The new spinach?

a presentation from Geoff Smith

Spirulina:

“Natural” health products are on the rise.However…

Many of these products do nothing at all. Some can cause harm. It is our responsibility to understand what

we’re putting into our bodies.

This presentation regards Spirulina. It will try to help explain…

What Spirulina is.

What Spirulina is supposed to do.

What it actually does.

Several possible advantages and uses.

What is Spirulina?

Spirulina is a food supplement composed of two species of cyanobacteria, Arthrospira platensis and Arthrospira maxima.

It is characterized by its spiral structure, which never branches.

It is found naturally in Africa, Asia, and South America, though it is now cultivated worldwide.

It has been used as a food product for many years.

The Aztecs harvested Spirulina from lakes for centuries.

They called it teocuitlatl, which means “the stone’s excrement.” Mmmm…

Many alkaline lakes in Africa, particularly Lake Chad, and Asia have harvested Spirulina for hundreds of years.

Spirulina itself has been around at least 3.5 billion years.

Blue-green algae like Spirulina are probably responsible for our atmosphere becoming oxygen-rich during the Archaean and Proterozoic Eras, allowing organisms as we know them today to flourish.

They are the likely ancestors of all modern plants.

Stromatolites.

Today, Spirulina production and processing is a bustling industry.

Adding Spirulina to your diet is supposed to do a number of things.

Improve vision Accelerate weight loss Prevent cancer Improve absorption of trace

element Increase strength and vitality Inhibit HIV proliferation Improve memory Reduce risk of stroke and

heart attack Cure hay fever And countless more

But what does it really do?

Spirulina costs money, like everything else.

Does Spirulina really have health benefits, or are people paying hard-earned money for slime?

First, lets look at weight loss.

Spirulina and Weight Loss

The Nutrition Resources Extension of Colorado State University conducted a series of tests over many weight loss supplements.

Mainly, they found there is no “magic bullet.” Spirulina was found to have many essential nutrients, and thus

was a decent meal replacement. However, taking too much caused toxicity from the very

nutrients people were taking the Spirulina to maintain. It made me wonder what kind of nutrient levels Spirulina really

has.

Nutritional Analysis

Protein. Spirulina is 65-71% protein by dry weight, and contains all the essential amino acids except histidine.

Minerals. Spirulina contains relatively high concentrations of K, Ca, Zn, Mg, Mn, Se, Fe, and P.

Vitamins. Spirulina contains B1, B2, B6, B12, biotin, pantothenic acid, folica acid, inositol, niacin, and Vitamin E.

Carotenoids. Spirulina has alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, xanthophylis, cryptoxanthin, echinenone, zeaxanthin, and lutein.

Pigment. Chlorophyll is found in great abundance in Spirulina, as are phycocyanin and porphyrin.

Spirulina contains very little carbohydrates, and about 3.9 Kcal/gram. There is also very little Na, which is important for some people.

When you look at the numbers, Spirulina appears to be promising as a nutritional supplement, as long as you don’t go overboard.

All right, then let’s see how it works on arsenic poisoning…

Many people suffer from arsenic poisoning worldwide. This study was conducted in Bangladesh, where the metal comes from the drinking water.

By inhibiting important enzymes, arsenic can cause a range of symptoms, from discolored patches of skin to death.

It’s not good for you.

In 2003 and 2004, a study was conducted.

Patients that displayed the discolored patches of skin were given arsenic-free water.

Some were given Spirulina and Zn, while others only had the clean water.

The Spirulina treatment, over time, was shown to reduce arsenic levels in hair by 47.1%.

Let’s look at heart health.

Forty hamsters were fed an atherogenic diet for twelve weeks. They were given daily either phycocyanin, Se-enriched

phycocyanin, Spirulina, Se-enriched Spirulina, or a control of plain water.

HDL levels were not reduced in the experimental groups, but it was shown that Spirulina and its pigment phycocyanin prevented the development of atherosclerosis.

Aortic fatty streak was reduced in the Se-enriched phycocyanin by 85%.

Cardiac production of the superoxide anion was reduced by 46-76%, with Se-enriched phycocyanin giving the most significant change.

What about antioxidant properties?

I found one article that argues there has been little research done on Spirulina and other chlorophyll-rich dietary supplements, and that the benefits claimed by the manufacturers are unfounded.

I also found a study that compared Spirulina to wheatgrass in terms of antioxidant supplementation.

Spirulina did not show significant increases in blood antioxidant levels, though the wheatgrass did.

However, I found several other studies that did claim significant changes, and dozens of articles touting Spirulina’s effects.

I’ve found studies that support Spirulina’s “brain improving” powers.

Reducing brain damage in rats after strokes.

Reversal of free radical damage in the brains of old rats.

Improved motor learning in old rats.

However, most of these studies were conducted by psychologists, not neuroscientists.

I tried to conduct an experiment on Spirulina myself…

I was going to test for appetite, stress, libido, and mood using poll sheets before and after a prescribed Spirulina treatment.

I learned that all of my test subjects are painfully unreliable.

In my own experience, I have not seen any big changes in any of the above criteria.

So, what’s the catch?

Honestly, I couldn’t find anything dangerous about Spirulina except that it can store the heavy metals present in the water where it grows. This quality might lend itself to wastewater treatment.

Also, if you eat too much of it, you can get vitamin toxicity.

Some neat things to think about…

Spirulina is one of the leading candidates as a primary food source in the CELSS program.

It has the potential to help with the hunger crisis worldwide.

In stark contrast to soy and corn, it does not have a discreet growing season, and can be grown easily in sterile conditions and harvested as needed.

As animal feed, its use is on the rise. It can make use of fertilizers such as urea that harm

many food crops, and thus does not require traditional fertilizer.

References:

Wheat Grass Supplementation Decreases Oxidative Stress in Healthy Subjects: A Comparative Study with Spirulina. Radye Shyam, et al. Journal of Alternative & Complementary Medicine; Oct2007, Vol. 13 Issue 8, p789-792, 4p, 2 charts

Supplement Snapshot. By: McVeigh, Gloria, Prevention, 00328006, Dec2006, Vol. 58, Issue 12

Cut Your Cancer Risk with Spirulina. Dowd, Rachel. Natural Health; Jul2003, Vol. 33 Issue 5, p28, 1p, 1c

Stroke Protection. Sarah Todd. Psychology Today; Oct2005, Vol. 38 Issue 5, p20-20, 1/5p, 1c

Efficacy of Spirulina Extract Plus Zinc in Patients of Chronic Arsenic Poisoning: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled Study. Mir Misbahuddin, et al. Clinical Toxicology (15563650); 2006, Vol. 44 Issue 2, p135-141, 7p, 2 charts

Phycobiliprotein C-phycocyanin from Spirulina platensis is powerfully responsible for reducing oxidative stress and NADPH oxidafse expression induced by an atherogenic diet in hamsters Ris Jerome, et al. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Vol. 55 (19). SEP 19 2007. 7962-7967

Weight Loss Products and Programs by J. Anderson and L. Young Colorado State University Extension—Nutrition Resources 2002