Spirulina Supplement

Spirulina is mainly sought after for two key characteristics:

• Its protein content (67% for our French Organic Spirulina)
• Its phycocyanin content (20-25% for our French Organic Spirulina)

You need significant quantities of spirulina for it to be an interesting source of protein, but the presence of natural antioxidants makes it a highly prized superfood.

Some spirulinas display a high vitamin B12 content, but 83% of it is present as adeninylcobamide, whose activity in humans remains debated.

Athletes swear by phycocyanin for its benefits on the body's antioxidant protection mechanisms, which makes it a prime ally for recovery and tone, and for reducing fatigue during long efforts.

Its richness in micronutrients and antioxidants also allows spirulina to support the body's natural defenses and helps fight temporary fatigue, providing vitality and energy.

The benefits of spirulina are therefore well recognized today, and this microalga:

• Contains antioxidants that help protect cells against oxidative stress and free radicals,
• Supports the body's natural defenses and helps maintain vitality,
• Helps combat temporary fatigue.

Spirulina is a blue-green microalga, also part of the family of filamentous cyanobacteria. Behind this complex word lies a simple notion: a cyanobacterium is a bacterium that performs photosynthesis, meaning it uses light as its main source of energy. Humans have eaten spirulina for several centuries, particularly the Aztecs. It was rediscovered in the 1960s and has enjoyed worldwide success ever since. In 1974, the UN even named spirulina the food of the future! [1] In the United States, NASA also studied spirulina as a food with very high nutritional value and a potential source for space travel. [2]

Many species of spirulina originally and naturally proliferated in various lakes around the world: in Chad, Mexico, and Kenya. Natural spirulina consumption is therefore thought to date back many centuries, particularly among populations living near these lakes (Aztecs and African tribes) [3].

Beyond its high nutritional quality, spirulina has a major advantage: producing it does not require large resources, which gives it extremely interesting sustainability aspects [4], especially when compared with other types of protein sources and their water requirements (beef or soy, for example). Thanks to these exceptional characteristics, it has become very popular within the "superfood" category.

Natural spirulina draws its nutritional strength from its protein composition (combining a high protein content (around 60%) and a concentration of essential amino acids), vitamins (beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, vitamins A, K, B12), and minerals (notably iron). [5] Another of its nutritional strengths lies in its concentration of phycocyanin (phycobiliproteins + water-soluble phycocyanobilin pigments). [6]

This soluble blue molecule, found only in spirulina and other blue-green algae species, has a very powerful antioxidant capacity. This set of bioactive and functional nutritional compounds gives it many health benefits [7], and this remarkable food has naturally emerged as an ingredient of choice for nutraceuticals.

One of the most studied benefits of spirulina in recent years concerns obesity and weight loss. Several animal studies have shown that mice fed a diet designed to make them gain weight, particularly high in fat, had a lower fat mass and lower blood lipid markers with spirulina supplementation. [8]

A few human studies subsequently observed effects, with a slight improvement in body composition and lipid profile thanks to supplementation. For example, in a 2017 clinical study, obese people taking 1 g of spirulina per day for 12 weeks saw slightly greater weight loss, a drop in total cholesterol, and a reduction in appetite compared with placebo, the reduction in appetite most likely explaining much of the weight loss. [9]

Another study looked at the effects of spirulina on weight loss combined with physical exercise. Overweight or obese men were divided into 4 groups: with or without exercise, and with placebo or spirulina in each case.

The spirulina dose was 4.5 g per day, and the physical activity consisted of 1 hour of strength and endurance exercises, 5 days a week. At the end of the 6-week study, the groups taking spirulina, with or without exercise, had lost slightly more weight than the "control" group, but also than the "exercise + placebo" group. In addition, people taking spirulina saw a slight increase in their respiratory capacity and in their time to fatigue during exercise. [10]

Animal studies had shown that spirulina was able to block the development of fat cells and to promote brown adipose tissue, which is more favorable to weight loss, as it burns energy when exposed to cold. These mechanisms may therefore be responsible for the positive results in humans, but more clinical studies are still needed to confirm this.

Another very recent study, in a group of young men following a weight-loss diet for 12 weeks while taking either spirulina or a placebo, observed a greater loss of fat mass with spirulina, and suggests that the effect could come from a decrease in myostatin, a molecule that normally limits muscle growth. [11]

Overweight and obesity go hand in hand with metabolic problems (high blood pressure, insulin resistance, high triglycerides, etc.). When several of these risk factors are combined in the same person, they are grouped under the name "metabolic syndrome". The prevalence of this syndrome has kept rising in recent years, linked to the rise in obesity.

