The Benefits and Side Effects of Spirulina

Blue-green algae, chlorella, and spirulina are all advertised as being beneficial, but they could be harmful because they are often contaminated with algal toxins.

This is the third in a three-video series. If you missed the previous videos, check out Toxins in Blue-Green Algae, Like Klamath Lake AFA (Aphanizomenon flos-aquae) ( -flos-aquae) and The Benefits and Dangers of Chlorella ( ).

I mentioned the videos The Risks of Shark Cartilage Supplements ( ) and Infant Seizures Linked to Mother’s Spirulina Use ( ), as well as the link to ALS. See ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease): Fishing for Answers ( ) and Diet and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) ( ).

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-Michael Greger, MD FACLM

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Leroy Johnson
 

  • @mrmiller2503 says:

    Well, there goes my spirulina smoothies 😂 thank you 👍

  • @BillCut says:

    Can’t eat anything anymore

    • @VeganLinked says:

      You can eat legumes, greens, grains, fruits, veggies, mushrooms, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices and a variety of each. Within those categories there’s tens if not hundreds of thousands of options to choose from and tailor your diet to your specific desires and needs 🙂 really this spirulina issue is old news Dr Greger did a video on this years ago. Of course there’s going to be the potential of heavy metals and all kinds of products. So always make sure your sources are third party tested and safe. And maybe consider less likely problematic alternatives to spirulina like chlorella or wheatgrass for example.

    • @sr-kt9ml says:

      Just eat whole foods and not mysterious powders

  • @madamecurious says:

    If you use it, use only the pure Hawaiian 💚 🌺

    • @VeganLinked says:

      Actually you probably need to make sure it’s third party tested and every batch is third party tested. It might be better to go with something that is less likely to have problems like wheatgrass or maybe chlorella and you still want to make sure it’s third party tested. Or just eat other whole plant foods 🙂 and garlic helps remove these heavy metals.

  • @squarz says:

    tl;dr NOPE

  • @VeganLinked says:

    Interestingly there’s a new product I noticed at Walmart by Kencko. They have an interesting product line that has promise it appears but they use spirulina and some of them. I reported the potential problems to them a few weeks ago. We’ve been going back and forth since and they said they do third party testing. I shared with them over the weekend your old video on this topic and how they need to test every batch. I wish you would have said that in this video too. I had just shared your old video with them so I shared this one with them again today!

  • @NutritionFactsOrg says:

    This is the third in a three-video series. If you missed the previous videos, check out Toxins in Blue-Green Algae, Like Klamath Lake AFA (Aphanizomenon flos-aquae) and The Benefits and Dangers of Chlorella: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/toxins-in-blue-green-algae-like-klamath-lake-afa-aphanizomenon-flos-aquae/ & https://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-benefits-and-dangers-of-chlorella

  • @SK-fj7ws says:

    Spirulina has been making me feel on top of the world! I only take the Pure ones, not the contaminated one!

  • @joephillips5594 says:

    That’s what happens when we pollute the globe.

  • @Phoenixrises89 says:

    Gutted as just bought a full years worth of these and chlorella, before your other video came out!!!

    Invested because of how good they are both supposed to be, but now, not taking the risk!!!

  • @Alexander-ok7fm says:

    Thank you!

  • @Albopepper says:

    Yeah, and I’m gonna start taking “algae” based omega 3 supplements… 🙄

    • @AthleticHobo-br4qh says:

      But what is a safe source of DHA? Molecular distillation used in fish oils heats oils to 400F which can damage the fragile long chain fatty acids, and supplement companies aren’t legally obligated to be honest about their active ingredient contents/quality. Fish are now contaminated with mercury, and plant based omega3s only get converted at rates as low s 1-5% (or there abouts) to DHA/EPA.

  • @MissDiva324 says:

    What do you think about Solti’s drink with spirulina? Thought it was one of the healthiest drinks money can buy 😭😭

  • @disaj7460 says:

    Years ago i tried a chlorella supplement & all my joints seemed to grow very angry, where i was just fine before starting it. I thought it might be some coinkidink, so i stopped taking it for a little while (btw: as soon as i stopped, my joints returned to normal). Once i re-introduced it, the same thing happened! Binned that bottle. Maybe contaminants?

    Edit: interestingly, spirulina in smoothies was yummy & just fine for me…no angry joints or other adverse reactions.

  • @nazokashii says:

    Thank you so much for sharing! So important.

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