Spirulina health benefit, cancer,
cholesterol and antioxidant uses, what is the right dosage?
Two New Age foods which contain high concentrations of whole food nutrients are
the single-celled microalgae Chlorella and Spirulina. Chlorella and spirulina
algae are used as a
supplement or ingredient or as a complete food to enhance the performance and
state of the human body, or improve a specific bodily function. You can find spirulina in a weight loss
product called Diet Rx pill.
Source Naturals Spirulina,
Hawaiian
For
over 30 years spirulina ( Spirulina platensis ) has been the premier choice for
supplementing a vegetarian diet. Source Naturals Spirulina is of the highest
quality available. This special blue-green algae is a good source of numerous
vitamins, minerals, carotenoids, and essential fatty acids that are hard to
maintain at adequate levels with a vegetarian diet. Most notable is the high
quality protein, which contains all nine essential amino acids. Spirulina cell
walls do not contain cellulose to slow down digestion. Source Naturals Spirulina
is naturally grown and harvested without herbicides or pesticides.
Suggested Use: 1 to 4 spirulina tablets daily with meals. Take a week off from use each
month.
Click Spirulina to purchase or to see a complete list of products
at Physician Formulas
Spirulina health Benefit
This blue-green alga (photosynthesizing cyanobacterium) has
diverse biological activity. Due to high content of highly valuable proteins,
amino acids, vitamins, beta-carotene and other pigments, mineral substances,
fatty acids and polysaccharides, spirulina has benefit for use as
bioactive additive. Spirulina stimulates the immune system by enhancing the
production of antibodies and cytokines and thus improving resistance of
humans, mammals, chickens and fish to infections. Under the influence of spirulina, macrophages, T and B cells are activated.
SPreparations obtained from SP biomass have also been found active against herpes virus, cytomegalovirus, influenza virus, etc. Spirulina preparations are regarded as functional products contributing to the
preservation of the resident intestinal microflora, especially lactic acid bacilli and
bifidobacteria, and to a decrease in the level of Candida albicans. The biological
activity of spirulina with respect to microorganisms holds good promise for using these microalgae as components of culture media.
Spirulina health benefit as an
antioxidant
Spirulina fusiformis provides protection against mercuric chloride induced
oxidative stress in Swiss albino mice.
Food Chem Toxicol. 2007; Department of Zoology, RLS
Government (PG) College, Kaladera, Jaipur, India.
Oxidative stress induced by mercuric chloride in mice substantially
increases the lipid peroxidation level along with corresponding decrease
in the reduced glutathione and various antioxidant enzymes in liver and
increase in serum transaminases activity. Supplementation of Spirulina
(800mg/kg body weight orally, in olive oil, along with mercuric chloride)
for 40 days resulted in decreased LPO level, serum glutamate oxaloacetate
and serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase activity along with increase in
liver GSH level. The activities of antioxidants enzymes superoxide
dismutase, catalase and glutathione-S-transferase were also concomitantly
restored to near normal level by Spirulina supplementation to mercuric
chloride intoxicated mice.
Benefit for cancer
Long-term effect of Spirulina platensis extract on DMBA-induced hamster
buccal pouch carcinogenesis (immunohistochemical study).
Med Oncol. 2009. Grawish ME, Zaher AR, Gaafar AI, Nasif WA.
Oral Biology Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Mansoura University, Mansoura,
Egypt.
In this study, 80 male golden Syrian hamsters were divided into four
equal groups; the right buccal pouches of the hamster rats in group 1 were
painted with 0.5% solution of 7, 12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA), three
times a week for 32 weeks. The same pouches of group 2 were subjected to the
same DMBA painting; but at the same time, the animals received 10 mg daily
Spirulina platensis extract for the same period. In group 3, the same regimen of
DMBA painting was done but for 24 weeks only and the daily systemically
Spirulina platensis was received for the 32 weeks. In group 4, neither DMBA
painting nor Spirulina platensis administration was done but pouches were
painted with saline and served as a control one. Our results show spirulina
platensis extract has a beneficial role in regression of cancer progression.
Spirulina health benefit for
high
cholesterol
Hypocholesterolemic effect of spirulina in patients with hyperlipidemic
nephrotic syndrome.
J Med Food. 2002. Department of Foods and Nutrition,
M S University of Baroda, Vadodara, Gujarat, India.
