STUDIES SHOW SPIRULINA POWERFULLY SUPPORTS CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH IRVINE, Calif. – Feb. 21, 2008 – Spirulina has an extensive history worldwide as a nutritional supplement with a wide range of benefits. Research is now confirming that it can play a powerful role in cardiovascular health. Two recent studies, one human and one animal, highlight these new findings. “Antihyperlipemic and Antihypertensive Effects of Spirulina maxima in an Open Sample of Mexican Population: A Preliminary Report,” published in the journal Lipids in Health and Disease, reports on daily use of just 4.5 grams per day of Spirulina among 16 men and 20 women years of age that resulted in lowered serum triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and blood pressure without a change in diet or lifestyle. The paper’s abstract states: Spirulina maxima is a filamentous cyanobacterium used as food supplement because of its high nutrient contents. It has been experimentally proven, in vivo and in vitro, that it possesses several pharmacological properties. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of Spirulina maxima orally supplied (4.5 g/day, for 6 weeks) to a sample of 36 subjects (16 men and 20 women, with ages between 18–65 years) on serum lipids, glucose, aminotransferases and on blood pressure. The volunteers did not modify their dietary habits or lifestyle during the whole experimental period. From each subject, a sample of blood was drawn in fasting state of 12 hours to determine the plasma concentrations of glucose, triacylglycerols (TAG), total cholesterol (TC), cholesterol associated to high density lipoprotein (HDL-C) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). Anthropometric measurements including systolic (SYST-P) and diastolic (DIAST-P) blood pressure, height, weight and Body Mass Index (BMI) were also recorded. CONCLUSION: The Spirulina maxima showed a hypolipemic effect, especially on the TAG and the LDL-C concentrations but indirectly on TC and HDL-C values. It also reduces systolic and diastolic blood pressure. (Lipids in Health and Disease 2007, 6:33 26 November 2007) Dr. Amha Belay, scientific director for Earthrise Nutritionals, noted, “We have long known from animal studies that Spirulina reduces oxidative stress. This well-designed human clinical study confirms how effective Spirulina can be in providing cardiovascular protection.” The second study, entitled “Phycobiliprotein C-phycocyanin from Spirulina platensis Is Powerfully Responsible for Reducing Oxidative Stress and NADPH Oxidase Expression Induced by an Atherogenic Diet in Hamsters” and published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, reports on how whole Spirulina and the blue protein phycocyanin extracted from Spirulina greatly reduced fat deposits in the hearts of hamsters fed a high lard content diet. Additional effects observed included sparing of intracellular antioxidants and reduced expression of the NADPH enzyme which generates super oxide, a major source of free radicals that damage artery walls during atherosclerosis. The paper’s abstract states: The effects of spirulina and its chromophore phycocyanin, both without bound Se or selenium-enriched, were studied on plasma cholesterol, early atherosclerosis, cardiac production of superoxide anions, and NAD(P)H oxidase expression in hamsters. Forty hamsters were divided into 5 groups of 8 and fed an atherogenic diet for 12 weeks. They received by gavage either 7.14 mL/(kg day) phycocyanin (PC), Se-rich phycocyanin (SePC), spirulina (SP) or Se-rich spirulina (SeSP) in water, or water as control. SeSP and SePC supplied 0.4 µg of Se per 100 g body weight. Plasma cholesterol and non-HDL cholesterol concentrations were lower in group consuming SePC. HDL-cholesterol was never affected. SePC significantly increased plasma antioxidant capacity by 42% compared with controls. A sparing effect in liver glutathione peroxidase (87% on average) and superoxide dismutase (56% on average) activity was observed for all the groups compared to controls. Aortic fatty streak area was significantly reduced in the experimental groups, especially by PC (82%) and SePC (85%). Cardiac production of superoxide anion significantly decreased by ~46–76% in the four experimental groups and especially in SePC group (76%). The expression of p22phox subunit of NAD(P)H oxidase decreased by 34% after consumption of SePC. The results indicate that chronic consumption of Se-rich spirulina phycocyanin powerfully prevents the development of atherosclerosis. The underlying mechanism is related mainly to inhibiting pro-oxidant factors and at a lesser extent improving the serum lipid profile. (J. Agric. Food Chem., 55 (19), 7962–7967 10.1021/jf070529g, 19 September 2007) Spirulina also incorporates other fundamental energy and vitality benefits including easy-to-digest, all-vegetable protein, a rich source of phytonutrients like beta carotene, a rare food source of the fatty acid GLA, and easy-to-absorb iron. Since 1981, Earthrise Nutritionals has been the leader and pioneer in the field of Spirulina research, production, products and marketing. Headquartered in Southern California, Earthrise Nutritionals is part of the worldwide DIC Group of companies. For more information on Earthrise products, visit www.earthrise.com, email info@earthrise.com or call 800-949-7473. |
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