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> UC DAVIS STUDY SHOWS SPIRULINA BOOSTS IMMUNE SYSTEM
>
> (SACRAMENTO, Calif.) - Adding spirulina to cultured immune system cells
> significantly increases the production of infection fighting cytokines,
say
> immunologists at UC Davis School of Medicine and Medical Center. Their
> finding is published in the Fall issue of the Journal of Medicinal Foods.
>
> Spirulina are blue-green algae rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals
and
> other nutrients. Used as a food supplement for more than 20 years,
spirulina
> grows naturally in lakes with extremely high pH levels, but it is also
> harvested from large-scale commercial ponds, where purity is monitored
before
> being dried and distributed in tablet and powdered form.
>
> A number of animal studies have shown spirulina to be an effective
> immunomodulator (an agent that can effect the behavior of immune cells.)
In
> rats spirulina inhibited allergic reactions by suppressing the release of
> histamine in a dose-dependent fashion. In cats, spirulina enhanced the
> ability of macrophages to engulf bacteria, and in chickens spirulina
increased
> antibody responses and the activity of natural killer cells, which destroy
> infected and cancerous cells in the body.
>
> While extensive human studies have not been done, several reports also
suggest
> spirulina has therapeutic effects on hyperlipidemia and obesity. In one
> study, spirulina decreased total serum cholesterol and low-density
lipoprotein
> cholesterol, while increasing high-density lipoprotein. A 1986 study of
obese
> patients showed a significant reduction of body weight after including
> spirulina in the diet for four weeks. In the UC Davis study, researchers
> evaluated the secretion of the cytokines interferon-gamma, interleukin-4,
and
> interleukin-1beta in the lab to get a better understanding of spirulina's
> potential regulatory effect on the immune system.
>
> "We found that nutrient-rich spirulina is a potent inducer of
interferon-gamma
> (13.6-fold increase) and a moderate stimulator of both interleukin-4 and
> interleukin-1beta (3.3-fold increase)," says Eric Gershwin, professor and
> chief of the Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Clinical Immunology at
UC
> Davis. "Together, increases in these cytokines suggest that spirulina is
a
> strong proponent for protecting against intracellular pathogens and
parasites
> and can potentially increase the expression of agents that stimulate
> inflammation, which also helps to protect the body against infectious and
> potentially harmful micro-organisms. Additional studies with individuals
> consuming spirulina are needed to determine whether these dramatic effects
> extend beyond the laboratory."
>
> In the body, the preferential increase in the production of
interferon-gamma
> over interleukin-4 would shift the immune system towards mounting a
> cell-mediated immune response instead of a humoral response. A
cell-mediated
> response includes the activation of T-cells and antibodies that work with
> macrophages, another type of immune system cell, to engulf invading
> micro-organisms. Hence, spirulina's strength in protecting against
> intracellular pathogens and parasites. The moderate increase in the
secretion
> of interleukin-1beta, a cytokine that acts on nearly every cell of the
body to
> promote inflammation, works to support the overall immune response.
>
> To evaluate the effects of spirulina on the immune system, the UC Davis
> immunologists collected blood samples from 12 healthy volunteers,
separating
> out the peripheral blood mononuclear cells. These cells, which include
> macrophages, monocytes, and lymphocytes, including B and T cells, work as
a
> team to mount an immune response. The researchers incubated these cell
> cultures with dilutions of spirulina made from 429 mg capsules of dried,
> powdered spirulina from Earthrise Nutritionals, Inc.
> (http://www.earthrise.com ). They added phytohemoglutanin, a known
stimulator
> of lymphoid cells, to half of cell cultures to assess spirulina's effect
on
> the immune system at rest and when stimulated to mount an allergic
response.
> After 72 hours, they measured changes in cytokine levels in all samples
using
> ELISA analysis. (ELISA, or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, is a
sensitive
> technique for accurately determining the amount of protein in a given
> sample.)
>
> "People have used foods like yogurt and spirulina throughout history,"
says
> Judy van de Water, associate professor of rheumatology, allergy and
clinical
> immunology at UC Davis. "Through research, we are learning exactly how
these
> foods improve immune system function and how they are a beneficial
addition to
> our diet."
>
> This research was funded in part by a grant from Earthrise Nutritionals,
Inc.,
> and the National Institutes of Health.