What is Chlorella Powder?

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What is Chlorella Powder?

As interest in wellness and nutrition grows, more people are investigating the potential benefits of plant-based nutrition. One of the rising stars of this worthwhile trend is chlorella, a superfood that offers a compelling mix of potential health benefits.

This article explores what chlorella is and how it adds to a healthy lifestyle.

Chlorella Powder Explained

Health and wellness circles often hail chlorella powder, an algae-based supplement dense in nutrients, as a “superfood.” Due to its easy cultivation and high growth rate, countries worldwide produce chlorella. Food manufacturers sometimes add chlorella to noodles, pasta, breakfast cereals, and sweets. It is also commonly found in supplements such as super greens powders.

Chlorella Nutritional Information

Chlorella powder contains a wealth of nutritional goodness. It contains large amounts of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients—chemical compounds found in plant-based foods.

Vitamins in Chlorella:

Vitamin A: Important for normal vision and helps maintain your heart, lungs, and other vital organs. It also aids the growth and development of cells.

Vitamin B complex: B vitamins help your body turn food into energy and support the creation of new blood, brain, and skin cells.

Vitamin C: Supports the growth of hair and tissue cells and helps the body create collagen, an important protein that creates skin, ligaments, tendons, and blood vessels.

Vitamin D: Promotes calcium absorption and protects you from bone-related diseases, such as osteoporosis.

Vitamin E: Helps maintain eye and skin health and strengthens the immune system. It also has antioxidant properties.

Vitamin K: Helps blood clot, plays an important role in bone health, and is stored in fat tissue and the liver.

Minerals in Chlorella:

Iron: Helps create haemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that transports oxygen around the body. It also helps create myoglobin, which helps carry oxygen to muscles.

Magnesium: Regulates biochemical reactions such as protein synthesis. The mineral is also necessary for energy production and glycolysis.

Calcium: Helps build bones and teeth and maintains the nervous system, particularly in nerve signalling.

Potassium: Helps nerve and muscle function and keeps the body's heartbeat regular. It also helps remove waste products from cells.

Phytonutrients in Chlorella:

Chlorophyll: Research suggests that chlorophyll helps with weight loss, skin healing and could provide protection against cancer.

Antioxidants: Protect your body from free radicals that develop when atoms in the body gain or lose electrons.

Omega-3 fatty acids: Help cells function, lower blood pressure, reduce joint inflammation, brain and eye function. The acids also assist in reducing the risk of heart disease.

One tablespoon of chlorella (around 5g) contains between 10 and 15 calories. The number of calories will differ slightly depending on supplement form, brand and product.

Is Chlorella Good for You? Its Benefits Explained

Now that we know what chlorella contains, let’s look at its many potential benefits.

May Lower Blood Sugar

Chlorella could help heart and kidney health and maintain normal blood pressure. One study found that people suffering from mildly high blood pressure experienced reduced readings after taking 4g of chlorella over four weeks. A separate study reported reduced artery stiffness in a small group of men taking chlorella as a supplement.

May Lower Cholesterol

Several studies suggest that chlorella might lower cholesterol. Many showed that a 5-10g daily intake lowered LDL cholesterol — the bad cholesterol — in people with high blood pressure. The studies also found that chlorella’s fibre, niacin and antioxidant content may help improve blood lipid levels.

May Benefit Liver Health

Several studies suggest that chlorella supplements help those with non-fatty liver disease. Other research shows that the supplements could also help control blood sugar and increase insulin sensitivity in people with non-fatty liver disease. Researchers do not yet know whether chlorella positively affects those with healthy livers.

Could Reduce Toxins and Heavy Metals

Animal studies have shown that chlorella is effective at helping to remove heavy metals from the body. These metals include those essential in small amounts, such as copper and iron, but are toxic in larger quantities. In other studies, chlorella has also shown potential for removing harmful chemicals sometimes found in food.

Has Antioxidant Properties

Chlorophyll, vitamin C, and beta-carotene are abundant antioxidants in chlorella, making it a powerful antioxidant. Although one study found that chlorella supplements increased antioxidant levels in chronic smokers, chlorella’s antioxidant effects are still in the preliminary stages.

Side Effects of Chlorella

Although health experts view chlorella as being a safe supplement and ingredient, some people do report mild side effects, such as:

Bloating
Diarrhoea
Nausea
Stomach cramps
Fatigue

People have also reported allergic reactions, and scientists have not conducted enough research to understand whether chlorella is safe for pregnant or breastfeeding women. Chlorella could also interfere with warfarin and other blood-thinning medications. As always, speak with your doctor before taking supplements.

How Much Chlorella Should You Have Per Day?

Chlorella is safe for adults in 3-10g doses for up to three months as a supplement. However, chlorella products vary from brand to brand, depending on how manufacturers cultivate, process, and harvest them. This disparity means these products might contain other ingredients or toxins.

Does Chlorella Have Iodine?

Laboratory analysis shows that 100g of chlorella contains 20 to 70mg of iodine. If you’re looking for sources of iodine, seaweed contains up to 5,000mg of iodine per 100g (though the daily recommended allowance for adults is 150mg).

How to Get Chlorella In Your Diet

Chlorella is widely available as a powdered, tablet, and capsule supplement. For those looking to supercharge their nutrition, chlorella is a primary ingredient in super green powders, alongside spinach powder, wheatgrass powder, broccoli powder and spirulina.