Is spirulina good or bad?
Posted: Sat Sep 18, 2021 5:58 amIs spirulina not good to take ?
Spirulina may be a health concern and is way overhyped.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18569007
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18434120
Spirulina claims to be one of the most nutrient dense foods and to be one of the highest sources of vegetable protein in the world (55-60%), and one of the only plant foods to contain all the essential amino acids. This is partly true. Algae does contain all the essential amino acids, but as we know today, so do all plant foods. Whole grains, legumes, vegetables, seeds and nuts are also considered “complete” in that they contain all the essential amino acids.
As claimed, spirulina is very high in protein in its “freeze-dried” form when analyzed by dry weight (~60%). However, when we look at the recommended serving (~1 gm/day), spirulina provides only ~.6 gms of protein. And, as most spirulina eaters are recommended to consume .5-2 gm/day, the protein one could get from spirulina would at best ~1.2 gms/day. Our daily protein needs have been estimated to be about 56 gms a day for a man and 46 for a women (DRI) so the recommended dose provides only about 2% of our protein needs. Could spirulina meet our daily protein needs? To do this, one would have to ingest over 50-60 grams of spirulina at a cost of about $40 per day. (based on retail pricing). The same analysis holds true for virtually all the other nutrient claim made about spirulina.