Spirulina

What it can do for you

             & Your Country

CONTENTS

PREFACE

SPIRULINA

ALGAE AS FOOD

SPIRULINA THE PROTECTIVE  FOOD

Free radicals and corrosion : an analogy

SPIRULINA FOR THE MASSES

       a)  for the  malnourished

       b)  for employment generation

EPILOGUE

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Preface

Lot of research work on the health benefits of Spirulina have accumulated, over the years, within our country (India)  and there is no single document available to sum them up for the public benefit. Most of them having been conducted in connection with a research thesis or project ends up as a publication in scientific journal or a technical report only to be discussed in scientific circles.

This book is an attempt to put together such works which have a direct impact of Spirulina over the health aspects of the individuals. In addition relevant studies on Spirulina which addresses major national issues like malnutrition, employment opportunities have also been included to give a broader idea about how Spirulina can contribute to the national interests.

For those who are not familiar with Spirulina, a few words here :

Spirulina, a microscopic alga, is a well accepted health food world over. Probably the first ever serious work in our country was started at the Central Food Technological Research Centre, Mysore through an Indo-German algal project in the early seventies. It also became a part of All India co-coordinated project on Algae guided by Indian Council for Agricultural Research. At that time several National Laboratories started working on various applications of algae which laid the foundations for the developments to come later. In this context extensive studies using animals on toxicology and biochemical aspects of Spirulina studied by CFTRI enriched the Indian work on algal studies.

The thrust for commercialization came from the private sector, in particular from the Chennai based Murugappa Chettiar Research Centre. Their contribution is notable for their attempts to make Spirulina a more socially relevant concept through projects like 'Large scale feeding of Spirulina to pre school children' and 'Backyard cultivation for village women'.

None of these would have been possible without the support of national institutions like Department of Science & Technology, Department of Biotechnology, National Research Development Corporation, National Institute of Nutrition and Bureau of Indian Standards.

I have attempted to highlight the benefits of Spirulina mostly through the trials based on human subjects, conducted in India. Oft repeated examples from outside the country have been kept to a minimum though some more of them could have given a better strength to the points one wanted to make. To help those who like to know more about Spirulina a separate bibliography is listed.

Only those of which have a scientific basis are generally included and inadvertent omissions may please be brought to the notice for future inclusion.

Intellectuals around the world have recognized the potential of Spirulina in solving major problems of developing countries. This aspect has been given considerable importance in this book with a hope that it may rekindle the dormant interest for a larger social cause.

In short, creating an all round awareness about Spirulina is the central theme of this small volume -a pilot vehicle before the V V IP's actual arrival.

Delhi - 92                                                                                B.V.Umesh

Chapter I

Spirulina

Spirulina is called the oldest food on earth. Why ?

Spirulina belongs to a classification of Blue Green algae which are the first ever organisms to appear on earth 3 billion years ago. A species of such old origin survived the test of time only to be discovered by the modern man to be celebrated about.

Is the discovery that latest ?

Honestly NO. The Aztecs in Mexico and the natives of Chad in Africa had been historically using Spirulina as part of their diet for centuries. Spirulina was found as floating mats in the nearby alkaline lakes which the Flamingos love to eat. Probably the tribes who lived there also found it quite delicious and nutritious.

Why the Nutritionists and Health Planners are head over heels about it ?

Because, most of the nutritionists have acknowledged Spirulina' superior nutritional qualities compared to any other known food. Its exceptional protein content ( more than 60% ) and it being the richest source for beta carotene and vitamin B12 - all in one- has no parallel in the nutritive food categories. The bar charts bring out the significant superiority of Spirulina against conventional health foods like milk and egg and shows how concentrated it is in its nutrition profile.
It is said that during world war II the Germans have perfected the cultivation of yeast for quick supply of wholesome nutrition to soldiers at the war front. To day Spirulina can easily fulfill the requirement obviating certain disadvantages encountered with yeast. Firstly its nucleic acid content is low. Being photosynthetic it is rich in chlorophyll and carotenoid pigments which are beneficial in very many ways to the human nutrition. In other words, Spirulina can be a solution for solving the world nutrition problems due to its very high growth rate and high nutritional value.

Does it belong to the category of single cell protein ?

Technically speaking Spirulina is not a single cellular organism. Its body is made up of multi cellular construction. However it has some similarities with single cell protein like yeast. These are high productivity as compared to terrestrial sources and rich nutritional value. Spirulina is entirely different from yeast that it is photosynthetic. For this reason it resembles many phyto nutrients available through plant kingdom like Chlorophyll and beta carotene.

Does it make Spirulina better than Yeast tablets ?

Spirulina is superior to yeast not only in this respect but also due to its low nucleic acid content which is just about half of yeast. Nucleic acids are considered not so good for health as they lead to increase in uric acid content in the blood which increases the load on the working of the kidney and ultimately result in gout.

