NutritionFacts.org
Browsing: Home / Videos / Another Update on Spirulina

Health Topics

Browse through 1,580 different health topics
from A-Z!
  1. #
  2. A
  3. B
  4. C
  5. D
  6. E
  7. F
  8. G
  9. H
  10. I
  11. J
  12. K
  13. L
  14. M
  15. N
  16. O
  17. P
  18. Q
  19. R
  20. S
  21. T
  22. U
  23. V
  24. W
  25. X
  26. Y
  27. Z
Browse All Topics

Another Update on Spirulina

Potential neurotoxicity is another concern regarding spirulina supplements.

March 4, 2011 |
GD Star Rating
loading...
FavoriteLoadingAdd to My Playlist

Topics

Supplementary Info

Another Update on Spirulina, 5.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating

Sources Cited

Food Chem Toxicol. 2009 Sep;47(9):2189-95. Epub 2009 Jun 9.First detection of anatoxin-a in human and animal dietary supplements containing cyanobacteria.Rellán S, Osswald J, Saker M, Gago-Martinez A, Vasconcelos V.

Acknowledgements

Image thanks to Jennifer.

Transcript

What about Spirulina? The reason I told everyone to throw their spirulina away was that it was found to produce hepatotoxins. While blue-green algae has the brain toxins; spirulina can have liver toxins. Should we continue to avoid the stuff? Yes, now spirulina can boast neurotoxins as well—last year a potent neurotoxin was found in spirulina for the first time.

To see any graphs, charts, graphics, images, and quotes to which Dr. Greger may be referring watch the above video. This is just an approximation of the audio contributed by veganmontreal.

To help out on the site please email volunteer@nutritionfacts.org

Dr. Michael Greger

Doctor's Note

Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on spirulina. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos--please feel free to explore them as well!

For some context, please check out my associated blog post: Vitamin B12: how much, how often?

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/mgreger/ Michael Greger M.D.

    Please feel free to post any ask-the-doctor type questions here in the comments section and I’d be happy to try to answer them. And check out the other videos on spirulina. Also, there are 1,449 other subjects covered in the rest of my videos–please feel free to explore them as well!

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/joel/ Joel

    Another aspect of toxicity, specifically in Hawaiian spirulina, is a concern expressed by Steve Blake, a N.D. and researcher on Maui . He noted on a visit to Hawaii, where the production facility is located on the Kona coast, that the Kona airport was nearby and that some or many (?) jet landings and takeoffs transited over the spirulina facility. He contacted the company asking if they were aware of jet fuel residue, etc possibly contaminating the algae and has not received a reply.

  • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/KristenAcuna/ Kristen Acuna

    Hello again! I am planning on conceiving in the next few months and I have been researching prenatal vitamins. Dr. Fuhrman has a prenatal that looks excellent (most importantly, no folic acid) expect it has some spirulina in it. It is listed as an ingredient in the “250mg of a fruit, veggie and greens blend.” Should I continue my search, or is this as good as it gets?

    • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/toxins/ Toxins

      It seems, from all the data presented, that spirulina is much more harm than good and that maybe Dr. Fuhrman (a doctor I highly respect) may not have received this information.

    • http://nutritionfacts.org/members/sarmstrong/ SArmstrong

      Good for you for planning ahead for the healthiest possible pregnancy! Interestingly, although the idea that pregnant women need to take a special multivitamin is fixed in the minds of the American public, there is no evidence that prenatal vitamins are helpful in Americans, who generally get enough nutrients, even for growing a baby. Multivitamins may help malnourished pregnant women in poor countries, although there is not great evidence for that, either (see the Cochrane data base, www2.cochrane.org/reviews/en/ab004905.html). See also Dr. Greger’s video on multivitamins and breast cancer: nutritionfacts.org/videos/multivitamin-supplements-and-breast-cancer for a discussion of the problems with folic acid supplements. Your safest and healthiest bet is probably to eat green leafy things like crazy starting now, before you conceive. By the way, most doctors and nurses who provide prenatal care will likely advocate vitamin supplements, so you may need to arm yourself with facts from this website! Best of luck with your (future) pregnancy.

  • Demonva1972

    I know there are vegetarians, especially vegetarian weightlifters that eat spiralina.  Is it the amount that is take and/or where is it from that causes the nuerotoxins?  I had my wife quit taking it after giving her this information.

    • Toxins

      It Appears as though that these toxins are an inherent byproduct of spirulina and unrelated to where the spirulina came from.

      • danielle

        Any piece of scientific evidences ? Please give at least one argument to justify such an allegation …

  • Veganlinda

    What about Hydrilla Verticillata? Safe?

  • Michael Greger M.D.

    Also be sure to check out my associated blog post Vitamin B12: how much, how often?!

  • Christopherconsciousness

    Spirulina Division Hello, Christopher. The point you raise is the prime reason why it is extremely important to harvest spirulina at a pH over 10 (between 10-11). This is part of the quality control that commercial producers and small-scale producers employ to ensure spirulina’s quality for consumers. If it’s not at the right pH, it simply doesn’t get harvested. The liver toxins you’re speaking of are called microcystins, which are peptides produced microcystis, not by spirulina. Microcystis are unable to survive at such a high alkaline level between 10-11. This is what separates spirulina from another superfood cyanobacteria, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (aka AFA blue-green algae), which commonly grows up in Klammath Lake in Oregon. AFA, however, cannot grow at the high alkaline levels that spirulina can in order to avoid microcystins. This is the prime reason why I grow spirulina and not AFA, or chlorella for that matter, which also grows at a lower pH. Commonly, people and researchers assume that since AFA and spirulina are both cyanobacteria, their ideal growing conditions are also one and the same, but they usually get lumped together anyway when the research is not complete. It would be helpful if the gentleman who produced the video would learn more about each species and their 

  • Christopherconsciousness

    Hey Mike thought I would share your Spirulina videos with the spirulina division on Facebook. They asked me to tell you to do more research…here is there response, Hello, Christopher. The point you raise is the prime reason why it is extremely important to harvest spirulina at a pH over 10 (between 10-11). This is part of the quality control that commercial producers and small-scale producers employ to ensure spirulina’s quality for consumers. If it’s not at the right pH, it simply doesn’t get harvested. The liver toxins you’re speaking of are called microcystins, which are peptides produced microcystis, not by spirulina. Microcystis are unable to survive at such a high alkaline level between 10-11. This is what separates spirulina from another superfood cyanobacteria, Aphanizomenon flos-aquae (aka AFA blue-green algae), which commonly grows up in Klammath Lake in Oregon. AFA, however, cannot grow at the high alkaline levels that spirulina can in order to avoid microcystins. This is the prime reason why I grow spirulina and not AFA, or chlorella for that matter, which also grows at a lower pH. Commonly, people and researchers assume that since AFA and spirulina are both cyanobacteria, their ideal growing conditions are also one and the same, but they usually get lumped together anyway when the research is not complete. It would be helpful if the gentleman who produced the video would learn more about each species and their differences.

  • Christopherconsciousness

     Spirulina Division The same goes true regarding BMAA — and I’m glad you bring it up to help demystify it. Cyanobacterias are a diverse organism kingdom and BMAA has been associated with certain species of cyanobacteria, but not with arthrospira (this is the spirulina species). This was the point of a response published April 2005 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS 102: 5074-5078).

  • JR

    Green vibrance (http://www.vibranthealth.us/). Throw it out?

©2012 NutritionFacts.org - All Rights Reserved | In partnership with the Jesse & Julie Rasch Foundation
Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Contact Us