Spirulina

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Spirulina By NICHOLAS G. POPOVICH

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pirulina, a new "health food" promoted as an aid to losing weight and gaining energy, is the new rage in many parts of the United States. Pronounced speer-oo-LEE-nuh, '' its promotional claims include, • "If you take it before a meal, you II

Nicholas G. Popovich, PhD, is associate professor of clinical pharmacy, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907. The author wishes to acknowledge the American Council on Science and Health for providing information used in this article.

tion drugs has stated that phenylalanine lacks a "significant body of data" demonstrating its safety and effectiveness for weight control and thus should not be marketed as a nonrrescription drug for that purpose. Spirulina' s weight loss claims were first heralded by the National Enquirer (June 2, 1981) through testimonials of weight reduction "experts." Like previous testimonials advocating a "new" discovery, the presence of an "MD" after the names of quoted individuals lent authority to the article.

can eat as much as you want and still lose weight"; • "You can take six or eight tablets before each meal with no harm at all"; • "It acts on the brain's appetite center to switch off your hunger pangs." These claims are not supported by sound clinical trials and data, however, and the claim that phenylalanine-an amino acid found in this product-acts on the brain's appetite center "to switch off hunger pangs" so that people eat less is refuted by the Food and Drug Administration. 1 Furthermore, an FDA advisory committee on non pre scrip-

Comparison of Spirulina Capsules to Three Brand Name Vitamin/Mineral Supplements Product Recommended Daily Dosage

Protein Vitamin A Vitamin D Vitamin E Vitamin C Thiamine Riboflavin Niacin Pyridoxine Vitamin B12 Iodine Iron Copper Zinc Calcium

1

I I

I

Spirulina

Unicap-M

Theragram-M

Myadec

10 300-mg Caps

1 Tablet

1 Tablet

1 Tablet

(

I

Dose

%U.S. RDA

1.8 g 8,517.0 IU

3.0% 187.0%

Cost/Day 'Less than 29, of the U.S. RDA

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0.87 IU

3.0% * 11.0% 7.5% 1.8%

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0.15 mg 0.12 mg 0.36 mg -

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4.8 f.Lg

80.0%

-

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1.5 mg

8.0%

-

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0.1 mg 4.0 mg

0.6% 0.5% 60¢

Dose

%U.S. RDA 100% 100% 50% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

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5,000 IU 400 IU 15 IU 60 mg 1.5 mg 1.7 mg 20 mg 2 mg 6 f.Lg 150 f.Lg 18 mg 2 mg 15 mg -

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7¢.

Dose

%U.S. RDA

-

-

10,000 IU 400 IU 15 IU 200 mg 10.3 mg 10 mg 100 mg 4.1 mg 5 f.Lg 150 f.Lg 12 mg 2 mg 1.5 mg

200% 100% 50% 333% 687% 588% 500% 205% 83% 100% 67% 100% 10%

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-

8¢

Dose

%U.S. RDA

-

-

10,000 IU 400 IU 30 IU 250 mg 10 mg 10 mg 100 mg 5 mg 6 f.Lg 150 f.Lg 20 mg 2 mg 20 mg

200% 100% 100% 417% 667% 588% 500% 250% 100% 100% 111% 100% 133%

!

I

I

I I

I

' I

;

