To
the Editor of the Straits Times Dear
Sir, For the past 35 years I
have studied the protein-and vitamin- rich aquatic microorganism called
Spirulina (the Cyanoprokaryote Arthrospira platensis). I've grown it in the laboratory,
designed and installed self-sufficient farms or culturing systems in
remote Third World villages for the purpose of fighting against
malnutrition, written books about it, and taught hundreds of students
about its history, physiology, chemical composition, requirements for its
growth, how to use it, and the health benefits it can be expected to
give. Also, for the past 35
years I have consumed from 10 to 20 grams (dry weight) of Spirulina a day,
with a 90-day period during which I consumed 45 grams per day. I am over
83 years old and in good health. My attention has been
drawn recently to an article written by Mr. Andy Ho in the
It is more than just
"unfortunate" that the Straits Times has seen it fit to publish such a
sensational condemnation of Spirulina based upon such shallow
research. The reputation of
your journal deserves more correctness and the reputation of Spirulina
demands the truth because it is saving the lives of thousands of children
throughout the world and needs to continue doing so. No journal has the right to deny
these children the good health they receive from
Spirulina. Along with everyone
else, we sympathize with the actress, Andrea De Cruz, who, suffering from
liver failure, was obliged to undergo a liver transplant operation. Your article claims the British
liver specialist, Dr. Julia Wendon, said Ms. De
Cruz's condition may have been brought on by a health food supplement,
called Spirulina. Correction: the supplement was called Slim 10, which
contains nitroso- fenfluramine: This, according to the
There are many
blue-green algae (actually they are not algae, but Cyanoprokaryotes, which
originated more than a billion years before the algae) and a number of
them have been known to produce toxins under certain circumstances -
especially to protect themselves against predation by zooplankton. Medical
doctors have a bewildering number of things to learn before getting their
diplomas. So it is not surprising if one of them does not know which
Cyanoprokaryotes are not toxic and why. Spirulina is not
considered to be a toxin producer, whereas Anabaena, Microcystis,
Aphanizomenon flos aquae, Nodularia, Planktothrix and others can be toxic. This is
disturbing because Aphanizomenon flos aquae from
Mr. Ho, perhaps quoting
from the publicity of some ill-advised "algae" grower, writes that blue-green algae is "so low on the food chain it has to
be packed with nutrients and energy …. that it is
so rich in protein, vitamins, minerals and other beneficial nutrients it
is nature's perfect food, capable of sustaining life without the need for
other foods". Correction: Spirulina is not a source of energy, and one
cannot live without fats, cereals or other sources of energy. Spirulina supplies the rest but
the Kanembou people of Mr. Ho says Spirulina
contains vitamin B12 "otherwise found only in animal meat" and
that "humans can't absorb the vitamin B12 in Spirulina".
Correction: Besides meat, it is found in anaerobic bacteria, in fishes, in
milk and dairy products, special brewer's yeast and wheat germ (in that
descending order). There are several possible structural modifications of
the vitamin B12 molecule involving group substitutions, and
these modifications are called analogs. These analogs are not considered
to be effective against pernicious anemia which is corrected by vitamin
B12. Spirulina
contains these analogs and that is why some people say humans cannot
absorb the vitamin B12 in Spirulina. However, Spirulina also contains
0.4 mg of true Cyanocobalamine (vitamin
B12) per kilogram of dried biomass, not including the analogs -
which extrapolates to 4µg per 10-gram serving (twice the amount needed by
children and sufficient for pregnant women). So it is false to say that humans
cannot absorb the vitamin B12 in
Spirulina. Mr. Ho says "The Aztecs
ate Spirulina as a food called tecuitlatl, if records kept by the Spanish
conquistadors are to be believed".
