This plant based supplement contains a 4-gram serving size of organic easy-to-digest spirulina powder to help provide with you a variety of impactful bioactive compounds to support your overall wellness. Spirulina is a blue-green algae that grows naturally in warm, mineral-rich, alkaline, tropical waters. This microscopic organism is one of the world's best superfoods because of its nutrient density and its high content of protein, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fatty acids (1). Spirulina is between 50 and 70% protein by dry weight. It has all the essential amino acids including lysine, methionine, threonine, phenylalanine making it a complete protein source. It has Vitamins A, B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B6 (pyridoxine), and B12 (cobalamin). It is a good source of iron, magnesium, potassium, and manganese with smaller amounts of copper, iodine, and zinc. Spirulina has natural antioxidants such as phycocyanin which provides its distinctive color and phenolic acids. It also contains essential fatty acids such as gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) which has anti-inflammatory properties.
Spirulina, also known as Arthrospira, was made popular when NASA astronauts used it in space as a dietary supplement. The primary compound in Spirulina is phycocyanobilin which provides the potent antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting an enzyme complex called nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase (2). This has been clinically shown to enhance immune functions (3). Spirulina may also have antiviral and antiallergic effects (4). Additionally, scientific data shows that spirulina can improve body fat composition, aerobic capacity, strength performance, and exercise-induced inflammation (1)(5)(6).
In a meta-analysis of seven randomized control trials found a significant effect with spirulina supplementation in minimizing plasma concentrations of triglycerides (fat), total cholesterol, LDL-C (bad cholesterol), and enhancing HDL-C (good cholesterol) (7)(8). In a study of 17 elite rugby players, it showed significant improvements in biomarkers suggesting that spirulina could help alleviate exercise-induced inflammation and skeletal muscle damage (9). In a study of 80 participants with ulcerative colitis found that a spirulina supplement enhanced their quality of life by improving their sleep and stress status (10). While more research needs to be done, the vast majority of the studies indicate the beneficial power of Spirulina.
References