Spirulina: Benefits For Body And Brain
Spirulina is a cyanobacterium that owes its name to its spiral shape and its greenish color to the presence of chlorophyll. It possesses a large amount of beneficial properties for the human body, such as: amino acids, proteins, vitamins and minerals.
It is a very healthy supplement that does not contain any kind of chemicals. In addition, it is easy for humans to digest and satiates for a long time.
Millions of people around the world use spirulina as a food supplement in their diet, based on the instructions of the United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organization (WHO), which recommend the use of this supplement. against malnutrition in humanitarian emergency situations to achieve sustainable development.
The benefits of spirulina on the body have been known for a long time. Specifically , the study of them arose following a 1940 publication by the French botanist Dangeard, who had observed that the inhabitants of Lake Chad in Africa were strong, well developed and did not get sick frequently, despite living in a rather hostile place due to the lack of food.
Subsequent studies showed that this population assumed a kind of green cake that was allowed to dry in the sun. After analyzing the nutrients of this typical food, spirulina was discovered, a super food that provides the body with vitamins, minerals, amino acids and proteins in large quantities.
Benefits of spirulina
Improve your memory
Ingesting spirulina helps improve memory capacity, as it helps protect the cognitive system and stimulates brain and nervous system functioning. Promotes general well-being and balances the nervous system, reducing mood swings and stress.
Relax
One of the main ingredients of spirulina is tryptophan, whose function is to synthesize proteins and stabilize the nervous system. Tryptophan is an essential amino acid for the body to produce serotonin, the hormone of happiness. Being a precursor of serotonin, it regulates mood, stress and appetite.
Tryptophan is also essential for the synthesis of melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep and wake cycles, and therefore to make us sleep better. The body cannot produce it by itself and for this reason it must be ingested through food.
For all these reasons, good levels of tryptophan help prevent ailments such as insomnia, depression and anxiety.
He is a neuroprotector
There is growing interest in spirulina as a neuroprotector to prevent and treat a large number of diseases related to the cognitive system, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, schizophrenia and concussion syndromes.
The latest scientific studies have made it possible to discover that toxins and heavy metals accumulate in the brain over the course of its life cycle, inhibit proper brain functioning and lead to dreaded cognitive diseases.
Spirulina, thanks to its high chlorophyll content, is an important agent for eliminating heavy metals and toxins from cells, helps improve brain function and protects neurons from damage due to the presence of free radicals. Currently, some research is aimed at confirming the relationship between spirulina and symptom improvement in patients with Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s, although the conclusions are not yet known.
Reduces the risk of embolisms
When we talk about cerebral embolisms or ischemias, we refer to the lack of blood flow to the brain, which causes lack of oxygen causing a brain hemorrhage. It only takes ten seconds of interruption of blood flow to the brain to cause loss of consciousness and, therefore, serious consequences for health.
A study conducted by the Institute of Pharmaceutical Technology in India revealed that taking a small dose of spirulina every day protects the nervous system. Guinea pigs that had been given spirulina and therefore had a significant amount of free radicals enjoyed better brain health than those who had not consumed it. This laboratory test shows the promising effect of spirulina in preventing embolisms.
It gives energy
Spirulina acts as a sports supplement, helps muscles recover faster once exercise is over, and works as a powerful antioxidant.
Its daily ingestion reduces the sense of tiredness and exhaustion, which is why sportsmen and people who have always led a sedentary lifestyle and who are starting to exercise can take spirulina for a more productive workout.
