Spirulina - A 3.5 Billion Year SuperFood To Boost Your Immune SystemSpirulina is one of the superfoods to be consumed daily NASA and European Space Agency scientists are studying how to keep astronauts healthy on long space flights. Like all of us, astronauts need 5 to 9 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables every day to keep from getting sick, but spacecraft do not have enough room to store fresh produce. To solve the problem, both agencies have turned to one the oldest life forms on earth and have proposed that it be cultivated on board during deep space missions.
Spirulina has been around for a long time. It may be the oldest living plant on the planet. It is an algae that dates back 3.5 billion years and contributed significantly to the creation of the atmospheric oxygen that enabled us to evolve. The Aztecs, and before them, Africans from Lake Chad, used it as food, and still do today. This algae produces more nutrients per acre than any other food on earth. It contains the most powerful combination of nutrients ever known in any grain, herb or food. Up to 75% of its dry weight is protein. It contains all the essential amino acids so is a “complete” protein, plus it is rich in essential fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins, as well as in unusual phytochemicals which are attracting intense scrutiny by the scientific community. According to Newsweek "Whole foods ...pack the disease preventing wallop. That's because they harbor a whole ratatouille of compounds that have never seen the inside of a vitamin bottle...The compounds are called phytochemicals...In the world where science merges with health, phytochemicals are the next big thing." Algaes have been the subject of intense research over the past 30 years. The National Cancer Institute announced sulfolipids from blue-green algae were remarkably active in test tube experiments against the AIDS virus. In 1993-95, research showed natural polysaccharides in spirulina increased T-cell counts, strengthened the immune system and raised disease resistance in chickens, fish and mice. In 1994, a Russian patent was awarded for it as a medicine for reducing allergic reactions from radiation in the children of the Chernobyl disaster. 
Scientists at the Osaka Center for Cancer and Cardiovascular Diseases have confirmed in human studies that taking an extract of spirulina can have positive effects on the production of cancer-fighting immune cells in the body. This latest study found that spirulina in human volunteers helped their immune systems to produce cancer-fighting immune cells (NK cells) and increased the killing ability of those NK cells. The study confirmed results from earlier animal and in vitro studies.All of the evidence indicates that it is safe for daily consumption. It is easy to digest, has much more protein than meat, without any of the fat or cholesterol, is the only whole food source of gamma linolenic-acid besides mothers’ milk, contains immune-boosting phtyochemicals, is rich in absorbable vitamins and minerals, and is packed with antioxidants. There is no doubt that this is a superfood. I recommend it be consumed daily and to make it easy for my patients, I have included it in my
Super-Kamut
formula.
You can keep current on superfoods and learn new ways to radiant health in my free monthly newsletter. It provides do-it-yourself tips for improving your well-being as nature's healing secrets become known. Your email address will be used only for this purpose. Spirulina is one of the superfoods to be consumed daily
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