To insinuate that the Spanish were unable to report things
correctly around 500 years ago while he expects his readers to have faith
in what he writes today certainly doesn't advance his argument very
far. Mr. Ho speaks lightly of
the many hundreds of scientific articles concerning Spirulina published
within the past 30 years; the books and theses written about Spirulina,
and the splendid results obtained with kwashiorkor children when he says
"very preliminary evidence from very small studies suggest that Spirulina
.. may help.. but the
findings have yet to be confirmed by larger and longer studies". Not only
has it been studied extensively, but Spirulina has been eaten by man for
over a thousand years. Is
anyone suggesting that larger and longer studies be conducted on tomatoes
before they can be recommended ? They were introduced less than 500
years ago !
And, please, somebody, tell Mr. Ho that Chlorella is not one of the
"blue-green algae", but a green alga - a mistake of about a billion
years. Mr. Ho does say that
cultured Spirulina can be grown free of microcystins, but throughout the
article there is confusion between Spirulina and toxin-producing "algae",
and the reader is led to believe, from the title down to the last
sentence, that it is dangerous to eat Spirulina. Spirulina grows in
waters of considerably higher salinity and pH than the possibly-toxic
Aphanizomenon flos aquae, Anabaena, Microcystis and others, so the
likelihood of a Spirulina culture being contaminated with microcystins is
certainly minimum. And, I'm sure, Mr. Ho will be glad
to know that there are rapid, sensitive, and reliable tests available for
microcystins. There is the Artemia nauplii bioassay test which is
extremely low in cost and reveals the presence of toxin within an hour.
Other aquatic organisms capable of being used in bioassays tests for
microcystins include: the Water Flea, Daphnia, the Copepod, Cyclops, the
Rotifer, Brachionus, the Protozoan, Paramecium,
and others easily maintained in culture in the field laboratory of a
Spirulina farm. And there is the EnviroLogix
Quicktube Microcystin
Kit, an ELISA test which detects quantities of microcystins as low as 0.3
of one part per billion (0.3 ppb).
It would take 1 microgram of microcystin
(injected intraperitoneally) to kill a 20-gram
mouse. By extrapolation, to kill a man would take 4000 times
more. As I have said, there
are many peer-reviewed scientific articles describing Spirulina, its
contents and effects. One should not miss The Potential Applications of
Spirulina as a Nutritional and Therapeutic Supplement in Health
Management, written by Dr. Amha Belay and
published in the Journal of the American Nutriceutical Association, vol.5, N°2, Spring
2002. This 21-page article is
a critical examination of more than 70 studies made in vitro, in vivo,
with rodents, fish, chickens, and human patients showing the immunomodulation effects of Spirulina, antioxidant
effects, anticancer and antiviral effects, cholesterol reduction activity,
and protection against radiation damage. In his concluding
remarks Dr. Belay states: "(1) the technology for mass cultivation and
harvest of Spirulina is well-established, (2) Spirulina has undergone two
decades of toxicity testing in addition to its known centuries of human
use, (3) microbiological and other safety standards have been established
for Spirulina products, (4) the two most commonly grown species, Spirulina
(Arthrospira) platensis and Spirulina (Arthrospira) maxima are free from
Cyanobacterial toxins and can be grown (under controlled conditions) free
of contaminant Cyanobacteria by virtue of their adaptation to a high
alkaline environment.." In September 1999,
Health Spirulina is not a danger to human
health, but a natural food that restores health to humans who have been
exposed to dangers caused by other foods, to lack of food, or to
substandard living conditions. However, Mr. Ho's article is a wake-up call to Spirulina growers to
be alert to the presence in their cultures of other algae which could be
microcystin producers…. though it is known that
by keeping the total salinity and the pH at optimum levels there are no
such contaminants. Nevertheless, if there are any growers who do not test
for microcystins, they should do so, thus meeting their responsibility for
product safety. Spirulina is being fed
to child victims of malnutrition in
The Straits Times has an
obligation to present the truth about Spirulina to its readers. Business
interests, professional jealousy, shallow
research aside - the true story of Spirulina is fascinating, remarkable,
and promising for humanity. I am yours
sincerely,
Dr.
Ripley D. Fox Director
General Intergovernmental
Spirulina Program |
