Chlorella, A Potent Super Food
Chlorella is a single cell fresh water green microalgae that is loaded with nutrients. It contains more nucleic acids (RNA/DNA) than any other food which gives it a lot of energy-producing potential. It is a helpful supplement to boost any diet lacking in green vegetables. Chlorella has a wide variety of useful nutritional applications including the support of natural detoxification, digestive health, immune function, antioxidant function, estrogen balance, cholesterol metabolism,weight management, and circulation.*
Chlorella contains more chlorophyll than most plants, along with an impressive array of vitamins and minerals (A, D, E, K1, beta carotene, lutein, B vitamins, iron, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and zinc).
Chlorella is one of the most vibrant and energetic organisms on earth, able to reproduce rapidly due to its highly active cellular components. These nutritious factors are called Chlorella Growth Factor (CGF). CGF is a mix of its nucleic acids along with important glyconutrients (glucose, mannose, rhamnose, arabinose, galactose, and xylose) and amino acids (glutamine, alanine, serine, glycine, proline, asparagine, threonine, lysine, cysteine, tyrosine, and leucine).
The unique concentration of nutrients within chlorella as well as the energetic structure of these nutrients is why chlorella is being actively researched around the world as a key food to support human nutrition and offset many of the stressors that induce wear and tear in our lives.
Quality of Chlorella Supplements
Because chlorella naturally absorbs toxins, chlorella that is grown outdoors has a high risk of containing environmental contaminants, even if it is organic. At Wellness Resources, we use chlorella grown indoors in sealed and sterilized containers, a hygienically-controlled environment free of environmental contamination or pollution. These strict quality-control conditions ensure a clean, pure, and highly active product. This type of chlorella provides a rich source of chlorophyll, protein, lipids, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Broken Cell Wall vs. Thin Cell Wall
Some companies promote broken cell wall chlorella because most chlorella requires the cell wall to be broken down before it is digestible, so that the nutrients can be absorbed. However, many important vitamins are damaged when the cell wall is broken. Instead, Wellness Resources chlorella has a semi-permeable, very thin cell wall that allows unaltered plant nutrients to be easily absorbed. With superior algae composition, higher digestive efficiency (over 80% of the protein content is digestible), and no pollution exposure, Wellness Resources chlorella clearly surpasses other chlorella supplements on the market.
Chlorella, A Natural Detoxifier and Antioxidant Helper
Chlorella is one of the top nutrients for absorption of heavy metals, including mercury. This information is well known in the field of environmental toxicology, where industrial pollution threatens the survival of chlorella due to high levels of exposure. Chlorella readily absorbs toxins such as uranium, cadmium, mercury, and lead.*
The primary method chlorella uses to bind metal toxins is to sequester them on its cell wall. This makes sense, as letting them into its cell interior as a first method of defense would cause cell malfunction eventually leading to cell death. Chlorella has survived for 2 billion years, so you can assume its basic strategy for protecting itself from poisons is pretty darn good.*
Of course, supplemental chlorella is no longer living but these metal-attracting properties of its cell wall appear to remain quite functional. For example, a study with mice showed that exposure to lead was reduced 66% when chlorella was given at the same time. If the exposure was previous, then chlorella helped reduce it by 17% with 10 days of supplementation. The equivalent dose of chlorella for a 150 pound adult is 3500 mg per day. Obviously, once the lead was in the body of the animals it was harder to get out, compared to the ability of chlorella to sequester it in the digestive tract and prevent its absorption in the first place. Regardless, chlorella is a powerful tool in the natural detoxification toolbox.*
In addition to its metal-binding capacity chlorella has been shown to help protect against other toxins by supporting antioxidant status and modulating important gene signals (NF-kappaB) in the healthy direction.*
PCBs
PCBs and their more toxic derivatives, furans and dioxins, pose one of the great health challenges to all Americans. These are fat soluble toxins that readily accumulate in the food chain and now permeate our food supply with virtually all Americans proven to have excess amounts of these chemicals in their stored fat. They are also released during weight loss and must be effectively cleared. PCBs are known to get in the way of thyroid function.*
A Japanese study with healthy pregnant women found that taking 6,000 mg of chlorella per day during pregnancy significantly reduced the amount of dioxins in breast milk compared to controls (a 40% reduction). Additionally, the study also showed an added immune benefit in that the sIGA of women taking chlorella was higher in their breast milk meaning their children got better quality immune support.*
Boosting Immunity and Lymph Function, Especially Under Stress
In order to get through life in one piece you must be able to withstand stress while maintaining your health. Too much stress provokes excessive inflammation that is core to undermining your health as well as depressing your immune system a recipe for problems.
Chlorella has been found to preserve the function of important immune cells even in the presence of high stress. One study shows that thymocytes (lymph-related immune cells that become regulatory T lymphocytes) were preserved by chlorella in the face of stress, while lowering the stress hormone cortisol.*
A recent study on human cells shows that chlorella boosts anti-inflammatory immune cell signals, favoring T Helper 1 activation. This favors a more stable immune response to irritants.*
An animal study shows that chlorella was able to maintain the production of macrophages under conditions of stress. The development of new macrophages is essential for the proper functioning of the lymphatic system. Macrophages are your natural cleaning crew in your lymph system. Too many Americans suffer from sluggish lymphatic function (stiff shoulders, excessive mucous, pressure headaches, feeling crummy in the morning). An equivalent human dose for a 150 pound adult would be 3,500 mg to 14,000 mg per day (3.5-14 grams), amounts likely to support natural detoxification processes.*
Estrogen Overload
A main problem facing women is too much estrogen resulting in a myriad of female issues. Estradiol levels naturally rise each month in the first half of the menstrual cycle as an egg is ripened. Once the egg is released then estradiol has done its job and must be cleared. Your liver conjugates estradiol (binds it to a protein) for clearance and then places it into your bile, which travels through your gall bladder and into your digestive tract for final elimination.
If digestive tract contents are too hostile (unfriendly bacteria) then the conjugation bond may be eaten by the bacteria, causing estradiol to be released and re-enter your body. This is highly undesirable as it exposes your body to estrogen that is not appropriate.
A study shows that chlorella actively biotransforms estradiol into estrone and helps clear estrone as well leaving alone estriol, your friendly antioxidant form of estrogen. This study suggests that any woman with a combination of digestive distress and high estrogen symptoms would benefit from taking chlorella a simple solution that can be judged to be working by improvement in digestive and female symptoms.*
Chlorella Supports Healthy Cholesterol Metabolism
Numerous animal studies and a few human studies support the ability of chlorella to favorably impact cholesterol metabolism. The mechanism has been identified in a recent study that showed chlorella helps the liver convert cholesterol into bile thus supporting the natural process by which your body clears cholesterol. It also helps to sequester the bile in your digestive tract so that the cholesterol was not re-absorbed back into your body. Soluble fiber is synergistic with chlorella in this support of properly clearing cholesterol from your digestive tract so that higher than normal amounts are not reabsorbed back into your body. Because toxins that are being cleared are also within the bile, this same mechanism enhances toxin clearance as well as cholesterol clearance.*
There are many natural ways to address cholesterol health by supporting proper metabolism. Chlorellas ability to help both the liver and digestive tract clear cholesterol means that it can be used in harmony with many other nutrients that also support healthy cholesterol metabolism for different reasons.*
Numerous animal studies and one small human study indicate that chlorella provides important nutrients that support healthy vascular function, nourishing your circulation with antioxidants and the amino acid arginine.*
