty in an effort to avoid an expensive trial (according to his web site).

The FTC made the following claims about the content of the infomercial:

• Coral Calcium is an effective cure for any form of cancer
• Coral calcium is an effective treatment or cure for multiple sclerosis, lupus, or other autoimmune diseases.
• Coral calcium is an effective treatment or cure for heart disease and/or chronic high blood pressure.
• A daily serving size of coral calcium provides the same bio-available calcium as two gallons of milk.
• The body absorbs significantly more, and in some cases as much as 100 times more, of the calcium contained in coral calcium, and at a rate significantly faster, than the calcium contained in other commonly available calcium supplements.
• Scientific research published in the Journal of the America Medical Association, (JAMA), the New England Journal of Medicine, and other reputable medical journals prove that calcium supplements are able reverse and/or cure all forms of cancer in the human body.

Upon viewing of the informercial, these allegations are dubious, but Bob Barefoot's apprent desire was to not attempt to outspend the FTC's financial resources in court...

Bob Barefoot continues to maintain a popular website with education and information about coral calcium and any rumors about Bob Barefoot being sent to jail over coral calcium appear to be false.