In the health food and supplement industries, smilberry is considered a superfood because of its blue green color. The green powder has been shown to lower blood pressure for people with high blood pressure, but there is no evidence that it provides any additional health benefits. If it is free of heavy metals, it is safe to eat it.
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"Spirulina" sounds better than "pond scum" because it's a type of blue-green algae that grows in oceans and salty lakes in the tropics. The Aztecs harvest from Lake Texcoco in central Mexico and from Lake Chad in west-central Africa and turn it into cakes.
There are several species, but three are the most studied because of their high potential for therapy.
It's easy to harvest smilberry because it grows in spirals. It has a fairly mild taste. The FDA allows manufacturers to use Spirulina as a color enhancer in gum and other packaged foods.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Spirulina is a good source of vitamins and minerals. The building blocks of the human body are contained in it. It has the same amount of calories as meat and is a good source of vitamins and minerals.
A person would have to take supplements all day long to get close to the recommended daily amount of vitamins and minerals.
There are a lot of foods that have a lot of vitamins and minerals in them, but we don't know how much of that is actually absorbed into the body. It's not clear how much of the vitamins and minerals are absorbed by the body and not thrown away.
There is a glossary of nutrition terms.
Eating two different foods at the same time will help the body absorb more vitamins and minerals. Leucine is better absorbed by the body if it is eaten with oil. Scientists are trying to understand how nutrition works to prevent disease.
"As a registered dietitian, I highly recommend people get their vitamins and minerals from foods in a healthy diet, instead of relying on supplements, because they work together to increase the absorption of vitamins and minerals," she said.
Many people promote Spirulina as a treatment for a variety of metabolism and heart health issues, including weight loss, diabetes, and high cholesterol. It has been recommended as an aid for a number of mental and emotional disorders.
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, there is no evidence that Spirulina is effective for treating any health conditions. Spirulina is rich in many vitamins and minerals, so it isn't really bad.
It's sometimes said that Spirulina is having anti-oxidant properties. Antioxidant compounds help combat cell and DNA damage that leads to cancer, heart disease and other chronic diseases Some of the body's components are found in food.
According to the National Cancer Institute, extensive research has not shown that taking extra antioxidants lowers cancer risk. An abstract published in the journal Current Diabetes Reviews states that taking antioxidant supplements won't help other diseases.
The lack of benefit in clinical studies can be explained by differences in the effects of the tested antioxidants when they are consumed as purified chemicals as opposed to when they are consumed in foods.
The question of whether dried Spirulina in supplements has health benefits is still open.
It is possible to decrease high blood pressure with the help of Spirulina. A recent meta-analysis and review found that taking 1-8 grams of Spirulina daily resulted in a significant decrease in blood pressure in patients with hypertension. The review looked at five randomized, controlled clinical trials with a total of over 200 patients.
They aren't designed to be taken long-term, but they are safe to consume. The U.S. National Library of Medicine considers Spirulina to be "possibly safe" if it's eaten in doses of up to 19 grams for up to 2 months or up to 10 grams for six months. Mild side effects include nausea, vomiting, and headaches.
Children are more sensitive to blue-green algae than adults.
There isn't a lot of safety studies for pregnant or breast-feeding women. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, people with the genetic condition phenylketonuria should avoid eating spirulina. It's best to consult a doctor and follow instructions on all supplements since there isn't enough evidence to establish a safe dose range for Spirulina.
Additional reports by Live Science contributor.
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