Spirulina are a type of seaweed that serves as a food supplement. Specifically, spirulina are blue-green algae that bloom in lakes whose water is highly alkaline. Commercially grown spirulina originate in large-scale controlled ponds. After harvesting, the algae undergo a drying process prior to packaging, either as a powder or in tablet form. Spirulina are rich not only in protein and antioxidants, but also in many vitamins and minerals. However, consult with your health-care practitioner before adding any nutritional supplements to your diet.
Vitamins
A 1-oz. serving of dried spirulina supplies significant amounts of the B vitamins riboflavin, thiamin and niacin to your diet. Riboflavin helps in the manufacture of red blood cells and is important in growth. Thiamin works to release energy from the carbohydrates you eat and helps maintain your heart and nerve cells. Niacin keeps your skin and nerve cells healthy. A single ounce of dried spirulina provides 61 percent of your daily requirement of riboflavin, 45 percent of your thiamin and 18 percent of your niacin. This amount of spirulina also offers modest amounts -- less than 10 percent -- of your daily need for folate and vitamins K, B-6, E, A and C.
Minerals
Spirulina provides high levels of several important minerals to your diet. A 1-oz. portion of the dried seaweed gives you 55 mg, or 14 percent, of the magnesium you need every day. Magnesium is essential for helping to extract energy from the foods you eat and for the synthesis of both proteins and DNA within your cells. This supplement provides 12 percent of your daily required intake of sodium, essential for water and electrolyte balance in your cells. Spirulina also supplies 8 percent of your daily potassium, critical for muscle contraction and nerve function, and 5 percent of your daily phosphorus, a mineral that promotes strong bones and teeth. A small amount of calcium, 3 percent of your daily requirement, is present in this serving size of spirulina.
Trace Elements
Trace elements are minerals your body needs in small amounts for optimal health. A 1-oz. portion of dried spirulina adds 8 mg of iron to your diet, which is your entire daily requirement for this mineral. Iron works to help transport oxygen through your blood and is an important co-factor in many enzymatic reactions in your body. This serving size of spirulina also offers 27 percent of the manganese you need every day, a trace mineral whose function is unknown, although it is necessary for optimal health, states the Texas Heart Institute.
Other Considerations
In addition to its nutritional benefits, spirulina may bolster your immune system. According to the University of California Davis Medical School, adding spirulina to human immune cells in the laboratory increased the cells' production of immune proteins called cytokines. Whether or not spirulina boosts immune function in your body, it is a rich source of vital nutrients.
References
- University of Calfornia Davis Medical School; UC Davis Study Shows Spirulina Boosts Immune System; Dec. 1, 2000
- Caloriefacts.org: Dried Spirulina
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Vitamins; March 9, 2009
- Texas Heart Institute: Minerals; What They Do and Where to Get Them; July 2010
- Texas Heart Institute; Trace Elements: What They Do and Where to Get Them; July 2010
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