Chapter II

Algae as food

Are there other algae being eaten like Spirulina ?

Much before the advent of Spirulina in the Health Food scenario another alga called chlorella was known to be a health promoter in Far East countries like Japan, Vietnam and Taiwan. Even today Chlorella commands good market through many well established brand names. The arrival of Spirulina, in market in early seventies is to chlorella akin to the arrival of Tea in an already existing Coffee market. Each created a separate niche for itself in the consumer's mind and does not seem to affect the growth of the other.

Which is Superior Chlorella or Spirulina?

Though Chlorella also contains many nutrients which are specific to algae - like carotenoids, chlorophyll and many of the vitamins- it lacks the biliproteins which are unique to blue green algae having many therapeutical value as per recent investigations. Chlorella belongs to the family of green algae and does not provide the benefit of biliproteins which is about 15 to 25 % of the total proteins present in Spirulina In addition the Chlorella alga contains a cell wall which poses difficulty in digestion if the producers fail to process it properly. Such a difficulty is not encountered in Spirulina as only a thin membrane is present in place of the cell wall. Hence of late, there is a marked preference for Spirulina to Chlorella .

Can you explain from where and how these algae are obtained & processed ?

The species to be grown are decided first and the seed is procured from a well established laboratory which maintains Culture Collection Departments. The agar slant ( or the seed ) supplied by them is grown in a specific medium as advised by the parent laboratory at the grower's own facilities. Once the culture is well established inside the laboratory it is transferred to larger flasks to increase the volume of the inoculum. An inoculum is nothing but the same alga grown in the same medium ( together it is called as culture ) but due to the intention of using it as seed it is called inoculum in scientific terms. A well developed inoculum is transferred to small out door ponds and larger quantities are developed for starting the large scale production ponds.

When the production ponds show sufficient growth of Spirulina, it is taken for filtration and the alga is removed from the water. Subsequently it is given washing with plenty of fresh water to remove the chemicals adhering to it.

After washing the wet mass is dried in a tray drier or a spray drier or freeze drier depending on the volumes to be handled and the qualities expected out of the final dried product.

Does quality depend on method of cultivation or method of drying ?

Both. Though the important aspect of quality is governed by the method of cultivation and by the health of the crop. It is also important to protect the nutritive value through the process of drying as well as during storage. Prolonged drying methods tend to oxidize some of the valuable nutrient like carotenoids and biliproteins which play an important role as antioxidants protecting against the Free Radical rampage.

What is the present acceptability of Spirulina around the world ?

The best measure of acceptability is to see the growth of the product in the market. The present world consumption is estimated around 2400 metric tonnes. Two leading producers from United States alone contribute nearly 50% of the world production. Half of this consumption has taken place in the last five years indicating the widening acceptability of Spirulina. It is expected that Asian countries like India and China will play a major role in its future growth

                                           Spirulina Nutritional Profile

          TYPICAL ANALYSIS *

* Nutritional Profile from one of the international Suppliers’  brochure

Chapter III

Spirulina the protective food

There was a reference to 'Free radicals'. What are they ?

Our body is made up of one quadrillion ( 1x10¹⁵ ) cells where thousands of different biochemical reactions constantly take place. Each reaction result in some useful products and some wasteful ones. These wastes need to be scavenged and disposed off without adversely affecting the routine body functions. Scientists find that such reactions lead to some intermediate compounds which can cause damage to cells if they are not quenched immediately. These have been recognized as oxygen free radicals, which characteristically contain unpaired electrons.

Under what conditions these free radicals are formed ?

The generation and quenching should occur simultaneously if our diet is well balanced with protective foods. This may not happen all the time.

Excessive intake of Energy, Sugar, Iron, Fats and anti nutrients like tobacco, alcohol, radiation, pesticides all increase the flux of free radical from which many more generate in a chain reaction indefinitely.

Deficit of Fibre, Antioxidants like Vitamin A, C, E , B complex and micronutrients Zinc and Selinium will lead to defective or inadequate scavenging of free radicals.

Under these circumstances the uncontrolled radicals can easily damage or kill cells or cause destruction to proteins and mutation of genes. Damage to genetic machinery can lead to cancer or other disorders.

How does Spirulina help as an antioxidant ?

Spirulina is rich not in one antioxidant alone. It is the richest source for beta carotene, rich in selenium and an enzyme known as super oxide dismutase , apart from vitamin E, all known for their specific antioxidant property.

The beta carotene content of Spirulina is nearly 60 times more than Popeye's favourite
spinach and 180 times more than papaya fruit.

The selenium content is also well documented where some
manufactures specially make selenium rich Spirulina .
A 3 gramme dose of Spirulina can easily provide
25 % of daily requirement of selenium as per US
recommendations.