In nephrotic syndrome, large amounts of plasma proteins are lost in urine,
causing a decrease in the plasma oncotic pressure. This leads to enhanced
hepatic synthesis of albumin and other proteins, including lipoproteins,
causing a secondary hyperlipidemia. In this study 23 patients (age 2 to 13
years) with nephrotic syndrome received either medication (group I) or
medication plus 1 gram a day Spirulina. It can be concluded that spirulina
capsules, rich in antioxidants, GLA, amino acids, and fatty acids, helped
reduce the increased levels of lipids in patients with hyperlipidemic
nephrotic syndrome.
Spirulina health benefit in
preventing muscle damage during heavy exercise
Preventive effects of Spirulina platensis on skeletal muscle damage under
exercise-induced oxidative stress.
Eur J Appl Physiol. 2006. Sport Science Research
Center, National Taiwan College of Physical Education, Taichung, Taiwan.
The benefit of spirulina supplementation on preventing skeletal muscle
damage on untrained human beings were examined. Sixteen students
volunteered to take Spirulina platensis in addition to their normal diet
for 3-weeks. The results showed that plasma concentrations of
malondialdehyde (MDA) were significantly decreased after supplementation
with spirulina. The activity of blood superoxide dismutase (SOD) was
significantly raised after supplementation with spirulina or soy protein.
Both of the blood glutathione peroxidaes (GPx) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH)
levels were significantly different between spirulina and soy protein
supplementation. In addition, the lactate concentration was higher and the
time to exhaustion was significantly extended in the spirulina trail.
These results suggest that ingestion of Spirulina platensis showed
preventive effect of the skeletal muscle damage and that probably led to
postponement of the time of exhaustion during the all-out exercise.
Spirulina health benefit for allergic rhinitis
Effects of a Spirulina-based dietary supplement on cytokine
production from allergic rhinitis patients.
J Med Food. 2005. Mao TK, Van de Water J, Gershwin
ME. Division of Rheumatology/Allergy and Clinical Immunology, University
of California at Davis, School of Medicine, Davis, California, USA.
We evaluated the impact of a Spirulina based dietary supplement (Earthrise
Nutritionals, Inc., Irvine, CA) on patients with allergic rhinitis by
assessing the production of cytokines [interleukin (IL)-4, interferon (IFN)-gamma,
and IL-2] critical in regulating immunoglobulin E-mediated allergy. These
results indicate that Spirulina can modulate the Th profile in patients
with allergic rhinitis by suppressing the differentiation of Th2 cells
mediated, in part, by inhibiting the production of IL-4. To our knowledge,
this is the first human feeding study that demonstrates the beenfit of
spirulina towards allergic rhinitis.
Prevention of toxic
Protective effect of Spirulina against 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide induced
toxicity.
Mol Biol Rep. 2010. Viswanadha VP, Sivan S, Rajendra Shenoi R.
Department of Biotechnology, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India,
In the present study, we focused on the protective effect of Spirulina
against 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide (4NQO) induced hepato and nephrotoxicity in the
experimental rats. The 4NQO administration resulted in increased levels of
hepatic and renal markers [Alanine Transaminase (ALT), Aspartate Transaminase
(AST), Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH), urea, creatinine and uric acid] in the serum
of experimental animals. It also increased the oxidative stress resulting in
increased levels of the lipid peroxidation with a concomitant decline in the
levels of non enzymic [reduced glutathione (GSH)] and enzymic antioxidants
[(Superoxide dismutase (SOD), Catalase (CAT), Glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and
Glutathione-S-transferase (GST)] in both liver and kidney. Oral pretreatment
with aqueous extract of Spirulina prevented 4NQO induced changes in the levels
of hepatic and kidney diagnostic marker enzymes in the serum of experimental
rats. It counteracted the 4NQO induced lipid peroxidation and maintained the
hepatic and kidney antioxidant defense system at near normal in both liver and
kidney. The antioxidant responsiveness mediated by Spirulina may be anticipated
to have biological significance in eliminating reactive free radicals that may
otherwise affect normal cell functioning and provide a scientific rationale for
the use of Spirulina.
Emails
Q. I have been consuming Spirulina product over the past few
months for mood balance. I recently came across some articles which warned that the
benefits of Spirulina claimed by manufacturers have not had much evidence
behind them but on the contrary there may be ill effects as Spirulina may
contain toxins and heavy metals. I feel concerned after reading the
articles. I would like to ask if you can provide assurance to users that
spirulina products are safe to consume and that there will be no toxic
effects from consuming it. Thank you.
A. We cannot claim that any supplement is safe for long term use.
There just isn't enough known about long term spirulina health benefit
or potential harm. People
should take breaks from the use of supplements just in case there's
something harmful going on that we don't know about. By taking breaks from
use, we can get many benefits from spirulina and from other supplements, and minimize risks.