Spirulina ?

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Glen, That is really interesting. On the flip side, isn't there a community in New Hampshire (USA) that has a higer than expected incidence of ALS and it is felt it is due to some sort of algae on their lake?

I would be interested in learning more about the spirulina. Knew it existed in health food and supplement stores, but never any potential for motor neuron disease.

EDIT:

OK, I found articles about the New Hampshire algae, then, Wickipedia says that they are the same? What am I missing? Here are the links:

http://davidgillett.blogspot.com/2009/06/new-hampshire-lake-linked-to-als.html

Spirulina (dietary supplement) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
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About ten years ago, my kid's skating coach was selling the stuff... think amway/mary kay/avon.... didn't stop him from developing some serious health problems.
 
Glen,
Spirulina is a nutrient-dense super food. It is a fresh water blue green algae that contains over 60% protein, among the highest of any food. Grown without pesticides or herbicides, spirulina yields 20 times more protein per acre than soybeans and 200 times more than
beef. Raw, alkaline-forming and sporting a rich array of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, spirulina protects from oxidant stress, supports the immune system and reduces inflammation.
I've never heard of it being used in relation to motor neuron diseases. It has helped to increase my Dad's hemoglobin as it is rich in iron and B vitamins.

Hope this helps.
 
Hmmm, I just went to that web site...interesting. i can't figure out if they are selling it directly or indirectly. Interesting though. I am going to look into it more.
 
Yeah, well am I just a little slow, or what (no direct answer needed lol) How is this the same algae that is thought to cause an increase of incidence of ALS? I thought there were maybe two algae that were known as blue-green; but according to Wikipedia, they are one and the same :confused:
 
Yeah, well am I just a little slow, or what (no direct answer needed lol) How is this the same algae that is thought to cause an increase of incidence of ALS? I thought there were maybe two algae that were known as blue-green; but according to Wikipedia, they are one and the same :confused:

You are not slow, rose. There is a neurotoxin called BMAA that can be produced by cyanobacteria under certain conditions. Whether or not the spirulina used in dietary supplements has been exposed to those conditions is unknown, but BMAA was found in the hair of people who were taking spirulina in one study.

I imagine that the researchers in the study that Glenn cites were careful to screen the spirulina that they used to make sure that no BMAA was found in it. As to the safety of spirulina bought off the shelf at your local health food store -- buyer beware.
 
Hi All,

I started the last thursday Spirulina 500mg, 3 tablets per day.

Cheers,
Edu.
 
Mice with ALS experienced a delay in motor-related symptoms when fed a Spirulina diet

University of South Florida researchers may have found that using a blue-green algae as a nutritional supplement for mice with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) can help to protect and support motor neurons.

Svitlana Garbuzova-Davis, Ph.D., lead author of the study and assistant professor in the Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair at the University of South Florida, and Paula C. Bickford, Ph.D., co-author of the study and a professor in the Department of Neurosurgery and Brain Repair at the University of South Florida, have discovered that a specific dietary supplement with blue-green algae may help delay the symptoms of ALS in mice.

The blue-green algae is called Spirulina, and it is a nutrient-rich supplement that was used by the Aztecs as a food source. Spirulina, when fed to mice with ALS, may be capable of delaying the onset of ALS-related symptoms, such as motor problems and increased inflammatory markers.

"ALS is a degenerative motor neuron disease," said Garbuzova-Davis. "Most available treatments relieve symptoms without altering the underlying disease. However, evidence for oxidative stress has been associated with ALS and, in our past studies, we demonstrated potent decreases in markers of oxidative damage and inflammation in aged rats fed diets supplemented with Spirulina or spinach. In this initial study, the diet supplement was fed only to pre-symptomatic mice. Further studies showing the diet supplement's effect on the lifespan of symptomatic ALS mice are needed to prove the treatment's effectiveness."

The University of South Florida researchers believe that Spirulina may have combined anti-inflammatory and antioxidant characteristics that support motor neurons, helping to offset the symptoms of ALS. The study shows that feeding a G93A mouse model a nutritional Spirulina diet over a 10-week period resulted in delayed disease progression and motor problems, decreased motor neuron death and the reduction of inflammatory markers.

"The focus of our future ALS experiments will include motor neuron counts and examination of lifespan following dietary Spirulina supplementation in symptomatic ALS mice," said Bickford.

This study was published in The Open Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Journal.
 
My husband started this to after reading about it inthe MDA magazine. I have no idea if it will help....but again...willing to try. We went to our ALS center and they had no idea what the dosage should be..so we are just following the directions on the bottle. Man...it is a deep deep forest green color....makes a big mess. The nurse freaked the first time she saw it back up from his feeding tube. Good for a laugh anyways. Interested to read more about this!
 
Rose, I was thinking the same as you when I first read this. Kelly , Glen would love it then if for nothing else than the reaction! ;)
 
Was thinking of ordering this.. Seem's to be a form of protein anyway... And not bank breaking. Anyone have any thoughts on it yet? Surely not a cure, but a source of protein maybe...
 
The only time I have seen Spirulina is when it came enriched in the frozen food cubes for our tropical fish we used to have. Those of you who have started this please keep us posted on how it goes.
 
kelly sometimes i think with bad dieases we need more than the aveage person ... i often wonder of they did find a cure and didnt know it because the dose was not high enough...
 
Yes...I also wonder about dosages. I have not noticed any changes since my hubby started taking Spirulina..will keep you posted.
 
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