Super oxide dismutase is an unique enzyme found only in
bacterial sources where the micro organisms synthesize
SOD to protect themselves against free radicals.
Spirulina being one of the
most primitive organisms it is endowed
with the protective mechanism against the super oxide
radical through enzymatic synthesis. When we
consume Spirulina it provides necessary
protection as our cells are not equipped to deal
with such situation .
Most of the time the antioxidants present in our
diet work together in a complementary manner
affording synergistic protection to the body against
the free radical damage.

Thus, Spirulina ,being rich in carotenoids, vitamin E,
zinc, selenium and the enzyme SOD provides a multi
dimensional complete protection for the body, a rare
phenomena which no other food product can ever match.

Similarity between antioxidants and Sacrificial anodes

Cathodic protection in corrosion has many similarities with the antioxidant principle advocated in nutrition therapy. Both attempt to protect the system against the damage caused by the oxygen. This method of control is also known as protection through sacrificial anode

Let us see how it is done..

All metals have been classified on the basis of their oxidation potential an indication of their relative vulnerability against oxygen attack. Higher the potential faster would be the deterioration. Always the one having higher potential becomes the anode at which the oxygen get released and the lower one which becomes the cathode releases hydrogen. Thus the cathode is less susceptible for damage through oxygen or hydroxyl ion.

The practice is to attach a metal of higher oxidation potential to the one which needs protection so that the more susceptible one bears the brunt of the oxygen damage. This is practically used in protecting long distance underground piping  used for different distributions like water, oil or gas , protection of condensers  in process industries and marine equipments , in ships etc

The usual metals used are zinc aluminum and magnesium, which have oxidation potential of + 0.76, +1.67, +2.34 respectively , as compared to iron which has a potential of +0.44 . One of these metals is attached to the iron pipe, say, which needs protection.

Iron becomes a cathode and hence the hydrogen ion ( as water splits as an hydrogen ion ( H+) and an hydroxyl ion (OH-) ) migrates towards the iron for its release while the potent hydroxyl ion gets attracted towards Zinc ultimately to release the oxygen. In this process the metal zinc constantly forms zinc oxide and withers away.

In our system too when super oxide or hydroxyl ions are generated they first get attracted readily to more reactive antioxidants like carotenes, vitamin C, B6, E and others, saving the tissues from the undue attack by these free radicals.

Are there clinical evidences for the validity of such theories?

The role of antioxidants with respect to reducing the risk of cancer are well established using epidemiological surveys. This technique studies a very large population sample based on age groups, dietary habits, and other aspects like smoking , taking alcohol etc. against the frequency and severity of the diseases and arrive at some conclusions based on statistical techniques. That is why such studies point towards the " reduction of risk " rather than a cure for existing illness. There are several studies abroad where it has been proved that low dietary intake of carotenes has increased the risk of cancer.

As an example, one such survey in our country was conducted by the Hyderabad based National Institute of Nutrition, (NIN), in the Sreekakulam district of Andhra Pradesh where the scientists observed inverse correlation between the incidence of oral cancer and the dietary in take of antioxidants and micronutrients. Their finding was that intake of protective foods such as vegetables, fruits, pulses, proteins and milk was low among those with cancerous lesions as compared to non lesion group when they administered micronutrients like vitamin A, riboflavin, zinc, and selenium for one year it was found that in 57% of the cases there was complete regression of cells. The lesions are pre-malignant in nature and epidemiologically shown to be associated with the eventual development of cancer.

Another study in Kerala among the betel nut chewers found that people who had severe attack of mucosal pre-neoplastic lesions were having very low serum carotene levels. When these subjects were given 180 mg of beta carotene per week and vitamin A 200,000 I.U., there was a decrease in the micronuclei and DNA adducts after a period of six months.

All this support the theory that how diets rich in antioxidants can be helpful in lowering risks of cancer and degenerative diseases probably caused by free radicals.

What are the diseases considered as degenerative in nature ?

Cataract, stroke, hypertension, lapses of memory, arthritis are some of the diseases associated with the ageing process. This is largely due to free radical damage. The process of ageing is considered as a manifestation of degenerative process.

In a normal process of ageing the thymus gland involutes (shrinks). Under the conditions of stress also a similar situation arises. However the carotenes concentrated in the epithelial tissue of thymus help to reduce the involutions so that hardening of proteins is avoided. This delays the formation of wrinkled appearance or hardening of corneal tissues.

A preliminary investigation of anti cataract activity of Spirulina on diabetes induced animal models have shown very encouraging result by the study conducted at the Government College of Pharmacy Bangalore. Their observation was that Spirulina fed group animals were devoid of complete cataract in two weeks time after cataract was induced by artificial means. This finding is a real boon to many who have diabetic problem.

