Researchers boost immune system against cancers, HIV/AIDS with spirulina Extracts of a local lake-weed, spirulina, have shown huge potentials in treating cancers, Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS THEY float on water. They are blue-green filamentous algae. Blue-green algae are aquatic plants that manufacture their own food. They grow in abundance on Lake Chad. Though often weeded out, recent studies have found the algae, spirulina, useful in treating cancers and Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV)/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), as well as boosting food production and immune system. Spirulina are common articles of trade on the streets of Maiduguri, Borno State. Its use from Lake Chad dates as far back as the 9th century Kanem Empire. It is dried into cakes called Dih�, which are used to make broths for meals, and also sold in markets. The Spirulina is harvested from small lakes and ponds around Lake Chad. It was reported that in 1976, an American, Larry Switzer, proposed to the Nigerian Government to use oil money to finance farms along the shores of Lake Chad to feed the country's growing urban masses. But the novelty of algae, lack of interest in food production, and a political coup doomed this plan. The lesson learnt by Switzer was to develop the technology and a consumer market in the United States first, and then apply it to the Third World. Undeterred, Switzer later founded Proteus Corporation and the Earthrise Company, which built the first spirulina farm in California, United States, the forerunner to Earthrise Farms. Earthrise introduced spirulina in 1979. A study reported in Nutrition and Cancer that was conducted among tobacco chewers in India reported a complete regression of pre-cancerous mouth lesions in 45 per cent of subjects who were given extracts of spirulina for 12 months. This was the first human study using spirulina as a cancer therapy. The United Nations World Health Organisation (WHO) in Geneva has confirmed: "Spirulina represents an interesting food for multiple reasons, and it is able to be administered to children without any risk. We at WHO consider it a very suitable food." According to a scientific review from Latin America, spirulina has a vast array of beneficial properties. It has been shown to be effective in the treatment of allergies, anemia, cancer, high cholesterol, elevated blood sugar, viral infections, inflammatory conditions, liver damage, immuno -deficiency, cardiovascular diseases, and other conditions. Mark Stengler in his book, "A Natural Physician's Healing Therapies", wrote: "More than 100 published scientific references help support the case for the health benefits of spirulina. Some studies demonstrate that spirulina seems to possess anticancer effects and antiviral properties. Also, animal studies show that it is a powerful tonic for the immune system." Donald R. Yance Jr. in his book, "Herbal Medicine Healing Cancer" wrote: "Spirulina's pure protein, which arrives within the context of massive amounts of beta-carotene, chlorophyll, fatty-acid -gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), and other nutrients, is especially helpful to those who are overweight, diabetic, hypoglycemic, or suffering from cancer, arthritis, or other degenerative diseases. " An advocate of natural medicine and a Consultant Homeopath at the Global Foundation for Integrative Medicine in Santa Fe New Mexico, United States, Prof. Osmond Ifeanyi Onyeka, told The Guardian that spirulina contains the most remarkable concentration of nutrients known in any food, plant, grain or herb. "Spirulina has the highest protein food which is over 60 per cent of all the digestible vegetable protein. Most notably, spirulina is 65 to 71 per cent complete protein, with all essential amino acids in perfect balance. In comparison, beef is only 22 per cent protein. It also has the highest concentration of beta carotene, vitamin B-12, iron and trace minerals and the rare essential fatty acid GLA. These surely make Spirulina an incredible whole food alternative to the isolated vitamin and minerals," Onyeka said. He added that spirulina is overloaded with unique phyto-nutrients like phycocyanin, polysaccharides and sulphurlipids that not only enhance the immune system, but also reduces the risks of infection, cancer and auto immune diseases. "Spirulina is rich in natural carotenoid antioxidants that promote cellular health and lessen the risk of cancer. It also has cleansing chlorophyll which helps detoxify bodies that are always prone to present pollution," Onyeka said. He further explained: "Scientifically explained the most important dictate of our body's metabolism is to support our immune system. When our immune system is stressed or is suffering, it draws on our body's metabolic energy. People with immune system imbalance often feel chronic fatigue and low energy. "Both scientific research and the experience of thousands of consumers indicate that Spirulina is an immune regulating