Spirulina Essentials

By now, you may be familiar with the term superfood, defined as “a natural food regarded as especially beneficial due to its nutrient profile or health-protecting qualities.” While many foods fit this description, one in particular may deserve special mention-spirulina.

Here’s what one medical journal had to say about this blue-green algae: “Spirulina is nature’s richest and most complete source of nutrition with a unique blend of nutrients that no single source can offer. “ The study goes on to note that “spirulina exhibits antioxidant, anti-bacterial, antiviral, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic and anti-diabetic functions.”1

Another study reported that “spirulina is a rich source of proteins, vitamins, amino acids, minerals, and other nutrients which has been experimentally proven to treat allergies, anemia, cancer, viral and cardiovascular diseases, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, immunodeficiency and inflammation.”2

Spirulina entered the world stage rather prominently when the 1974 United Nations World Food Conference lauded it as “the best food for the future.” Greater fame followed when both NASA 3 and the European Space Agency 4 proposed that spirulina should be one of the primary foods to be used by astronauts during long-term space missions.5

Spirulina comes in powder and capsules forms. You can also find it in prepared foods and green drinks, such as EnergyFirst Greenergy, which incorporates pristine Hawaiian spirulina along with 36 phytonutrients, digestive enzymes, and probiotics in a great tasting instant mix. Given the many benefits it offers, incorporating spirulina into your daily lifestyle is a very smart move.

References:
1 Curr Pharm Biotechnol. 2008 Oct;9(5):400-5
2 Arch Latinoam Nutr. 2002 Sep;52(3):232-40
3 (CELSS) Characterization of Spirulina biomass for CELSS diet potential. Normal, Al.: Alabama A&M University, 1988.
4 Cornet J.F., Dubertret G. "The cyanobacterium Spirulina in the photosynthetic compartment of the MELISSA artificial ecosystem." Workshop on artificial ecological systems, DARA-CNES, Marseille, France, October 24�26, 1990
5 Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2008 Sep 14. [Epub ahead of print]