There was a mention about bili-proteins. What kind of good effect they can render to the one who consumes Spirulina ?

Bili proteins are a group of accessory pigments that are unique to the blue-green algae which help them to trap light energy at very low light intensities. It is said that it is these pigments which help survival of several algae several miles deep down the ocean. In human nutrition its properties are being widely studied.

In many advanced biotechnology works - like production of monoclonal anti bodies interferon - synthetic serum is required for in vitro development of mammalian cells. It is a very difficult composition as the natural serum contains many hormone and growth promoting bio chemicals which are complex in nature to duplicate. Scientists have reported that the use of water extract of Spirulina (Which essentially contains biliprotein ) in the synthetic media promoted the growth of lymphocyte cells, body's first line of defense. It is a direct proof for Spirulina' s ability to contribute the strengthening of immune power.

In a Japanese study when the water extract of Spirulina was injected to laboratory mice with tumor cells, the survival rate of the treatment group was significantly higher than that of the controls . In further study, lymphocyte activity of the treatment group was higher than that of the control group. According to them biliprotiens may stimulate the immune system, providing protection from variety of diseases.

That explains the role of Spirulina's role as antioxidant. What about arthritis or blood pressure you had referred ? Can Spirulina help in these ailments also?

Yes, due to its GLA content. Another important constituent in Spirulina is gama linolenic acid popularly known as GLA. It is said that other than mother's milk the only wholesome food which can supply GLA is Spirulina.

We know that Evening primrose oil, Borage oil, Black currant oil all contain GLA .....

The stress here is on " wholesome food ". The oil sources do not provide any thing other than fatty acids of which GLA is one. In Spirulina GLA is well accompanied by other nutrients like vitamin E and zinc for the proper metabolism of GLA.

What about the regular vegetable oils we use ? Do they contain GLA ?

No. They do not contain GAL but ALA, known as Alpha linolenic acid. ALA's mechanism of working is some what different to that of GLA.
In a normal course our body is capable synthesizing GLA from linoleic acid. Linoleic acid is widely available in most vegetable oils. The synthesis of GLA in certain individuals may have been impaired due to lack of the enzyme delta-6-desaturase or the micronutrient zinc which is necessary for the conversion. This hinders further synthesis of prostaglandin (a group of harmones controlling many vital functions of the body) resulting in many ailments like arthritis. When a person takes Spirulina, the direct supply of GLA helps him or her- to circumvent biological impairments, - to synthesize prostaglandins which provide necessary relief in joint pains. In several studies in Europe and USA it had been confirmed that GLA helps to reduce the agony of arthritis  dysmenorrhoea ,obesity and heart diseases

Indeed a lady who had been suffering from acute rheumatoid arthritis had reported marked improvement with decrease in pain and swellings within ten days after taking two gram of Spirulina every day.

What about dysmenorrhoea ?

When Spirulina was administered to a group of women volunteers - in the age group of 19 to 42 - to see the efficacy of for in alleviating aneamia the surprising result was that most of them acknowledged that Spirulina had considerably eased the symptoms of dysmenorrhoea.
Dysmenorrhoea associated with the premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is now well understood through the extensive studies of GLA in the Evening primrose oil. It is the lack of polyunsaturated fatty acids in diet which seem to be responsible for the widely experienced PMS. Another important nutrient required for countering of PMS has been vitamin B6.
In Spirulina this vitamin is present naturally and it may be working synergistically for the relief of PMS along with GLA..

If Spirulina also possess GLA in its natural form it also should help in arteriosclerosis and cholesterol control, isn't it ?

Right. There are many reports world wide undertaken to check the efficacy of Spirulina in controlling cholesterol levels in blood to avoid the risk of a heart attack.

In a clinical study conducted in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu - at the Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science - with thirty human subjects having more than 280 mg/dl of serum cholesterol, administration of Spirulina showed very satisfactory improvements.

The drop in the level after a ninety day study was more than 30% of the initial level. It almost approached the normal level of 200 mg/dl in many cases. The investigators also reported that the 'friendly' high density lipoproteins (HDL) in the blood increased by 10% while the undesirable low density lipo protein (LDL) was reduced by 30 to 40% in the blood. The study showed a 4 gm per day dose was more effective than 2 gm per day dose in bringing down the cholesterol level.

An eight week study in Japan also showed greater reduction in serum cholesterol levels in the patients when given Spirulina at the rate of 4.2 gm per day. It also improved the arteriosclerosis index. (ref)

As the mechanism of action of unsaturated fatty acids in reducing the cholesterol level is well understood it is not surprising that a regular intake of Spirulina helps in the control of serum cholesterol level .