A 2019 meta-analysis summarized 14 clinical studies on the effects of spirulina on metabolic health. Spirulina supplementation showed a notable effect on lowering fasting blood glucose and LDL and total cholesterol. Taking spirulina could reduce characteristics of metabolic syndrome, which are risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. [12]

One hypothesis is that these benefits come from the antioxidant capacities of spirulina, in particular phycocyanin. Indeed, oxidative stress is considered one of the causes of insulin resistance, and spirulina has demonstrated its antioxidant properties in animals with diabetes. [13]

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, or "fatty liver" disease, is another condition that has developed alongside the rise in obesity. Spirulina was tested on men suffering from it, taking 2 g per day for 8 weeks. The severity of the disease decreased with spirulina compared with placebo, with improvement in several markers of the disease (enzymes, blood lipids, oxidative stress). [14]

Spirulina may have a positive effect on allergic rhinitis, significantly reducing classic symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, and itching. In one clinical study, taking 2 g of spirulina per day for 6 months in people with allergic rhinitis significantly reduced these symptoms compared with placebo. [15] Another study suggests that this effect may come from a decrease in the secretion of pro-inflammatory molecules with spirulina intake. [16]

Spirulina is a very interesting food for athletes, particularly those engaged in prolonged efforts such as endurance sports, its benefits being observed on fatigue and time to exhaustion.

A study in a group of young adults who run, taking 7.5 g of spirulina per day for 3 weeks, observed a significant improvement in time to exhaustion during exercise compared with placebo. [17] Another study observed similar results with a supplementation of 6 g for 4 weeks. [18]

This research suggests that this effect may come from better use of fat reserves, allowing glycogen reserves to be preserved for longer.

Spirulina contains vitamin B12, but in two distinct forms: 17% methylcobalamin, an active form, and 83% adeninylcobamide (pseudovitamin B12), said to be inactive. [19] Since 2009, though, several scientific studies have shown that adeninylcobamide is not as inactive as all that... In any case, the methylcobalamin content is more than sufficient for spirulina to play a role as a complementary source of vitamin B12. Vegans will in any case need to take a specific vitamin B12 supplement.

As for the iron in spirulina, it has good bioavailability and is well absorbed by our body. Its content can vary greatly depending on the production method, however. In conventional farming, the water in the cultures is often enriched with iron sulfate. The alga takes it up, which results in an iron-rich spirulina. But this product is not authorized in organic farming, which is why organic spirulinas are not naturally rich in iron. 3 g of French Organic Spirulina provides on average 10% of an adult's daily iron needs, which is not sufficient.

For several decades, spirulina has been widely produced around the world to meet growing demand (nutraceutical, cosmetic, food industry...). On the market, you can buy spirulina in different dietary supplement forms: powder, flakes, capsules, liquid, tablets... online, in pharmacies, or in specialist stores. You also need to consider other characteristics when choosing a spirulina: artisanal or not, and from organic farming or not.

With this "democratization" of the sale of spirulina-based products, several criteria should be taken into account before making a purchase, in order to avoid the potential "dangers" linked to its consumption:

• Cleanliness: Spirulina has the ability to bind to the heavy metals and bacteria found in its original environment (culture medium). Its proper production is therefore more than a criterion, it should be a condition. Hence the need to have access to certificates of analysis to check the content of heavy metals and other contaminants.
• Drying method: This determines whether or not the nutrients of spirulina are preserved and concentrated. This is made possible by low-temperature drying, that is, below 50°C. Unfortunately, more than half of the spirulinas bought on the market are dried at high temperature.
• Richness in nutrients: nutrients, in particular phycocyanin, are partly destroyed by high temperatures. A phycocyanin concentration (content) of at least 15% guarantees a quality spirulina.
• Organic label: Since 2017, spirulina can be certified organic, which ensures ecological cultivation, without pesticides, without synthetic fertilizers, and without substitutes of animal origin.

At Nutri&Co, all these criteria are guaranteed. For people looking for a premium, local spirulina, our French Organic Spirulina is ideal, with:

• Impeccable cleanliness, as proven by the bacteriological and heavy metal analyses available on our website.
• Cold processing: our spirulina is dried and compressed at only 39°C.
• An exceptional phycocyanin content, of 20 to 25%.
• Unique production conditions in France, in an area with an ideal climate by the Mediterranean next to Montpellier, in a human-scale company.

On top of these points, we chose a 100% pure spirulina, with no colorants, no flavorings, and no bulking agents for compression.

Finally, our French Organic Spirulina is controlled at 2 levels:

• Cultivation inputs are analyzed to comply with the organic specifications.
• It is analyzed at the end of production to validate its nutritional content and the absence of any contaminants.