Chlorella Algae, Nutrition Supplement Superfood

One of the Top Health Supplements Packed with Vitamins and Nutrients

Sep 7, 2009 Genevieve Kiger

This tiny algae almost too small to see has some of the highest nutrient and vitamin contents and may help fight a wide range of diseases.

Chlorella is the common name given to an entire genus of green algae, which is primarily found, in nature, in the Far East in freshwater ponds, streams and rivers, giving many of them a characteristic green color. There have been many scientific studies performed on the benefits and effects of chlorella over the years, starting in the early twentieth century.

Chlorella the Superfood

There seems to be no end to the list of nutrients present in this tiny single-celled food source.

The most obvious nutrient present is chlorophyll, which is what gives it – and most plants – its characteristic green color. Chlorophyll is chemically very similar to hemoglobin in human blood, except for the atom in the center being magnesium instead of iron. It helps to cleanse the blood, as well as assure proper oxygenation throughout the body. The list of problems this may help with is almost as long as chlorella itself.

Chlorella also contains an impressive list of vitamins. Vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and vitamin K are all present; so is the entire complex of B-vitamins, and is even one of the very few natural food sources of vitamin D, which is normally synthesized by the body from exposure to sunlight. Likewise present are many of the trace minerals the body needs, such as potassium, magnesium, zinc, iron, calcium, and more.

And the list of nutrients still isn't over. It has one of the highest protein percentages of any plant source; of the twenty-two amino acids the human body requires, it has eighteen, including all eight of the amino acids that the human body cannot synthesize from other compounds. Beta carotene, lutein (another carotenoid, very important for vision), omega-3 fatty acids, a broad spectrum of enzymes, on and on the list goes.

This remarkable list of nutrients caused it to be investigated as a possible large-scale food source in the early twentieth century, to prevent the massive food shortage they predicted in the future. It proved to be too cost-prohibitive for that degree of use at the time, however, mostly due to difficulties in properly harvesting it.

Chlorella as a Cancer Fighting Food

There are a growing number of studies looking at the possibility of using chlorella to prevent or even treat cancer.

One such study by scientists from South Korea, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, November 26, 2008, showed evidence that the carotenoids present in chlorella were helpful in preventing cancer, by assuring that cells died when they were supposed to, a process called apoptosis – a process that is interrupted by cancer, causing tumorous growth. Another study boosted the survival rate in mice injected with breast cancer cells from zero in the control group, to 70 percent in the group treated with chlorella prior to the cancer cell transplantation.

On the other hand, a similar study in the U.S. by Prof Randall Merchant, professor of Neurosurgery and Anatomy at Virginia Commonwealth University, found no evidence that it reduced tumors, but did still find it very useful for cancer patients in preventing secondary complications.

Chlorella for Fighting Lifestyle Diseases

Evidence continues to mount showing chlorella's effectiveness in preventing or treating a broad array of so-called "lifestyle diseases", such as chronic indigestion, depression, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease.

Scientists from Kyoto, Japan published the results of a 16-week study in the September, 2008 issue of the Journal of Medicinal Food, which looked at a group of healthy people and a group of people with high risk factors for lifestyle related diseases, which were both treated with chlorella. At the end of the study, levels of cholesterol, the percentage of body fat, and glucose levels in the blood were all reduced; some genes that help to control insulin signaling and metabolism were also affected, and being removed from chlorella returned them to the state they had been in prior to the study.

Sources:

"Chlorella: the superfood that helps fight disease", The Daily Telegraph, August 2009

"Chlorella can Replace a Closet Full of Expensive Supplements", Natural News, April 2009

"Change in Seasons: Ideal Time to Review Healthy Aging Habits", Reuters, August 2009

The Green Pharmacy, by James A. Duke, PhD (St. Martin's Paperbacks, 1998)

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The copyright of the article Chlorella Algae, Nutrition Supplement Superfood in Natural Medicine is owned by Genevieve Kiger. Permission to republish Chlorella Algae, Nutrition Supplement Superfood in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Chlorella Algae Packed with Vitamins and Nutrients