Another aspect of improper fat metabolism is the development of Non Insulin Dependent Diabetes mellitus ( NIDDM) particularly in obese persons. When blood glucose is not utilized properly the liver synthesizes more triglycerides, whose safe limit is less than 150 mg/ 100mlof plasma. Needless to say that the increase in lipids (LDL, HDL, cholesterol) accelerate the process of arteriosclerosis. Fortunately this kind of diabetes can be successfully controlled by proper diet therapy. One such studies with is accounted here.

This work was carried at the M.S. University, Baroda with 15 patients of NIDDM. All of them had high level of blood cholesterol and triglycerides. They were given 2gm of Spirulina for a three week period. It was their finding that there was significant reduction in blood glucose levels, serum total lipids level of triglycerides and total cholesterol.

We hear that Spirulina can help in weight reduction. With so much nutrition how is it possible that it will not help put on weight but reduce it ?

After the age of 16 or 18 the growth of the human body is near complete. We must recognize that growth is different from adding on weight. Many a time when the expenses of calories is less than the intake it results in deposition of fats and subsequently increase in weight.
Some persons find it difficult to control the craving for food even if they are aware of the fact that they are consuming more calories. Spirulina, it seems, due to its content of phenylalanine, an amino acid, sends a signal to the brain a sense of satiation because of which the craving comes under control. At the same time the body gets adequate nutrition to carry on with its metabolic activities. This is the tentative mechanism some scientists attribute to the role of weight reduction by Spirulina.

Are there any cases where the weight reduction is confirmed through experimentation ?

One systematic experiment conducted in Germany with 16 obese persons in a scientific methodology ( what is known as double blind study to remove any bias in the minds of the investigators and the subjects as well) also confirmed weight loss of 1.4 kg in two weeks time. These persons received 8.4 gm of Spirulina everyday in three split doses before meals. There was no alarming changes in either clinical or biochemical evaluation of the people who underwent the experimentation (ref)

In the example we had seen with the cholesterol reduction study at Coimabatore it was also recorded that there was an average reduction in weight up to 3.0 kg among the people who had taken Spirulina. There was no significant differences between the two groups who have consumed 2 gm and 4gm daily. It was found statistically significant that the control group (those who never ate) did not show any decrease in the body weight.

One reason attributable to this could be the diuretic effect which Spirulina seem to effect. It regulates the body fluid level and removes the excess fluid. Since Spirulina's potassium content is high it may be a contributing factor in the regulatory mechanism. This particular aspect has not been studied so far.

Chapter IV

Spirulina for Masses

All the studies or factors quoted so far may not be a real concern for the Health Planners you mentioned earlier. How can Spirulina contribute to the national health plan ?

Malnutrition among several sections of the society is a major concern for the health planning of the country. The two important category of the population of immediate concern are the pregnant women and the children.

The pregnant women are mostly anaemic and the prevalence is any where between 56% to 80% from state to state. Nutritional inadequacy is the most common cause because of the poor bioavailability of the iron in an already poor diet having no folate or Vitamin B.

Similarly little children who are moderately malnourished (60-75% of the normal) alone account for 20% to 45% in different states of the country. As per ICMR statistics nearly 20000 children go blind every year due to severe vitamin A deficiency.

In both cases Spirulina has a major role to play if only it can catch the imagination of the policy makers. In several studies it has been found that regular intake of Spirulina helps to improve the haemoglobin level both with the animal models as well a human subjects. Apart from contributing the required iron, Spirulina also supplies folic acid and vitamin B12 - needed by anaemic persons -making it as a wholesome nutritional support. More than that, the micro nutrients and enzymes present also contribute to the better assimilation of the nutrition from the food ingested thus making it as a bio- enhancer.

This fact has come to light through a study carried out at S.N.D.T.Women's university at Bombay among the less privileged section of the society. They attempted to maintain the vitamin A level among the pregnant women during the pregnancy - as there is always a depletion of it with the progress of the pregnancy. By feeding Spirulina from the 24 th week onwards and continuing till 12 week after the delivery of the babies they recorded an increase of serum retinol by 45% ( a marker of vitamin A level in the blood) . While this not very surprising , as beta carotene is known to improve vitamin A status, the side observation they have reported makes it more interesting and important.

The average birth weight of the infants in the Spirulina fed group was more than 3.0kg (3.1 + 0.3 kg to be precise) while in the control group it was 2.6( + 0.2) kg . If we analyze the result we may find that this is not accidental though the experimenters may not have looked for it. This exemplifies the bio-enhancing capability of Spirulina through several helpful factors for better assimilation of the nutrients from the average diet the women must have had only to result babies of better health.

What about malnutrition in children ?

As already mentioned children are the worst affected due to lack of awareness about nutritional importance among our people. Their development of faculties reach full growth by the time they reach the age of five considered as preschool period. Any major deficiency in this period can cause permanent damage to their development as a normal grown-up person.
In particular the deficiency of vitamin A and B-complex are critical . Can there be a better solution than to combat this problem considering Spirulina's extraordinary growth rate and nutritional value ?

