Algae-type chlorella a super food?

Chlorella is a type of algae that grows in freshwater. It contains large amounts of chlorophyll, a pigment that plants and other organisms utilize to absorb light and use its energy to to produce life-sustaining carbohydrates and oxygen.

Even though chlorella has existed on Earth since its beginning, and was only identified in 1890 by a Dutch microbiologist named MW Beijerinck and was only studied intensively in the 1940s.

“Chlorella not only contains very high levels of chlorophyll but also protein, carbohydrates, all of the B vitamins, vitamins C and E, amino acids (including all nine essential ones), enzymes and rare trace minerals. Due to its dense and nutrient-rich nature, chlorella has been turned into a food supplement meant to fight certain health issues ranging from boosting the immune system in cancer patients to improving the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome,” said May Morales, marketing manager of GoldLife Distribution Philippines, which distributes chlorella-based product, Chlorevita.

Because of the long list of benefits that it has, Morales said chlorella has been classified as the next super food.

“Although Western medicine has largely ignored chlorella, Japanese scientists have been researching chlorella’s benefits for years (Japan became the first world pioneer in developing the technology to commercially produce chlorella). In one Japanese study, scientists placed lab mice on a chlorella regimen for 10 days, then injected the mice with three types of cancer. According to that study, over 70 percent of the chlorella-fed mice did not develop cancer, while all of the untreated mice died within 20 days,” she related.

Immune-boosting effects

Morales shared that the study of chlorella’s immune-boosting effects is not limited to animals as a 1990 study on chlorella performed at the Medical College of Virginia involved 15 glioblastoma (a type of malignant brain tumor) patients. These patients were administered 20 grams of powdered chlorella and 150 ml of liquid chlorella, and in some cases combined with standard chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy.

“It was found that these patients exhibited significant increase in health and immune status immediately, and a striking 40 percent 2-year survival rate was reflected in follow-up studies (this is extremely rare for this type of tumor, which normally yield a 10-percent survival rate after two years),” Morales said.

But even those with no serious health problem may benefit from chlorella supplementation as the substance has been found to be an effective stress-buster.

She said: “Chlorella is bursting with magnesium, which is one of nature’s antidepressants and helps us cope with stress. A magnesium deficiency may promote symptoms of depression such as weakness, fatigue, loss of appetite and personality changes.”

Morales said stress is one thing a person should avoid since if there are numerous emotional and physical disorders that have been linked to stress including depression, heart attacks, stroke, hypertension and immune system disturbances that increase susceptibility to infections.

“With all these benefits, it is no wonder that chlorella has been ranked alongside the rest of the super foods ever discovered (dark chocolate, garlic, wild salmon, walnuts). One might think chlorella is science-fiction, yet, from numerous references, researches on this single-celled organism have praised its remarkable healing and balancing health benefits for years,” she said.