What is Spirulina? Are There Any Benefits Of Spirulina?

[John Messick]

Hello friends,

What is the nutrition impact of Spirulina? Are there any side-effects of Spirulina?

Best regards
John Messick

 

[BarredBuff]

Interesting

AND

 

[Wannabefree]

From Wiki...

Spirulina is a form of cyanobacterium, some of which are known to produce toxins such as microcystins, BMAA, and others. Spirulina supplements may be contaminated with microcystins, which can cause gastrointestinal disturbances and, in the long term, liver cancer. The effects of chronic exposure to even very low levels of microcystins are of concern because of the potential risk of cancer.[15]

Because spirulina is a dietary supplement, the United States Food and Drug Administration does not regulate the production and quality of the product. Currently, no standard exists to regulate the safety of spirulina in the U.S.[15] The U.S. National Institutes of Health describes spirulina supplements as "possibly safe", provided they are free of microcystin contamination, but "likely unsafe" (especially for children) if contaminated.[16] Given the lack of regulatory standards in the U.S., public-health researchers have raised the concern that consumers cannot be sure that spirulina and other blue-green algae supplements are free of contamination.[15]

[edit] Safety issues for certain target groupsDue to very high Vitamin K content, patients undergoing anticoagulant treatments should not change consumption patterns of Spirulina without seeking medical advice to adjust the level of medication accordingly.

As all protein-rich foods, Spirulina contains the essential amino acid phenylalanine (2.6-4.1 g/100 g),[3] which should be avoided by people who have the rare genetic disorder phenylketonuria, where the body cannot metabolize this amino acid and it builds up in the brain, causing damage.

Use at your own risk I suppose. I did not see enough benefits that can't be obtained elsewhere to balance out the potential risk factors for consumption. But, that's just my personal opinion. I have no access to it anyway, and am not seeking access.

 

[dragonlaurel]

It's a nutritional super-food but you do need to be careful in you have clotting problems or PK. Phenylalanine is not a problem unless you have PK, which is rare.
It also seems to lower blood sugar. If you run low (hypoglycemic) that could matter. I used to use it and loved it with apple juice. Since my sugar does run low sometimes- I couldn't do big amounts of it.

 

[User4960]

I do not think I will be using Spirulina