Is it possible for the poor to afford ?

If we look at the growth of any new kind of product it takes time to build up awareness. For example in our country about 60 to 70 years back tea was advertised as part of the Royal drink- affordable only by a select few! Today we find tea shops in almost in every street corner.
Take a recent phenomena. When mineral water was introduced a decade ago as a safe drink at an astronomical price, any average citizen felt that it is a limited market for the visiting foreigners or high flying executives. But today not only in most government organized meetings (who are supposed to be working on shoe string budget) it is being served but also the middle class travelers in all long distance trains purchase them for safe drinking. Once the importance of health percolates in to the mind money becomes less important and the affordability comes through.

The popularization of Spirulina can be speeded up, once the need is deeply felt, through many channels like government machinery, organized business net work, voluntary agencies etc.

In this context it is learnt that the Government of China seem to have made a policy to popularize Spirulina in a big way and there are hundreds of Spirulina farms are coming up. To day in the international market Spirulina coming from China is the lowest price

Would you suggest a large scale experimentation for the purpose of evaluating the usefulness of Spirulina among the malnourished?

Already the usefulness of Spirulina in meeting the Vitamin A requirement of the children had been evaluated by - none other than the supreme agency in the country - the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad. Their findings with 57 preschool children in the age group 3 to 5 years brought out that within four weeks of regular feeding of Spirulina the conjuctival xerosis (indication of vitamin A deficiency) had disappeared. The performance of group was compared with a group supplemented with Vitamin A and it was found as good as vitamin A. They were fed 1200 micro gm of beta carotene in the group and equivalent amount of 300 micro gm vitamin A in the control group. The performance was also checked by measuring the carotene level in the serum which almost doubled with in three weeks from 14mg/dl to 28mg/dl. They concluded that beta carotene can be as effective as any other source in treating the Vitamin A requirement.

Encouraged by this Dr. Seshadri of Murugappa Chettiar Research Centre-a non government voluntary organization- organized a study with the help of Department of Biotechnology for feeding one gram of Spirulina every day to 5000 pre school children in 1992.

This was expected to give 1000 mcg of beta carotene equivalent to 300 IU of vitamin A. Everyday feeding also was expected to eliminate such possibilities of washout of the stored quantities as frequently happens in case of massive dosage of vitamin A supplementation programme.  The programme was carried out at the 93 ICDS ( Integrated Child Development Scheme) centres located in the three taluk blocks of Pudukkottai district in Tamilnadu spread over 900 sq.km for one year.

Of the three medical teams who evaluated the progress in the three blocks two of them acknowledged that Spirulina has positively helped children to overcome the vitamin A deficiency while the third team ( in whose block the programme could run only for six months) concluded that the duration was too small to make any conclusion about the efficacy.

More importantly the women who were in-charge of these centre had much more to tell. Many of them found that the children who had a low activity or constant irritation or respiratory problems have shown visible improvements. These children became healthier -many of them moved from lower grade to higher grade in the "age to weight" chart - started taking more interest with their team activities and their learning abilities improved.

What is the reason behind the weight increase or the improvement in the learning ability ?

Among the nutritionists it is well known that when the body is in short supply of thiamine utilization of carbohydrates and sugars do not take place properly. When a little extra ration of this was available through Spirulina the metabolism in the child improved to that extent and resulted in better activity.

Similarly the riboflavin, which is supposed to control the psychomotor, helps to bring a balance in the child leading to better mixing and playful attitude.
The availability of B12 in Spirulina must have helped in proper utilization of folic acid which in turn helps hemoglobin synthesis along with iron from Spirulina. When hemoglobin levels improve the physical weakness disappears and naturally an all round improvement results.

Was there any improvement in morbidity ?

The major objective of the programme was designed to see the effect on xerothalmia and the bitot spots which are serious issues facing the malnourished children. To study the infection resistance or disease immunity the dosage has to be planned with respect to the B-vitamins like folic acid riboflavin and thiamine. Basically the study was not designed with that in mind.

However there was one particular incident which had been recorded by the field workers with the help of the ICDS in-charge which is note worthy.
There was an out break of eye conjunctivitis when the project was in its full swing. There were certain Centres where no Spirulina was given but monitored for the purpose of comparison with Spirulina fed centres. These are known as control centres. The number of children infected were strikingly low in Spirulina fed centres as compared to the nearby control centres.

                                          TABLE

Name of the ICDS Centre                      % of children affected

Konapet ( south)                             E               3.85
Konapet ( north)                             C              16.67
Malayalingapuram                            E                nil
Nachandupatti                                C               36.36
Aranginampatti                               E                4.0
Virachilai                                       C               34.29
Panayapatti                                    E                  nil
Kulipirai                                         C               25.0

Since the occurrence was an unexpected event and no medical survey was scheduled at that time this data could not be validated under the supervision of expert professionals.

