Spirulina - nature's richest whole food source

Spirulina, with its great number of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, trace elements, essential fatty acids & pigments, aids the body tremendously in its desire to stay healthy. It is such a fabulous food to supplement your diet with.

Use the product links to the right for information and purchases.

Spirulina

Natural, organic wholesome foods provide your immune system with the chemicals needed to keep it strong and vibrant. Spirulina, with its great number of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, trace elements, essential fatty acids and pigments, aids the body tremendously in its desire to stay healthy. Spirulina is such a fabulous food to supplement your diet with. It is nature's richest whole food source, perfectly balanced and bio-chelated with a 95% absorbability rate.

These are some of the essential nutrients found in Spirulina

Vitamin C

Vitamin C has a very beneficial effect on the immune system and should be a part of everyone's dietary regimen. Vitamin C stimulates the most important T and B cells and put simplistically, improves the mobility of white blood cells.

Beta-carotene

Beta-carotene is in the news due to its great success in helping many cancer patients. In fact, important research is being conducted at Harvard University to compare the effects of naturally occurring beta-carotene rich algae complexes, with pure synthetic beta-carotene, in the inhibition and regression of cancer.

The Harvard research team is determining how these substances affect the immune system and trigger the body's natural defence mechanisms: recruitment and stimulation of macrophages and the production of tumour necrosis factor (TNF) and possibly other immune system modifiers.

Early results of the research at Harvard show that beta-carotene causes the inhibition and regression of cancer in animal and human cancer cells in culture. The research also shows that beta-carotene rich extracts of Spirulina were more effective than pure synthetic beta-carotene in killing cancer cells in culture in some experiments. The preliminary results suggest that beta-carotene and the algae products work, at least in part, by triggering the body's own immune system defence mechanisms.

It is important to note at this time that Spirulina is nature's richest whole food source of beta-carotene (provitamin A). It's 25 times richer than raw carrots! Unlike the preformed Vitamin A of synthetics and fish liver oils, beta-carotene is completely non-toxic, even in mega doses.

Researchers for the World Health Organisation (W.H.O) estimate that approximately 16% of the beta-carotene ingested is converted to useable Vitamin A. On this basis, one tablespoon (10 grams) of Spirulina contains about 25,000 I.U. or over 500% of the RDA for preformed or true Vitamin A.

Vitamin E -

Vitamin E is believed to have antitoxin properties and an ability to destroy free radicals. This vitamin does a great job in bolstering the production of antibodies. A deficiency of Vitamin E lowers levels of antibodies, as well as the most crucial T and B cells.

Some people believe that Vitamin E increases stamina and helps build up resistance to degenerative diseases, such as arthritis.

It is important to note here that Spirulina is nature's richest whole food source of Vitamin E. It's 3 times richer than raw wheat germ and its biological activity is 49% greater than synthetic Vitamin E.

Selenium & Zinc

The mineral selenium works hand in hand with Vitamin E as an anti-oxidant. A deficiency in this mineral causes a drop in the B cell response, resulting in lower levels of antibodies.

Zinc is a mineral critical to the immune system. It is an essential co-factor in more than 100 enzymes. A deficiency of zinc increases one's susceptibility to infections and will eventually lead to low levels of blood immunoglobulins.

B Vitamins

The B group of substances known as B Vitamins is also most valuable to our immune system. This includes:

B2 Riboflavin keeps the mucosal lining of the body in shape so that it can fight off assault. The mucosal lining is one of the first defence barriers against disease.

B6 Pyridoxine is one of the most important B Vitamins to the immune system, since it plays a role in the production of nucleic acid and protein. The immune system is very dependent on adequate supplies of both nucleic acid and protein. When B6 is deficient, the thymus gland, a crucial part of the immune system, shrinks.

Vitamin B12 and Folic Acid are grouped together, since both are necessary for the immune system cells, which are produced in the bone marrow, to mature into active disease fighters. A deficiency in either of these two nutrients results in a decrease in T and B cells and also in a shrinkage of the thymolymphatic organs. These important organs are where much of the immune system is based.

Vitamin B 12 is the most difficult of all vitamins to obtain from vegetable sources. Spirulina is extremely rich in this rare vitamin, containing 250% more than beef liver, previously thought to be nature's richest source. A single serving of Spirulina (10gms) easily exceeds the RDA of 1.5 to 3mcg daily.

Spirulina is nature's richest whole food source of antioxidants. It contains a spectrum of practically every natural antioxidant known, including the antioxidant and super antioxidant vitamins and minerals such as C, B, B5, zinc, manganese and copper, the amino acid methionine and the trace element selenium.

Amino Acids

Both the essential and non-essential amino acids must be present for protein synthesis to occur. Most people understand the role of proteins in rebuilding cells and repairing tissue, but they do much more, especially to strengthen and support the immune system. They form antibodies to combat invading bacteria and viruses.

They are an integral part of the enzyme and hormonal systems, build nucleoproteins such as RNA and DNA, assist in moving oxygen through the body and play a major role in muscle activity.

Simply stated, our bodies need amino acids and they need to be supplied on a regular basis, since they are in a dynamic state, being utilised and resynthesised continuously.

Spirulina is absolutely unique with a superior 'complete' amino acid profile, which contains in the correct proportions, all 8 essential amino acids plus an additional 10 'non-essential' amino acids.

Another major claimed health benefit of Spirulina is its positive effect of building up Lactobacillus in the human digestive system. This leads to better digestion and absorption, protection from infection and stimulation of the immune system.

A high iron bioavailability and its related effect in correction of anaemia has also been documented to show a 60% higher absorption of iron with spirulina in the diet. (A deficiency of iron has been linked to a wide variety of defects in immune response functions).

As we continue to choose health and wholeness in our lives, it becomes quite clear that a choice to integrate foods like Spirulina to support us is a very powerful action to take. Along with appropriate diet and food supplementation, studies show that choices to avoid stimulants and drugs, exercising regularly every day, avoiding overexposure to the sun, eating lightly and allowing our emotions full expression helps to build immune system response.

Keep in mind that your own best efforts will go a long way toward maintaining a strong healthy immune system. As valuable as doctors may be, there are some preventative practices we simply have to perform for ourselves.

At Ideal Health we stock Lifestream Certified Organic Spirulina. This comes in capsules, tablets and loose powder.