There are foods that are great for your health. Then there are “super foods.” They have all the right nutrients in all the right amounts. They repair your immune system, flush toxins, and fight off disease.
Berries, turmeric, and broccoli might come to mind as good options. Algae? Probably not so much. It’s not quite as appetizing.
But don’t turn up your nose just yet. There’s a little-known alga that has more super food power than anything you can find in the produce aisle.
In fact, it works better than 14 varieties of Big Pharma’s heart disease drugs. A group of people who took this alga for six weeks lowered their blood pressure by almost ten percent.
| Spirulina is shown to boost the growth of probiotics—good bacteria—such as L. acidophilus, which plays a major role in maintaining healthy gut flora and digestion.6 |
Even more impressive… it works all by itself. They got results without changing anything else in their diet or lifestyle. So what was it?
We’re talking about spirulina. It’s a blue-green algae found in fresh water. It’s rich in vitamin B12, essential fatty acids, and beta-carotene. Most people don’t realize spirulina is also a complete protein source. It has more quality protein gram for gram than beef.1
The subjects in the six-week study took approximately four grams a day. Their systolic number dropped an average of ten points and their diastolic number dropped nine points. That’s a two point greater reduction in systolic blood pressure and four point reduction in diastolic blood pressure than 14 different types of ACE inhibitors.2
And the research only gets better from there…
Remember, when it comes to heart disease, high blood pressure is only part of the story. Keeping your blood lipid count (LDL cholesterol) under control may also help.3 In a Greek study, men and women took one gram of spirulina a day. That was enough to lower their LDL numbers by ten percent in just 12 weeks.4
Eating spirulina goes back to 9th century Africa.5 Fortunately, you don’t have to eat it. This is one you have to supplement. Organic spirulina can easily be found online as a powder or pill. Some high end multivitamins even include spirulina in their formulas.
With its nutrient profile and ability to protect your heart, spirulina is a genuine super food.
Supplementing once a day may dramatically lower your blood pressure in a little over a month. But don’t rely just on spirulina to take care of your heart. Add it to a diet rich in green vegetables and cold water fish and heart disease won’t stand a chance.
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References:
1 http://www.naturalways.com/spirulina.htm
2 http://summaries.cochrane.org/CD003823/ace-inhibitors-for-the-treatment-of-high-blood-pressure
3 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3313742/
4 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23754631
5 http://www.spirulina-benefits-health.com/spirulina_algae_history.html
6 http://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/supplement/spirulina