You were mentioning about extraordinary yields of Spirulina can you please elaborate on this ?

The major attraction of algal sources of proteins used to be their very high growth rates. However today it may as well be considered as wholesome food being a source of many other nutrients. It is a boon in many ways to a simple farmer. Take a look at the comparative bar chart. Spirulina is far ahead of any other food in terms of yield. The combination of its very high quality of nutrition and the phenomenal yield makes it as a giant among dwarfs.

The microbial sources of nutrition are (like already explained about yeast grown by Germans ) have extraordinary growth rate and Spirulina is no different. Not only the supply of protein it can even handle a mega problem like vitamin A deficiency in the country. Policy makers should take a serious note of this tremendous advantage.

It is a kind of organism which can make use of even arid or semi arid climatic conditions and grows round the year at a constant pace at temperatures above 20° C. The uniformity and year round availability makes it as a ideal candidate for solving national nutritional problem in which China has already taken enough lead.

Suitably supported by governments many employment opportunities can be created as in the case of Dr. Kurian's famous Anand example in Milk co-operatives.

To compare the white revolution and Spirulina cultivation does not seem to be appropriate. Milk has been there since time immemorial. How does one expect the governments to take interest when there is no established market for Spirulina?

The primary objective of the government is the welfare of the people which mainly consists of education, health & hygiene, communication etc . In this prime importance area it is not prudent to wait for any successful commercialization. When a proper thrust is given as done by the Chinese, economies of scale would come in to play and render it affordable through public health system especially for pregnant women and the children.

It is true that eating Spirulina has not been there in our culture but with creation of due awareness it will find acceptance. What is more important is the urgent need for addressing the nutrition requirement as ante-natal care as well vitamin A need of pre school children.

There was a mention that growing Spirulina culture would create employment, how ?

Spirulina is a simple easy organism to cultivate. It had been demonstrated successfully that illiterate rural women can manage a cultivation with minimal training . A three year project sponsored by Department of Science and Technology, at Pudukkottai district of Tamil Nadu has shown that such a scheme incorporating buy-back arrangement is viable.

In this case the buy back was done by commercial producer of Spirulina. Albeit in a small way this project demonstrated that given a support system, small scale cultivation can be done under technical supervision of experienced persons.

According to the report the women had their Spirulina cultivation ponds of about 10 sqm area who could earn monthly around Rs.300 to Rs. 400 per month with which they were quite satisfied. They acknowledged that it helped them to meet the cost of vegetables for the family. A colony of most backward people, they could accomplish this with one hand pump in their vicinity for the operation of ten such ponds. The job involvement was to keep the Spirulina culture agitated every now and then and filter the material whenever the project personnel advised them. This could be twice in a week. Later they delivered the material at the plant premises where entry was made in their pass book for the receipt of the material. They were paid once in a month on the basis of the dry weight.

It is understood that even today this system is under operation even though the tenure of the project was over three years back It will not be impossible to evolve a system of similar nature involving small farmers whose lands remain barren for almost eight months in a year in most part of the country. With a centralized facility to cater the technical support for monitoring and drying of Spirulina the scheme can be operated successfully by any entrepreneur who can commission local farmers in a similar manner like sugar cane cultivators by sugar mills. This puts the resources like land and water (otherwise inadequate for any crop cultivation in the lean months) to better use. Involving small farmers on a co-operative basis is bound to increase the employment of rural people.

How much a farmer can earn out of this system ?

This is too early to give any opinion on this as it involves the thinking of the promoter, the area under cultivation etc. In a figurative manner we may make a small comparison. Consider the case of soybean or wheat. Taking an acre of plot the yield would be 600 kg to 800 kg of soybeans worth about Rs. 12000. In case of wheat it would be worth of Rs. 6000 for a yield of 1000 kg crop. Using only about 100 sqm of the plot (leaving the rest, 97.5%, of the plot for routine use) about 50 kg of Spirulina worth Rs. 20000 can be produced during the same period.

Which means that if a buy back system is assured the farmer can earn a steady income even during the lean months of the year !

Exactly.

Spirulina Needs least Energy for Production

Coming back to the affordability, we find that even for the well to do group the price of Spirulina seem to be higher. The cost of a half gram tablet is more than a rupee ?

As already pointed out -like in the case of mineral water - the affordability depends on perception. We find now a days most of the middle class and even lower middle class sections provide their children with many kinds of popular health drinks for their healthy growth. If we are to use the same yard stick of nutrition declared on the labels of these Health Drink packs you will be surprised to find Spirulina is cheaper than many of them. The bar charts compare the level of nutrition provided by one gram of Spirulina with that of 10 gm of health drinks by two well established very old brands in the country

How much Spirulina one can consume safely ?