food. Small amounts can help balance and stabilise the immune system, freeing up more of our metabolic energy for vitality, healing and assimilation of nutrients. It enhances the body's cellular communication process and also has the ability to read and repair DNA, like a kind of cellular tune up. This is why individuals taking Spirulina often report they have more energy levels." Spirulina is widely available as both an animal and a human dietary supplement in powder, tablet and flake form, and is broadly used due to its nutritional profile. It has been shown to be a complete protein (albeit with lesser amounts of certain amino acids), high in essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, photosynthetic pigments including chlorophyll, polysaccharides and glycolipids. A senior lecturer at the Department of Parasitology and Entomology, Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU) Awka, Anambra State, Dr. Abiodun Nwora Ozumba, told The Guardian: "It is unfortunate that the country is sitting on a goldmine and is not doing anything about it. The best spirulina in the whole world grows at our backyard on Lake Chad. It is sold for almost nothing on the streets of Maiduguri. Westerners come here, buy it for little or nothing, go back, develop it into supplements, and ship it back to us to buy. "Spirulina is 20 times more productive as a protein source than any other food. It could be grown with unused land and water. It was possible to cultivate a pure culture on a large scale in many places around the world. Scientists discovered spirulina was a safe food, had been consumed for hundreds of years by traditional peoples, and showed promising nutritional, and even therapeutic, health benefits. "If this blue-green algae were cultivated and consumed by millions of people, it would have tremendous benefits, especially for the world's children and our planet's future. Spirulina seemed to be the solution we needed. However, it was all theory, it had not been done yet." Most cultivated spirulina is produced in open-channel raceway ponds, with paddle-wheels used to agitate the water. The largest commercial producers of spirulina are located in the United States, Thailand, India, Taiwan, China, Pakistan and Myanmar (the Burma). Phytochemical analysis indicates that spirulina contains an unusually high amount of protein, between 55 per cent and 77 per cent by dry weight, depending upon the source. It is a complete protein, containing all essential amino acids, though with reduced amounts of methionine, cysteine, and lysine when compared to the proteins of meat, eggs, and milk. It is, however, superior to typical plant protein, such as that from legumes. Spirulina is rich in GLA, and also provides alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), linoleic acid (LA), stearidonic acid (SDA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and arachidonic acid (AA). Spirulina contains vitamin B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (nicotinamide), B6 (pyridoxine), B9 (folic acid), vitamin C, vitamin D, and vitamin E. The bioavailability of vitamin B12 in Spirulina is in dispute. Several biological essays have been used to test for the presence of vitamin B12. The most popular is the United States Pharmacopeia method using the Lactobacillus leichmannii assay. Studies using this method have shown Spirulina to be a minimal source of bioavailable vitamin B12. However, this assay does not differentiate between true B12 (cobalamin) and similar compounds (corrinoids) that cannot be used in human metabolism. Cyanotech, a grower of spirulina, claims to have done a more recent assay, which has shown spirulina to be a significant source of cobalamin. However, the assay is not published for scientific review and so the validity of this assay is in doubt. The American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada in their position paper on vegetarian diets state that spirulina cannot be counted on as a reliable source of active vitamin B12. Tests done on Australian grown spirulina by the Australian Government Analytical Laboratory (AGAL) show Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) levels of 659.1 ug / per100g. A one gram tablet could provide more than three times the recommended daily intake of B12. Previous studies indicate that spirulina is a rich source of potassium, and also contains calcium, chromium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, sodium, and zinc. Studies also found that spirulina contained many pigments including chlorophyll-a, xanthophyll, beta-carotene, echinenone, myxoxanthophyll, zeaxanthin, canthaxanthin, diatoxanthin, 3'-hydroxyechinenone, beta-cryptoxanthin, oscillaxanthin, plus the phycobiliproteins c-phycocyanin and allophycocyanin. Despite existing research supporting Spirulina's health and healing properties, detractors claim that these are frequently overstated by Spirulina advocates. Conversely, Spirulina advocates have accused health food detractors of dismissing all such claims without