3 Health Benefits of Spirulina You Need to Know

It seems like wherever you look, everyone is talking about the benefits of spirulina. From the Dr. Oz Show to the United Nations to NASA, people are calling it the food of the future.

Spirulina benefits have been touted by top professionals, medical journals, and science-based organizations. Now it’s your turn to discover the health benefits of spirulina for yourself.

Read on to discover three ways that spirulina benefits your life, your vitality, and your health.

What Is Spirulina? 

Spirulina is a type of blue-green algae that listed as a superfood because of its high nutritional content.

In fact, just one tablespoon of spirulina provides a healthy dose of:

  • Calcium
  • Protein
  • Vitamins A, K, C, and B
  • Thiamin
  • Folate
  • Riboflavin
  • Niacin
  • B6

As well as minerals like:

  • Iron
  • Magnesium
  • Phosphorus
  • Potassium

With all of its nutritional content, it’s no wonder that it’s become a staple of many protein shakes.  Spirulina is highly digestible. It is produced in capsules, powders, tinctures, and extracts.

If you’re looking to add spirulina to your regular nutrition, we suggest ordering your first batch through Etanicals.

Three Amazing Health Benefits of Daily Spirulina Consumption

Along with its dense nutritional content, spirulina also provides some amazing health benefits. Read on to discover three ways that adding daily spirulina to your diet can change your health.

1.  Weight Loss

According to a double-blind study from 2016, overweight patients who consumed spirulina daily for a period of three months showed significant improvement in their BMI, or body-mass index.

It appears then that the spirulina has properties to help reduce BMI in overweight and obese individuals. Good news for those considering losing weight with spirulina.

In the study, participants were asked to take capsules in the morning with their breakfast and continue their normal activity and eating patterns. This would appear to indicate that spirulina was the qualifying change in BMI.

2.  Helps Manage Diabetes

According to reports from a 2018 study, spirulina was said to significantly lower people’s fasting blood sugar levels. Other reports have shown that spirulina outperformed other popular diabetes drugs like metformin.

Additionally, it lowered markers that reduce diabetes-related death by 21%. It shows significant promise as a natural supplement to control and manage type 1 and type 2 diabetes, although more testing is required.

3.  Lowers Cholesterol

In addition to its weight loss and diabetes managing superpowers, spirulina also helps lower blood cholesterol levels. According to studies, patients who took two grams of spirulina a day reduced their triglycerides by 16% and their LDL or “bad cholesterol” by 10%.

Additionally, patients saw a decrease in overall cholesterol. Spirulina was also said to protect against oxidation of lipids, which can cause many diseases. The antioxidant-rich spirulina protects against this oxidation preventing the progression of disease related to fatty lipids in the body oxidizing.

Spirulina Benefits for the Win! 

While this is not an exhaustive list of spirulina benefits, we felt these were important ones to mention. Given that overweight individuals are more prone to diabetes and high cholesterol, it appears spirulina can be a natural deterrent from developing these ailments.

For more information on diet, nutrition, and more, please check out our blog posts for more interesting insights.