The risks associated with these supplements may outweigh the benefits.
Blue-Green Algae & Spirulina
I’d also recommend staying away from the tiny dark green leafies, blue-green algae and spirulina. This story starts in Guam, where the Chamorro people were eating perhaps the world’s cutest bat, the flying fox. That was a mistake, since it turns out the flying fox’s favorite fruit is from this funky looking tree whose watery roots concentrate a toxin produced by some rare algae. The result was that the Chamorro started dying of something called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis parkinsonism dementia—basically a combination of Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Lou Gehrig’s disease.
We used to think neurotoxins were limited to rare exotic algae, but now we know otherwise. We now know that almost all blue-green algae can produce neurotoxins, like BMAA. Turns out the only two places one may be likely to find BMAA is in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, and at the local all-natural food store, in the form of blue-green algae. So, until we know more, I recommend leaving that particular product out of your cart.
And this: spirulina, the other pond scum. Well, it’s good for our blood pressure, our cholesterol, and it seems to work wonders against seasonal allergies, but spirulina may dissolve our muscles from the inside out. It’s always better when our food doesn’t kill us.
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.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- Cox PA, Banack SA, Murch SJ, Rasmussen U, Tien G, Bidigare RR, Metcalf JS, Morrison LF, Codd GA, Bergman B. Diverse taxa of cyanobacteria produce beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine, a neurotoxic amino acid. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005 Apr 5;102(14):5074-8. Epub 2005 Apr 4.
- Torres-Duran PV, Ferreira-Hermosillo A, Juarez-Oropeza MA. Antihyperlipemic and antihypertensive effects of Spirulina maxima in an open sample of Mexican population: a preliminary report. Lipids Health Dis. 2007 Nov 26;6:33.
- Cingi C, Conk-Dalay M, Cakli H, Bal C. The effects of spirulina on allergic rhinitis. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2008 Oct;265(10):1219-23. Epub 2008 Mar 15.
- Mazokopakis EE, Karefilakis CM, Tsartsalis AN, Milkas AN, Ganotakis ES. Acute rhabdomyolysis caused by Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis). Phytomedicine. 2008 Jun;15(6-7):525-7. Epub 2008 Apr 22.
Image thanks to Lake Improvement Association via Flickr.
I’d also recommend staying away from the tiny dark green leafies, blue-green algae and spirulina. This story starts in Guam, where the Chamorro people were eating perhaps the world’s cutest bat, the flying fox. That was a mistake, since it turns out the flying fox’s favorite fruit is from this funky looking tree whose watery roots concentrate a toxin produced by some rare algae. The result was that the Chamorro started dying of something called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis parkinsonism dementia—basically a combination of Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Lou Gehrig’s disease.
We used to think neurotoxins were limited to rare exotic algae, but now we know otherwise. We now know that almost all blue-green algae can produce neurotoxins, like BMAA. Turns out the only two places one may be likely to find BMAA is in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients, and at the local all-natural food store, in the form of blue-green algae. So, until we know more, I recommend leaving that particular product out of your cart.
And this: spirulina, the other pond scum. Well, it’s good for our blood pressure, our cholesterol, and it seems to work wonders against seasonal allergies, but spirulina may dissolve our muscles from the inside out. It’s always better when our food doesn’t kill us.
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.
Please consider volunteering to help out on the site.
- Cox PA, Banack SA, Murch SJ, Rasmussen U, Tien G, Bidigare RR, Metcalf JS, Morrison LF, Codd GA, Bergman B. Diverse taxa of cyanobacteria produce beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine, a neurotoxic amino acid. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005 Apr 5;102(14):5074-8. Epub 2005 Apr 4.
- Torres-Duran PV, Ferreira-Hermosillo A, Juarez-Oropeza MA. Antihyperlipemic and antihypertensive effects of Spirulina maxima in an open sample of Mexican population: a preliminary report. Lipids Health Dis. 2007 Nov 26;6:33.
- Cingi C, Conk-Dalay M, Cakli H, Bal C. The effects of spirulina on allergic rhinitis. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2008 Oct;265(10):1219-23. Epub 2008 Mar 15.
- Mazokopakis EE, Karefilakis CM, Tsartsalis AN, Milkas AN, Ganotakis ES. Acute rhabdomyolysis caused by Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis). Phytomedicine. 2008 Jun;15(6-7):525-7. Epub 2008 Apr 22.
Image thanks to Lake Improvement Association via Flickr.
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Blue-Green Algae & Spirulina
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Content URLDoctor's Note
More on the safety of blue-green algae and spirulina supplements:
- Update on Spirulina
- Another Update on Spirulina
- Infant Seizures Linked to Mother’s Spirulina Use
- Is Chlorella Good For You?
For further context, check out my associated blog post: Toxin Contamination of Spirulina Supplements.
Here are some newer related videos that came out after this video:
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