People love the idea of taking a multivitamin – pop a yummy gummy every morning, and you’re covered for the day. Bring on the pizza rolls!
Unfortunately, that’s not how nutrition or health works, regardless of what TV commercials tell us.
We are aware that pizza tastes better than steamed broccoli. This fact is partially why it’s so difficult to get adults and kids alike to eat enough fruits and vegetables every day to keep their bodies disease-free and functioning optimally.
Luckily, we don’t listen to commercials or their marketing hype.
We want to see SCIENCE that supports their claims, and unfortunately, they rarely have any.
Note: The phrase “clinically proven” means absolutely nothing with regard to valid science. It’s an empty marketing phrase meant to convince you of a product’s validity.
There is one superfood. However, that could easily replace your multivitamin (along with many of the supplements in your pantry) and is supported by more science than any product you see on TV.
The Proven Health Benefits of Chlorella
One of our goals at the Perfscience is to provide simple, easy, and inexpensive ways to nourish the body.
That’s why we love Chlorella, which belongs at the top of the superfood list as a source of complete nutrition. Chlorella is NOT a supplement. It’s food, or more specifically, it’s a form of algae like Spirulina. It is most notably recognized for its ability to remove heavy metals like dietary mercury, aluminum, and lead from the body.
In large enough amounts, heavy metals destroy brain and nerve tissue and can lead to devastating health problems. About 10% of the mercury we ingest ends up deposited in the brain (which is why mercury can be deadly to children), while even more sticks around accumulating in our liver and kidneys.
Chlorella’s molecular structure has shown an ability to bind to dietary pollutants and carry them out of the body (1) (2) (3) (4).
Even beyond heavy metal detoxification, Chlorella’s range of scientifically supported health benefits includes:
- Boosting your immune system (5).
- Improving antioxidant status (6).
- Improving glucose uptake into cells (7)(8).
- Reducing blood pressure (9)(10).
- Improving insulin resistance (11).
- Preventing gastric ulcers (12).
- Reducing fibromyalgia pain (13).
- Protecting against radiation poisoning (14) (15) (16).
In this study, Chlorella triggered cell death (apoptosis) in rat liver cancer cells, which suggests it may be useful in the prevention of liver cancer. The authors of the study concluded that: “Our study shows that Chlorella has a definite chemopreventive effect by inducing apoptosis in hepatocarcinogenesis-induced rats.”
That last part is a mouthful, but those results are nothing short of miraculous.
The Astounding Nutrient Content of Chlorella
So what makes Chlorella such a superfood?
It’s a source of many nutrients humans generally lack, such as EPA omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium (70% of Americans lack magnesium), Vitamin D, Vitamin K, and iron, along with various minerals and phytochemicals necessary for wellness.
There are too many people saying things like, “I eat flax (or whatever seeds) in my smoothies every day, so I get plenty of omega-3s.”
But it’s important to understand that DHA and EPA omega-3 fatty acids (like those in fatty fish and grass-fed beef) are much more biologically important to humans than the ALA Omega-3s in seeds. In fact, our bodies have to convert ALA omega-3s to EPA and DHA, and science has shown this conversion is largely inefficient and incomplete. Only a small fraction of ALA is actually converted, which means we still need dietary sources of EPA and DHA or supplement with omega-3 oil made from these sources.
Chlorella is one of the few vegetarian sources of vitamin B12, which was shown in this study to be completely bioavailable – meaning the body does indeed absorb and use it.
There have even been some studies with Chlorella and pregnant moms:
- In this study, subjects took six grams of Chlorella per day while pregnant. At the conclusion of the study, the Chlorella group had much lower rates of anemia and fewer incidences of proteinuria and edema, and the authors concluded that “Chlorella may be useful as a resource of natural folate, vitamin B-12, and iron for pregnant women.”
- This study showed an increase in immune cell levels in the breast milk of nursing mothers eating Chlorella and a reduction in dioxins (highly toxic environmental pollutants).
Chlorella, like Spirulina, is also a complete vegetarian protein, meaning it contains all essential and non-essential amino acids.
The Proven Health Benefits of Chlorophyll
Chlorella possesses the highest chlorophyll content of any plant.
Chlorophyll is the molecule in plants and algae which allows them to absorb energy from light (photosynthesis) and is known to have many noteworthy health benefits.
- In this study, chlorophyll resulted in an “immunocorrective action” with regard to acute lung disease. And in this study, chlorophyll demonstrated a markedly effective success rate of 85% in treating leukopenia – a decrease in white blood cells, which puts patients at a greater risk of infection.
- This study showed chlorophyll to be an effective chemopreventive agent (suppresses or reverses cancer) in human breast cells, and this one showed chlorophyll to be suitable as a chemopreventive agent for people who have been unavoidably exposed to a known dietary carcinogen.
Chlorophyll also:
- Cleanses the bowel, liver, and blood.
- Helps purify the blood and eliminates toxins.
- Aids in promoting normal blood pressure.
- Supports the elimination of molds from the body.
- Promote repair of damaged tissues.
The supporting science is what makes Chlorella such an awesome choice for easy nutrition. Even if you don’t FEEL any different from eating it, research data proves the health benefits you’re getting.
Important: Make sure any Chlorella you use is organic and has a “cracked cell wall,” otherwise, the body won’t be able to extract the nutrients inside.