Spirulina is as safe a food as anything known to man. The very fact that it has been consumed for several centuries at different parts of the world gives enough confidence about its safety.

There was a reference to gout risk by taking yeast. Is there any similar apprehension about eating Spirulina?

It is true many scientists warn about increase in uric acid level due to higher content of nucleic acids ( RNA & DNA) in yeast which may go up to 12%. In bacteria it may be as high as 20%. This is the reason why some have serious reservation about microbial sources of protein. However in case of Spirulina nucleic acids are only around 4.5% and hence there is no significant risk of gout.

The World Health Organization's recommendation is that total nucleic acid consumption should not exceed 4.0 gm in a day, as a very safe limit. If some one has to consume this much from Spirulina he can safely take 80 gms every day!

Indeed there are reports about a Japanese philosopher, who has solely lived on algae as a source of food. Many who are fond of  'living with nature' may consume any where between 10 to 20 gm of Spirulina without any adverse effects. Yet there are occasional reports about people developing nausea vomiting and discomfort when consumed Spirulina even in small quantities. In fact there is nothing to get alarmed about it. Our bodies have been conditioned by certain types of specific foods for which the enzyme secretion and the intestinal bacterial flora are tuned. For many persons when a new type of food is ingested the body has to create new signals to digest the new entrant. This acclimatization process may take a day or two before one feels comfortable with Spirulina.

We find mostly tablets or capsules in the market. Are there any better way of taking  Spirulina?

Those who are unaccustomed to Spirulina may find initially its aquatic odour a little offensive though it is not as strong as garlic which has been part of the diet for millions around the world.

Hence it is a question of developing taste for a particular type of food. Many persons workout their own recipes for natural consumption of Spirulina. Here are some.

(i)   Sprinkle on a salads and green vegetables like salt and pepper and eat it.

(ii)  Add a half-spoonful of Spirulina in a fresh fruit juice and drink it as a health drink.

(iii) Mix it with roasted dal or curry leaf powder at 1:4 or 1:5 ratio and consume it by
      mixing with rice  and oil or like traditional chutni powder with idli or dosa.

(iv) In north India palak- paneer ( Spinach and cottage cheese) is a favorite combination in the day to day diet of many house holds. A small quantity of Spirulina added in the end can blend very nicely in the recipe due to its natural green colour and increase the nutritive value of the same.

Generally it is advised to avoid cooking or frying of Spirulina as its nutritional contents will deteriorate.

Most of the present marketing is done through the forms of tablets and capsules for the sake of convenience. It is somewhat similar to garlic capsules marketed for those who dislike the odour of it. The limitation in this method is that it cannot remove the perception about Spirulina as somewhat like a medicinal product. A free acceptability can come only when people come forward to experiment and develop new recipes for the easy consumption of everyone.

Thank you very much. It is quite interesting to know so much about Spirulina. Let us hope this novel concept will benefit thousands who are in need of it.

Not thousands but millions; rich or poor, young or old, men or women every one  stands to benefit from Spirulina.. It can provide a long lasting solution to many of the problems individuals and the nation alike are afflicted with. Thank you.

Epilogue

What is seen so far is only the tip of the iceberg. Following are the few tantalizing tit-bits from the internet surfing.

One such recent findings reported, by the Earthrise company in USA is the ability of Spirulina in blocking the multiplication of AIDS virus. "The water extract of Spirulina is found to inhibit HIV-1 replication in human derived T-cell lines and in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. A concentration of 5- 10 mcg per ml was found to reduce viral production." The mechanism proposed is that when the virus is prevented from attaching itself to the cell membrane its ability to infect the cell and hence replicate itself gets curtailed.

Another interesting information is the ability of Phycocyanin to build the blood which according to them takes place by way of strengthening the function of bone marrow. The stem cells in the bone marrow are the one responsible for the production of white blood cells as well as the red blood cells. Based on several studies it is believed feeding even small quantities of accelerates the production of other immune strengthening members like T-cells, NKCs ( natural killer cells) Macrophages which constantly circulate in our blood giving protection against the invading germs.

Spirulina's phycocyanin regulates the production of white blood cells . As an example they quote the case of radiation poisoning took place at the Chernobyl in Russia where many children suffer from the radioactive poisoning which damaged the bone marrow inhibiting the production of red and white blood cells. When these children were fed five gram of Spirulina every day they made a dramatic recovery within six weeks as compared to others who were not given .

Many more fascinating discoveries are expected from the use of Spirulina. They are likely to transcend the boundaries of simple health food to take Spirulina in to the frontiers of medical application. Till then let us keep benefiting from Spirulina as a useful health supplement.

Your comments & observations are most welcome.


                                            


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