-

-

8.6¢

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8

American Pharmacy Vol. NS22, No. 6, June 198212881

A Blue-Green Alga Spirulina is nothing new. It is one of about 1,500 known species of blue-green algae that grow in brackish ponds and lakes in mild to hot climates throughout the world. Spirulina grows primarily in Lake Texacoco, Mexico. Spirulina powder has a mild marine smell that is claimed to be stronger than its taste. Its color is dark blue-green due to the presence of two pigments, phycocyanin and ' chlorophyll. It is sold as the bulk powder, in tablets and in capsules. As a food, spirulina can be legally marketed in the United States as long as it is labeled and contains no contaminated or adulterated substances.* The manufacturer of spirulina products has stated that the purely nutritional value of the product far outweighs any possible medical or therapeutic potential. The manufacturer considers it prudent, therefore, not to emphasize the possible medical aspects of the product, so as not to obstruct the availability of spirulina to the consuming public due to FDA actions. Since the manufacturer is not advertising the substance's claimed therapeutic effects, consumers apparently are being offered word-ofmouth representations, pamphlets, and other written materials by distributors presenting spirulina as a *Recentlv, U.S. Customs Service officials in Portland, OR, confiscated more than 5 million contaminated spirulina tablets. Apparently, these tablets were manufactured from spirulina powder contaminated with rat hairs, bird feathers, and lnsects that previously had been judged unsanitary by FDA.

safe and quick way to lose weight, keep healthy and maintain a young, firm body. Health food stores advertise spirulina as the "diet wonder." A variety of recipes by health food outlets extoll the benefits of a spirulina/apple juice/cinnamon powder concoction and fermentable spirulina foods similar to cheese, yogurt and tofu. Spirulina, in appropriate formula, is even advocated as a facial mask, bath and vegetarian infant formula.

Amino Acid Content S

pirulina' s essential amino acid content as percentage of total protein is: 5.7% Isoleucine 8.7% Leucine 5.1% Lysine 2.6% Methionine 5.0% Phenylalanine 5.4% Threonine 1.5% Tryptophan 7.5% Valine

Nutritional Value It cannot be denied that spirulina is a source of protein, usually 6070% on a dry weight basis. Of this, about 41.5% of the overall amino acid content is essential amino acids (see box, this page), or acids that must be supplied by the diet. The promoters of spirulina use this essential amino acid content and the net protein utilization (NPU) as a way to sell the product. NPU is a measure of the efficiency of utilization of the ingested protein. If protein is entirely digested, the biological value and net protein utilization are the same; for those proteins not digested as well the NPU is less. Animal protein found in eggs (NPU 94% ), skim milk (NPU 82% ), Parmesan cheese (NPU 70% ), chicken (NPU 67% ), and fish (NPU 80%) provide higher NPUs than that provided by spirulina (NPU 57%). This is consistent with the fact that animal sources of protein have a greater biological value than vegetable protein. On a comparative weight:weight

basis, spirulina is inferior to eggs, milk, beef, and soya meal as a source of protein. Protein from spirulina costs far more than an equivalent amount from one of these other sources. For instance, consumers paying between $10-23 for spirulina could receive the same amount of protein from 70~ worth of Virginia peanuts (0.26 lb @ $2.69/lb). The table on p. 8 compares 300mg spirulina capsules vs three brand name vitamin products for vitamin and mineral content. With rare exceptions, the brand name vitamin products have higher vitamin and mineral contents than spirulina. Further, while the original cost of the spirulina product might be comparable to that of the other listed vitamin products, the actual daily cost of spirulina is at least 700% more. In the end, the consumer must decide if this cost differential is worth it when the product supplies only 3% of the RDA for protein, and only 1.2% of the RDA for essential amino acids.

Simple Guidelines for a Weight-Reduction Program Avoid high-pressure diets that ultimately lead to "binge" eating sprees. Eat enough to keep comfortable. Behavior modification and group support seem to offer good results because these involve changing the way people eat so they will eat less. Exercise is a valuable part of a weight-loss program. However, if in doubt about one's health, the patient's physician should be consulted first before diving headlong into a strenuous program. Exercise should make the person perspire a little and be programmed for every other day. The activity should be a little rigorous, such as a brisk walk, jogging or swimming. The activity should make one "burn" up the calories, so light calisthenics or leisurely strolling or bicycling might not be adequate. Prevent weight gain by keeping up activity and cutting back on desserts. One should be attuned not only to losing Weight, but to not gaining additional weight.

Arnerican Pharmacy Vol. NS22, No. 6, June 1982/289

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