Complete Protein Makeup
Some algae in our formulas are known to have the highest usable (90% NPU) protein content of any natural food (65%); far more than meat and fish (15-25%), soybeans (35%), dried milk (35%), peanuts (25%), eggs (12%), grains (8-14%) or whole milk (3%).
The algae in our blends have minimal cellulose in their cell walls, being composed of soft mucopolysaccharides. Their proteins are 85 to 95% digestible. This high digestibility rate is especially important for people suffering from intestinal malabsorption problems, which are very common nowadays. Older people have even more difficulty digesting complex proteins leading to restricted diets.
Amino Acids
The formulas contain 20 amino acids: all eight to ten essential and 12 non-essential amino acids in high availability or non limiting forms. Amino acids are all about quality. Protein is composed of amino acids. Essential amino acids cannot be manufactured by the body and must be supplied in
the diet. Non-essential amino acids are needed too, but the body can synthesize them. Essential amino acids, plus sufficient nitrogen in foods, are needed to
synthesize the non-essential amino acids. A protein is considered complete if it has all the essential amino acids. Spirulina in BSF is just that, a complete
protein.
The body requires amino acids in specific proportions. If a food is low in one or more amino acids, those amino acids are called
limiting amino acids, and the body cannot use all of its amino acids completely. The most complete and ideal proportion of amino acids can be found in
our formulas because of their mix of several algae. Our formulas complement other vegetable or animal proteins well and increase the amino acid quality
of other foods if eaten within several hours of them. A portion of the daily essential amino acid required for a typical adult can be supplied by eating
some of our formula daily.
The following eight to ten essential amino acids are found in these algae; arginine (required for the young, but
not for adults), histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine.
- ARGININE*: Essential for the young, but not in the same way for adults. Important for adult male sexual health as seminal fluid is 80 percent arginine. Also helps detoxify the blood.
- HISTIDINE*: May be considered essential mostly in children as it strengthens nerve relays, especially in the auditory organs. Has been used to reverse some cases of deafness.
- ISOLEUCINE: Required for optimal growth, intelligence development and nitrogen equilibrium in the body. Used to synthesize other non-essential amino acids.
- LEUCINE: Stimulator of brain function, increases muscular energy levels.
- LYSINE: Building block of blood antibodies, strengthens circulatory system and maintains normal growth of cells.
- METHIONINE: Vital lipotropic (fat and lipid metabolizing) amino acid that maintains liver health. An anti-stress factor, it calms the nerves.
- PHENYLALANINE: Required by the thyroid gland for production of thyroxine which stimulates metabolic rate.
- THREONINE: Improves intestinal competence and digestive assimilation.
- TRYPTOPHAN: Increases utilization of B vitamins, improves nerve health and stabilizes emotions. Promotes a sense of calm.
- VALINE: Stimulates mental capacity and muscle coordination.
Also found in the formulas are all the non-essential amino acids. Spirulina alone supplies ten of the twelve non-essential amino acids.
"Non-essential" does not mean that these amino acids are not needed by the body, but merely indicates that the body can synthesize them itself if it needs to
do so, provided the appropriate nutritional building blocks are available. Nevertheless, the body is better served if these excellent protein components are
readily and totally available in dietary sources, since all the amino acids must be on hand as the cells manufacture enzymes, proteins, hormones, brain
chemicals and the other products of metabolism. Of the thousands of biochemical substances acting and interacting in the human body, not one is derived
from a vacuum; the body is ultimately dependent upon nutrient intake for all of its functions.
- ALANINE: Strengthens cellular walls.
- ARGININE: Important to male sexual health as seminal fluid is 80 percent arginine. Also helps detoxify the blood.
- ASPARTIC ACID: Aids transformation of carbohydrates into cellular energy.
- CYSTEINE & CYSTINE: Aids pancreatic health, which stabilizes blood sugar and carbohydrate metabolism. Has been used to alleviate some symptoms of food allergy and intolerance.
- GLUTAMIC ACID: With glucose, one of the principal fuels for the brain cells. Has been used to reduce alcohol cravings and stabilize mental health.
- GLYCINE: Promotes energy and oxygen use in the cells.
- HISTIDINE*: Strengthens nerve relays, especially in the auditory organs. Has been used to reverse some cases of deafness.
- PROLINE: A precursor of glutamic acid.
- SERINE: Helps form the protective fatty sheaths surrounding nerve fibers.
- TAURINE: Strengthens the heart muscle, boosts vision, and helps prevent macular degeneration; the key component of bile, which is needed for the digestion of fats.
