Spirulina: What It Is And How It Benefits You

Spirulina is a dietary supplement rich with nutritional and health benefits. It was a major food source for the Aztecs until the 16th century. It is known as an algae-based food supplement and is made primarily from two types of cyanobacteria – Arthrospira Maxima and Arthrospira Platensis.

What is Spirulina?

A single cell 0rganism with a spiral physical configuration that comes from the blue-green freshwater algae.
Spirulina is a superfood with a remarkable ability to synthesize concentrated food efficiently. It is loaded with 60% highly digestible protein. A low-calorie super green with an excellent amount of chlorophyll, vitamins, essential minerals, nucleic acids, antioxidants, polysaccharides including a high concentration of omega 6 fatty acids.

What are Benefits of Spirulina?

Arthrospira is quite versatile. Used worldwide, it has been used as whole food, in tablet form, as a powder, and in flake form. The poultry, aquarium, and aquaculture industries have also used it as a feed supplement.

For health benefits, Spirulina contains vitamin B12, proteins, and essential amino acids as well as other nutrients. In fact, Spirulina is about 60% protein.

The lipid weight of Spirulina is about 7%. It is also rich in gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). Other nutrients that make up Spirulina include alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), linoleic acid (LA), stearidonic acid (SDA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and arachidonic acid (AA).

Spirulina is also full of the following vitamins: thiamine, riboflavin, nicotinamide, pyrodoxine, folic acid, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin A, vitamin E.

And you’ll also find these minerals present in Spirulina: potassium, calcium, chromium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, sodium, and zinc. There are also other healthy pigments natural to Spirulina including beta-carotene, xanthophyll, and more.

Many countries have ongoing scientific studies to measure the health benefits and risks of Spirulina as a long-term food source. Both NASAs Controlled Ecological Life Support System and the European Space Agency (MELISSA) have proposed that Spirulina be considered a primary food substance for long-term space missions.

It is usually blue-green in color and grown organically in a safe environment. It acts to protect living cells from damage through antioxidants. Because Spirulina can contain heavy metals that are harmful to the human body, you should buy it only from recognized companies with a strong brand. There can be side effects for certain rare disorders so be sure to check with your physician before use. However, the benefits of using Spirulina for most people far outweigh the risks.

Spirulina has been known to provide immune support for people taking it as a dietary supplement, an important protein supplement, protection against allergic reactions, protection against anti-biotic-related illnesses, and protection against infection, oral cancer, and liver disorders.

Other benefits of Spirulina include muscle-building supplement and assisting diabetics in regulating food intake.

The Japanese are big advocates of Spirulina and you’ll find it to be in regular use in the country and many Japanese include it as a regular part of their diet. It can be expensive and should be taken in light doses. Overuse can load the kidneys with too many vitamins and minerals. Otherwise, Spirulina is a safe dietary supplement with many benefits.