If you are not familiar with spirulina, it is a natural algae which is usually in powder form. It is a common ingredient in energy bars, natural supplements, and green drinks. It’s an incredibly beneficial food.
Spirulina contains good amounts of iron, which can help prevent iron deficiency and anemia. You may also be happy to know that this superfood is loaded with protein and antioxidants. In fact, spirulina contains more nutrients per gram than most foods.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF SPIRULINA
Below are the health benefits of taking spirulina every day.
1. It can regulate your blood sugar levels.
Diabetics and pre-diabetics should consume spirulina every day. Research shows that it helps balance blood sugar levels. You may also want to add sweet potatoes to your diet since they improve insulin sensitivity.
2. It may help lower LDL cholesterol.
It is important to keep your cholesterol levels low, because high cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease. Luckily, spirulina can lower your LDL cholesterol levels. In this study, researchers found that taking 1 gram of spirulina every day helped people lower their LDL by 10 percent and triglycerides by 16 percent.
3. It may prevent cancer.
Even though research is in its early stages, studies show that spirulina can affect cancer cells. For instance, this study found that people who chewed tobacco and then took spirulina had fewer precancerous lesions compared to those who took a placebo.
Animal studies also show that spirulina can lower risk of cancer and tumors.
4. It may help remove heavy metals from your body.
Heavy metals are a bigger problem than most of us realize. According to research, thousands of people have developed chronic arsenic poisoning because of consuming this heavy metal through drinking water.
The good news is spirulina, can bind with heavy metals, like arsenic, and remove them from your body. In this study, researchers found that combining 250mg of spirulina with 2mg of zinc reduced arsenic toxicity by 47 percent in 16 weeks.
5. It may boost muscular endurance.
Do you get exhausted after running for a few minutes or want to improve your workouts? Spirulina can help you run longer by boosting your muscular endurance. In this study, people improved their exercise performance and took longer to get tired when they took spirulina.
6. It can help fight inflammation.
This superfood has strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Phycocyanin is one of the most potent antioxidants in spirulina. Research shows it can fight free radicals and as a result, reduce inflammation in your body.
7. It may lower your blood pressure.
Phycocyanin does not just fight inflammation. The results of this study showed that long-term intake of this compound can help lower blood pressure.
Take advantage of this superfood because uncontrolled blood pressure can cause stroke, vision loss, dementia, kidney disease and heart failure.
8. It can make it easier to drop pounds.
As I said earlier, spirulina is high in protein. 100 grams of spirulina contains 57 grams of protein. Now, that is a lot compared to the 26 grams of protein found in 100 grams of meat.
Increasing protein intake will help you stay full for long, which will enable you to lose more weight. Eat spirulina in the morning to stay full and energetic all day.
9. It may lower risk of iron deficiency.
Since spirulina is a good source of iron, it can lower risk of iron deficiency. This may surprise you but according to WHO, iron deficiency is the number one nutritional disorder in the world. It affects over two billion people worldwide.
It is also worth noting that long-term iron deficiency can lead to anemia.
10. It may fight allergies.
Research shows that spirulina can help reduce symptoms of allergic rhinitis. In this study, people with allergic rhinitis experienced less sneezing, itchiness, and nasal congestion when they took 2 grams of spirulina daily.
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