- TYROSINE: Slows aging of cells and suppresses hunger centers in the hypothalamus. Can be synthesized from phenylalanine. Involved in proper coloration of hair and skin, including protection from sunburn.
Vitamins A, B, C, D, E, K
The formulas contain the array of vitamins that most living beings need to carry on metabolic processes.
Not only do they contain all vitamins, including a full Vitamin B Complex, vitamins A, D, K, E & C, BUT they also contain all co-dependent nutrients for these vitamins to be functional and active for human assimilation.
Since our formulas are a complete and balanced food, you do not have to worry about quantity like you do with separate vitamins or minerals. You cannot make a mistake with mixing and matching like you can with isolated and separate vitamins and minerals. You do not even have to worry about taking them with food. All we recommend is to take them along with water. These formulas deliver completeness and great balance and ratio. They are designed to obtain balance and synergy between the vitamins and minerals that our body needs for better assimilation. The way nature makes vitamins and nutrients in plants cannot be replicated by chemists now and it will likely never be possible. A small amount of vitamin C occurring in a green pepper is tremendously more nutritionally functional than 1,000 mg of ascorbic acid from a bottle.
Furthermore, when you take vitamin supplements, you are taking risks with mixing and matching isolate and synthetic compounds that fall in the chemical category. You CANNOT sustain life eating multi-vitamins and minerals as supplements.
In each formula you will find the vitamins : A, B C, D, E, K, folic acid, inositol, and biotin:
- VITAMIN A : Necessary for growth & repair of body tissues; helps maintain smooth, soft disease-free skin; helps protect the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose , throat & lungs, thereby reducing susceptibility to infections; protects against air pollutants; counteracts night-blindness & weak eyesight; aids in bone and teeth formation. Current medical research shows that foods rich in Beta Carotene will help reduce the risk of lung cancer & certain oral cancers. Unlike Vitamin A from fish liver oil, Vitamin A from BSF is non-toxic.
- PYRIDOXINE or B6 : Involved in the breakdown and assimilation of protein. Protects cardiac health, reduces edema and stabilizes female hormone levels. Some studies suggest that B6, together with the mineral zinc, can cure some forms of schizophrenia.
- BIOTIN : An enzyme that carries CO, during certain biochemical reactions involved in carbohydrate metabolism. Also acts as a co-enzyme in the assimilation of other B-complex vitamins. Biotin is destroyed by eating raw egg whites and some kinds of raw fish.
- COBALAMIN or B12 : The most difficult of all vitamins to obtain from vegetable sources. Bio-Algae Concentrates is extremely rich in this rare vitamin, containing 250 percent more than beef liver, previously thought to be nature's richest source. A single serving of BSF easily exceeds the Recommended Daily Allowance of 1.5 to 3 mcg daily. B12 deficiency results in pernicious anemia, nerve degeneration, premature senility, pronounced fatigue and mental illnesses resembling schizophrenia.
- PANTOTHENIC ACID : The "stress" vitamin, used by the adrenal glands, along with cholesterol and vitamin C, to manufacture cortisone and other steroids in response to physical and mental stress. Deficiency encourages sensitivity to allergy, infection and degenerative diseases such as arthritis and rheumatism. Ulcers and hypoglycemia have also been associated with shortage of this vitamin.
- FOLIC ACID : Essential to proper hemoglobin formation in red blood cells. Deficiency results in anemia, poor growth, skin pigmentation disorders and premature graying of the hair.
- INOSITOL : Vital lipotropic nutrient that sustains liver health and helps detoxify carcinogens, particularly excess female hormones. Helps normalize blood cholesterol levels. With choline, inositol is used by the liver to manufacture lecithin. Inositol is the second most abundant vitamin in the body, after niacin. Recent studies indicate that inositol, with biotin, reduces loss of scalp hair.
- NIACIN : Also known as nicotinic acid and niacinamide, which is an alternative form, niacin is essential to mental health. The Physicians' Desk Reference, a pharmaceutical text used by doctors when prescribing medication, recognizes niacin as an effective cholesterol lowering agent.
- RIBOFLAVIN or B2 : The most common vitamin deficiency is that of riboflavin and results in cataracts, failing vision, watery eyes and uncontrollable eczema.
- THIAMINE or B1 : A co-enzyme in the breakdown of dietary carbohydrate. Maintains levels of glucose in the blood. Deficiency results in weakness, cardiac damage, abdominal distention and poor oxygenation. Severe shortage results in death; critical toxemia develops from unmetabolized carbohydrate fragments.
