{"id":61,"date":"2019-10-22T07:38:30","date_gmt":"2019-10-22T07:38:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/healthylifestyletips365.com\/?p=61"},"modified":"2019-10-25T05:46:14","modified_gmt":"2019-10-25T05:46:14","slug":"is-my-spirulina-contaminated","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/healthylifestyletips365.com\/is-my-spirulina-contaminated\/","title":{"rendered":"Is My Spirulina Contaminated?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Spirulina is an organic and completely natural product that can be found in salt-water lakes and oceans in sub tropical climates. It is a bright, blue-green algae that is loaded full of goodness for your body. It is protein rich and packed with vital amino acids, nutrients, and minerals. It also has antioxidant properties that keep your gut healthy and is effective in fighting nasty bacteria and viruses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spirulina has been credited by its users as helping to relieve the symptoms of or even cure a whole host of diseases ranging from rheumatoid arthritis to psoriasis. While it is not officially recognized or approved for fighting disease, there can be no doubt that it is useful for supporting good health. It is most often taken as a tablet, capsule, or powder supplement. This article will answer the following question: Is my spirulina contaminated? and what should I do about spirulina contamination?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Can Spirulina Become Contaminated?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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While spirulina is revered for its highly nutritional properties, there are a number of risks related to its consumption, the foremost related to its growth and harvest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spirulina is grown in water that can become infected with sometimes unknown toxins.  All types of blue\u2013green algae can become contaminated with naturally-produced toxins referred to as microcystins. Microcystins are produced and released when spirulina and similar algae die. They are made up of various categories, notably hepatotoxins that attack the liver and neurotoxins that attack the nervous system. Neurotoxins are not considered to be as widespread as hepatotoxins, but both pose a considerable risk to human health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spirulina can also be contaminated with heavy metals that might be found in the water in which it grows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heavy Metal Poisoning<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It may sound like the name of a band, but heavy metal poisoning is the most frequently cited danger of taking spirulina supplements. Poisoning can occur if the water in which the algae grew contained heavy, dense metals like lead or mercury. The metal\u2019s molecules can be absorbed into the algae and remain in it even after it has been dried and harvested. You should never <\/em>harvest spirulina or any other form of algae from the wild; without proper testing, there is no way of knowing whether or not it is safe and uncontaminated. Water that looks clean can be filled with potentially harmful bacteria and metal toxins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Heavy metal poisoning is very rare, but if you are concerned about your spirulina supplement, contact the manufacturer of your product and ask if it has been tested. The manufacturer should make a copy of the test results available for you if you request it. Under no circumstances consume supplements that have not been tested!<\/ins><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons, otherwise known as PAH, are a group of organic compounds that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has rated as a proven group 1 human carcinogen. A carcinogen is an agent that is directly involved in causing cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PAHs exist all around us in the air and in our food. Though we consume them on a daily basis, we do not take in enough to cause our bodies damage. In the case of spirulina, the way the supplement is harvested and dried can cause contamination. Unfortunately, spirulina also has a natural propensity to accumulate airborne PAHs.  If the herb is dried using diesel or oil dryers, the likelihood of PAH contamination increases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Manufacturers, suppliers, and importers are aware of the dangers of PAH and run tests to ensure that levels in their products are non-detectable or otherwise below risk. It is important that you choose a spirulina manufacturer that only supplies supplements that have passed the PAH test and makes the results available on request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Symptoms Will I Experience If I Have Ingested Contaminated Spirulina?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The microcystins toxins produced by contaminated spirulina will have a number of different effects, including:<\/ins><\/p>\n\n\n\n