algae and Dr Greger

[Guest guest]

*

 

Deborah, is this what you were looking for?

 

Sherene

============

 

B. Treating Springtime Allergies with Spirulina?

 

*People have been harvesting pond scum for thousands of years. The Aztecs,

for example, were skimming it off lakes and into their diets half a

millennia ago. Were they onto something?

 

Spirulina is one of the most popular blue-green algae supplements on the

market. In addition to being one of the most concentrated known source of

nutrients (though how much of it can you really eat?), there is building

evidence of its anti-inflammatory properties. To see if it might be of

therapeutic value to seasonal allergy sufferers, researchers at the

University of California at Davis School of Medicine enrolled 3 dozen

sniffley sneezers into a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled

crossover study (one of the most rigorous study designs to minimize various

biases). Compared to placebo, participants taking 2 grams of spirulina a day

were able to cut their production of inflammatory mediator Interleukin-4, a

chief conductor of allergic reactions within the body, by over 30%.[7]

 

So should those with runny noses run out and grab some? Two months ago I

would have said yes, but not now. I was actually in Hawai'i, the spirulina

export capital of the world, when the bombshell hit. Published in the

journal of the most prestigious scientific body in the United States, the

National Academy of Sciences, researchers came to a disturbing revelation

about the safety of blue-green algae in general.

 

We've known for years that a few rare types of blue-green algae could

produce hepatotoxins (compounds toxic to the liver), but spirulina was

considered generally[8] free of any such toxins.[9] But in April 2005 a

coordinated effort of researchers across the world found evidence that

almost all blue-green algae seem to be able to produce a neurotoxin called

BMAA (beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine). BMAA is bad stuff. It's been implicated

in a neurodegenerative disease as horrible as its name sounds, amyotrophic

lateral sclerosis/parkinsonism-dementia complex. This disease attacked the

Chamorro people of Guam who were eating flying foxes, who in turn were

eating seeds of a cycad tree, whose watery roots concentrated the toxin from

a certain type of algae.

 

Now with this new study we know that the production of this neurotoxin is

not limited to some rare Guam algae, but may be produced by almost all

blue-green algae under the right conditions. So it turns out the only two

places you may be likely to find BMAA is in the brains of Alzheimer's

patients[10] and on the store shelves of your local natural foods store in

the form of blue-green algae.[11]

 

Until we know more, I strongly discourage people from eating blue/green

algae (including the spirulina that, until April, was what made the popcorn

I always smuggled into the movie theatre such a brilliant green hue). Those

interested in reducing inflammation will have to choose other plant foods

like--as one recent article published in the Journal of Nutrition

discovered--gazpacho, a vegetable soup which " decreased biomarkers of

inflammation in both women and men. " [12]

 

--

http://homeschooledtwins.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Sherene

Do you have a link to this narrative?

Thanks

JD

 

 

Sherene Silverberg wrote:

> *

>

> Deborah, is this what you were looking for?

>

> Sherene

> ============

>

> B. Treating Springtime Allergies with Spirulina?

>

> *People have been harvesting pond scum for thousands of years. The Aztecs,

> for example, were skimming it off lakes and into their diets half a

> millennia ago. Were they onto something?

>

> Spirulina is one of the most popular blue-green algae supplements on the

> market. In addition to being one of the most concentrated known source of

> nutrients (though how much of it can you really eat?), there is building

> evidence of its anti-inflammatory properties. To see if it might be of

> therapeutic value to seasonal allergy sufferers, researchers at the

> University of California at Davis School of Medicine enrolled 3 dozen

> sniffley sneezers into a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled

> crossover study (one of the most rigorous study designs to minimize various

> biases). Compared to placebo, participants taking 2 grams of spirulina a day

> were able to cut their production of inflammatory mediator Interleukin-4, a

> chief conductor of allergic reactions within the body, by over 30%.[7]

>

> So should those with runny noses run out and grab some? Two months ago I

> would have said yes, but not now. I was actually in Hawai'i, the spirulina

> export capital of the world, when the bombshell hit. Published in the

> journal of the most prestigious scientific body in the United States, the

> National Academy of Sciences, researchers came to a disturbing revelation

> about the safety of blue-green algae in general.

>

> We've known for years that a few rare types of blue-green algae could

> produce hepatotoxins (compounds toxic to the liver), but spirulina was

> considered generally[8] free of any such toxins.[9] But in April 2005 a

> coordinated effort of researchers across the world found evidence that

> almost all blue-green algae seem to be able to produce a neurotoxin called

> BMAA (beta-N-methylamino-L-alanine). BMAA is bad stuff. It's been implicated

> in a neurodegenerative disease as horrible as its name sounds, amyotrophic

> lateral sclerosis/parkinsonism-dementia complex. This disease attacked the

> Chamorro people of Guam who were eating flying foxes, who in turn were

> eating seeds of a cycad tree, whose watery roots concentrated the toxin from

> a certain type of algae.

>

> Now with this new study we know that the production of this neurotoxin is

> not limited to some rare Guam algae, but may be produced by almost all

> blue-green algae under the right conditions. So it turns out the only two

> places you may be likely to find BMAA is in the brains of Alzheimer's

> patients[10] and on the store shelves of your local natural foods store in

> the form of blue-green algae.[11]

>

> Until we know more, I strongly discourage people from eating blue/green

> algae (including the spirulina that, until April, was what made the popcorn

> I always smuggled into the movie theatre such a brilliant green hue). Those

> interested in reducing inflammation will have to choose other plant foods

> like--as one recent article published in the Journal of Nutrition

> discovered--gazpacho, a vegetable soup which " decreased biomarkers of

> inflammation in both women and men. " [12]

>

>

[Guest guest]

JD

I found it within this newsletter

 

http://www.drgreger.org/june2005.html

 

Sherene

 

--

http://homeschooledtwins.blogspot.com/

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

I wouldn't be concerned about spirulina. The research that the article was

based on (Iwasa et al. Spriulina-associated hepatotoxicity. Am J Gastroenterol.

2002 Dec;97(12):3212-3.) was one case-study looking at a 52-year-old patient

with liver-injury who happened to have started spirulina 5 weeks before

admission to the hospital. After discontinuing spirulina and all drugs, he

improved. The authors mentioned there might be a possible connection, but it

was not definitive. To my knowledge, no other cases like this have been

reported (and a lot of people take sprirulina), and it may have been an isolated

sensitivity in this individual, something unrelated to sprirulina (like a drug

he was taking), or even contamination of the spirulina. Here is an abstract

from a recent review of lots of research on spirulina. It seems positive.

 

Kulshreshtha et al. Spirulina in health care management. Curr Pharm Biotechnol.

2008 Oct;9(5):400-5

Spirulina is a photosynthetic, filamentous, spiral-shaped and multicellular

edible microbe. It is the nature's richest and most complete source of

nutrition. Spirulina has a unique blend of nutrients that no single source can

offer. The alga contains a wide spectrum of prophylactic and therapeutic

nutrients that include B-complex vitamins, minerals, proteins, gamma-linolenic

acid and the super anti-oxidants such as beta-carotene, vitamin E, trace

elements and a number of unexplored bioactive compounds. Because of its apparent

ability to stimulate whole human physiology, Spirulina exhibits therapeutic

functions such as antioxidant, anti-bacterial, antiviral, anticancer,

anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic and anti-diabetic and plethora of beneficial

functions. Spirulina consumption appears to promote the growth of intestinal

micro flora as well. The review discusses the potential of Spirulina in health

care management.