acknowledging this research. Two online publications exemplify these opposing positions, respectively: Wellness Letter on Blue Green Algae, and Superfoods For Optimum Health: Chlorella and Spirulina. Many positive claims are based on research done on individual nutrients that Spirulina contains, such as GLA, various antioxidants, among others, rather than on direct research using Spirulina. What follows is research on the health and healing effects of Spirulina. In vitro research (example, studying cells in a petri dish) may suggest the possibility of similar results in humans but, due to the drastically different conditions of the research, provides only hints at the potential for human effects. Animal research can also provide evidence of potential human effects. Human research focuses on actual effects in humans, however, the validity and reliability of the research depends on the design of the study. The strongest evidence comes from well-designed and controlled clinical trials, which are one type of human research study. Spirulina extract has been shown to inhibit HIV replication in human T-cells, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), and Langerhans cells. Other studies indicate that spirulina helps prevent heart damage caused by chemotherapy using Doxorubicin, without interfering with its anti-tumor activity. Spirulina reduces the severity of strokes and improves recovery of movement after a stroke; reverses age-related declines in memory and learning; and prevents and treats hay fever. Spirulina is effective for the clinical improvement of melanosis and keratosis due to chronic arsenic poisoning; improves weight-gain and corrects anemia in both HIV-infected and HIV-negative undernourished children; and protects against hay fever. A 2007 study found that 36 volunteers taking 4.5 grams of spirulina per day, over a six week period, exhibited significant changes in cholesterol and blood pressure: (1) lowered total cholesterol; (2) increased High Density Lipo-protein (HDL) cholesterol; (3) lowered triglycerides; and (4) lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressure. However, as this study did not contain a control group, researchers can not be confident that the changes observed are due totally - or even partially - to the effects of the Spirulina Maxima as opposed to other confounding variables (that is, history effects, maturation effects, demand characteristics). Until recently, much spirulina was certified organic. In 2002, the United States Department of Agriculture's National Organic Standards Board voted to disallow the use of Chilean nitrate. They granted a three-year window to spirulina producers, which expired in 2006. As a result, leading spirulina manufacturers have stopped labelling their spirulina as organic, citing safety concerns of nitrate alternatives. The United Nations World Food Conference in 1974 lauded Spirulina as the 'best food for the future'. Recognising the inherent potential of Spirulina in the sustainable development agenda, several Member States of the United Nations came together to form an intergovernmental organisation by the name of the Intergovernmental Institution for the Use of Micro-algae Spirulina Against Malnutrition (IMSAM). IIMSAM aspires to build a consensus to make Spirulina a key driver to eradicate malnutrition, achieve food security and bridge the health divide throughout the world. Spirulina has been proposed by the United States National Aeronautic Space Agency (NASA), and the European Space Agency (EPA); as one of the primary foods to be cultivated during long-term space missions. Switzer, wrote about his hope for a breakthrough in food production: "It had to be more productive than conventional agriculture... adaptable to different climates and cultures... appropriate ecologically, economically and socially... independent of the vested interests in world food production and distribution... capable of relying on renewable energy and waste or abundant raw material resources. It would have to represent a major expansion of the photosynthetic energy base that supports all life on Earth. "Finally, it would have to radically improve the supply, distribution and consumption of essential protein to millions of pregnant and nursing mothers, infants and children. It is absolutely critical to provide nutrition to the deprived embryos and infants of the world to preserve the precious creative genius that is waiting to be released from each fully developed human mind." | |
), and malnutrition by boosting the immune system. CHUKWUMA MUANYA reports.© 2003 - 2007 @ Guardian Newspapers Limited (All Rights Reserved).
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n essence, Spirulina straddles that fork in evolutionary development when the plant and animal kingdoms differentiated. Thus it embodies the simplest form of life. In contrast, other algae such as Chlorella have developed the hard indigestible walls characteristic of plants.
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