Most people only know algae as the stuff that grows on pond water. But it comes with potent and unique health benefits. It’s strong enough to help remove heavy metals from entire water supplies… And it might help save your health.
As weird as it sounds, here are five reasons to start eating algae:
1. Lowers Blood Pressure: Spirulina is a blue-green algae rich in protein and B12. Research shows that taking four grams of it a day for six weeks helped drop blood pressure by 10 points. It outperformed 14 different types of Big Pharma’s ACE inhibitors.
Spirulina can help boost nitric oxide production. This alone may help tame high blood pressure. But it can also help improve blood lipid levels. A Greek study found taking it also helped lower LDL cholesterol by 10% in about 12 weeks.
2. Fights Cancer: Spirulina helps increase the amount of natural killer (NK) cells in your blood. These are the immune cells that track down and destroy cancer cells. Studies show that it can cut total leukemia cells in half in just two days. This is because the chlorophyll in it cleanses your blood.
It helps your immune system function at its best. This means it’s harder for colonies of cancer cells to form. Spirulina can also get rid of the ones you may already have hiding in your body.
3. Removes Toxins: Chlorella has one of the highest chlorophyll concentrations of any plant. It’s a powerful compound that binds up the toxins in your body. This includes heavy metals and environmental toxins. Instead of these getting stored in fat cells, chlorella forces them out with waste. In fact, chlorella can be used to remove the heavy metals—like uranium dioxide—from water supplies.1 But it’s not just chlorella.
Studies show that spirulina can help treat arsenic poisoning. Taking it with zinc helped remove nearly 50% of arsenic from hair samples of subjects.2 Using a natural algae supplement may help you eliminate the toxins your body holds on to.
4. Helps Prevent Alzheimer’s: Studies show that spirulina can protect your brain from Alzheimer’s. This is because it prevents the formation of amyloid-beta proteins in your brain. These are the tangled protein deposits that may cause the cognitive decline that comes with Alzheimer’s.
Animal studies show eating spirulina leads to higher brain function and memory test scores. It may even have direct anti-inflammatory effects on the brain that can protect it from aging and stroke damage.3
5. Eases Allergies: Using a spirulina supplement may help you fight back the most annoying of your allergy symptoms. Research shows subjects taking a spirulina supplement reduced the effects of their allergic rhinitis. It helped improve things like nasal discharge, sneezing, congestion, and even itching.4
This is due to the anti-inflammatory effect of spirulina. Researchers believe it may even improve the way your body responds to and releases histamines.
We’ll admit… Eating algae may not seem appetizing. Your best bet is to find a natural supplement. It should give you a blend of spirulina and broken-cell chlorella. This is the form that your body can absorb. Because these algae can absorb toxins, it’s important to get a clean, organic supplement. You can find one in most health stores and online. You can even get it in powdered form and add it to your smoothie each day.
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References:
1http://www.wrri.nmsu.edu/publish/watcon/proc29/Greene.pdf
2http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16615668
3http://www.naturalhealthadvisory.com/daily/natural-health-101/amazing-algae-spirulina-benefits-for-your-brain-and-much-more/
4http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18343939