Health And Fitness News 

Spirulina And Our Brain

When I first started taking spirulina years ago, it was a bit of a wonder supplement, but without much research to back up any claims. Most people reported an increase in energy levels, and it certainly helps with your skin (I find all the green supplements, including green barley, and kelp, help with skin). Unfortunately, the fact that percentage-wise it contained a lot of protein opened it up for some criticism, I think.

Spirulina is in fact a highly concentrated source of protein, but you'd have to consume a heck of a lot of it to come anywhere near using that as a significant source of protein in your daily diet. I think the wrong emphasis was placed on this at one stage. And recent research has uncovered where spirulina really shines - in its' levels of antioxidants.

Scientists from the James A. Haley Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the Center for Aging and Brain Repair, Department of Neurosurgery, University of South Florida, the Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and the Department of Pharmacology, University of Colorado Health Science Center published some interesting results on an animal study of spirulina and the brain.

Using a number of tests, controls, and comparisons, the researchers found that older rats fed apple and spirulina improved their neuronal activity to the higher levels enjoyed by younger rats. This, if it can be reproduced in humans, has positive effects in relation to the aging of the brain.

The researchers believe that it is spirulina's antioxidants that are the driver behind this result, with some sources saying that it has 300 times the antioxidant effect of apples.

Other studies have been done on the effect of vegetables (like spinach) on the aging brain. Spinach also has high antioxidant levels, and the studies found a relationship between fruits and vegetables with high levels of antioxidants and improvements in learning motor skills in rats.

Like any study done on animals, the results have to be there for humans before anyone can get really excited. However, it's a promising early result, and certainly adds to the body of knowledge highlighting the importance of fruit and vegetables (and antioxidants) in the diet.