Spirulina : Healthy Bacteria ?

Spirulina is among the world’s most popular supplements.

It is loaded with various nutrients and antioxidants that may benefit your body and brain.

Here are 10 evidence-based health benefits of spirulina.

1. Spirulina Is Extremely High in Many Nutrients

Spirulina is an organism that grows in both fresh and salt water.

It is a type of cyanobacteria, which is a family of single-celled microbes that are often referred to as blue-green algae.

Just like plants, cyanobacteria can produce energy from sunlight via a process called photosynthesis.

Spirulina was consumed by the ancient Aztecs but became popular again when NASA proposed that it could be grown in space for use by astronauts.

A standard daily dose of spirulina is 1–3 grams, but doses of up to 10 grams per day have been used effectively.

This tiny alga is packed with nutrients. A single tablespoon (7 grams) of dried spirulina powder contains :

Protein: 4 grams

Vitamin B1 (thiamine): 11% of the RDA

Vitamin B2 (riboflavin): 15% of the RDA

Vitamin B3 (niacin): 4% of the RDA

Copper: 21% of the RDA

Iron: 11% of the RDA

It also contains decent amounts of magnesium, potassium and manganese and small amounts of almost every other nutrient that you need.

In addition, the same amount holds only 20 calories and 1.7 grams of digestible carbs.

Gram for gram, spirulina may be the single most nutritious food on the planet.

A tablespoon (7 grams) of spirulina provides a small amount of fat — around 1 gram — including both omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids in an approximately 1.5–1.0 ratio.

The quality of the protein in spirulina is considered excellent — comparable to eggs. It gives all the essential amino acids that you need.