- VITAMIN C : Essential for healthy teeth, gums & bones; helps heal wounds, scar tissue, & Fractures; prevents scurvy; builds resistance to infection; aids in the prevention & treatment of the common cold; gives strength to blood vessels; aids in the absorption of iron. It is required for the synthesis of collagen, the intercellular "cement" which holds tissues together. It is also one of the major antioxidant nutrients. It prevents the conversion of nitrates (from tobacco smoke, smog, bacon, lunch meats, & some vegetables) into cancer-causing substances.
- VITAMIN D : Improves absorption and utilization of Calcium and Phosphorous; required for bone and teeth formation; maintains a stable nervous system and normal heart action.
- TOCOPHEROL or vitamin E : Algae in BioSuperfood contain more vitamin E per gram than pure wheat germ. Its biological activity is 49% greater than synthetic vitamin E. Vitamin E protects heart and vascular health, promotes oxygenation of cells, and retards aging.
Minerals
There are more then 100 dietary minerals and trace elements in each of our formulas. But when using specific element analysis, some amount of
all known dietary minerals can be detected in the formulas.
Minerals are constituents of the bones, teeth, soft tissue, muscle, blood, and
nerve cells. They are vital to overall mental and physical well-being. Minerals act as catalysts for many biological reactions within the body, including
muscle response, the transmission of messages through the nervous system, and the utilization of nutrients in food.
As important as vitamins
are, they cannot be assimilated without the aid of minerals. Although the body can manufacture a few vitamins, it cannot manufacture a single mineral.
All tissue and internal fluids contain varying quantities of minerals.
Since the formulas are 100% food, its minerals occur in non-toxic form as
prepared by nature within the plant or in the case of our formulas, by algae.
Here is a partial list of the principal minerals or trace minerals
found in our formulas:
Antimony, Barium, Beryllium, Bismuth, Boron, Cadmium, Caesium, Calcium, Cerium, Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Dysprosium, Erbium,
Europium, Gadolinium, Gallium, Germanium, Gold, Hafnium, Holmium, Iridium, Iron, Lanthanum, Lithium, Lutetium, Magnesium, Manganese, Molybdenum, Neodymium,
Nickel, Niobium, Osmium, Palladium, Phosphorus, Platinum, Pluminium, Potassium, Praseodymium, Rhenium, Rhodium, Rubidium, Ruthenium, Samarium, Scandium,
Selenium, Silicon, Sodium, Strontium, Tantalum, Tellurium, Terbium, Thallium, Thorium, Thulium, Tin, Titanium, Tungsten, Uranium, Vanadium, Ytterbium,
Yttrium, Zinc, Zirconium
Here are a few of the nutritional properties of the principal minerals found in our formulas:
- CHLORIDE: Chloride ions have important physiological roles. For instance, in the central nervous system, the inhibitory action of glycine and some of the action of GABA relies on the entry of Cl− into specific neurons. Also, the chloride-bicarbonate exchanger biological transport protein relies on the chloride ion to increase the blood's capacity of carbon dioxide, in the form of the bicarbonate ion.
- POTASSIUM: A crucial mineral that regulates body electrolyte balance. Deficiency can cause heart arrest, hypertension, adrenal exhaustion and muscular collapse.
- CALCIUM: The most abundant mineral in the body, it is especially important to bone and dental health, but is also involved in neural transmissions to the muscles. Spirulina in BSF supplies about as much calcium, gram for gram, as milk. Chlorophyll in BSF also contains rare calcium spirulan a well-known agent for its antibacterial, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory benefits known to be effective against the AIDS virus.
- MAGNESIUM: Deficiency can lead to spasmodic muscle disorders, including cardiac irregularities. Helps assimilation of vitamin C, B vitamins and protein.
- PHOSPHORUS: The second most abundant mineral in the human body, it is found in practically every cell. Functions with calcium to maintain bone density. Helps to digest carbohydrates and the B vitamins niacin and riboflavin.
- SODIUM: Sodium ions play a diverse and important role in many physiological processes. Excitable animal cells, for example, rely on the entry of Na+ to cause a depolarization. An example of this is signal transduction in the human central nervous system, which depends on sodium ion motion across the nerve cell membrane, in all nerves.
- SULFUR: Sulfur is an essential component of all living cells. It is found in the hair, nails and skin, and as much sulfur as potassium is normally found in the body. Sulfur is used to detoxify the body, assist the immune system and fight the effects of aging, as well as age related illnesses such as arthritis. Sulfur is an essential element of protein, biotin as well as vitamin B1. It is part of the chemical structure of the amino acids methionine, cysteine, taurine and glutathione. It is further needed in the synthesis of collagen, which is needed for good skin integrity.
Trace Elements
Our formulas contain some amount of all known trace elements occurring in human-friendly form, as they are naturally occurring from the plant kingdom.
In biochemistry, a trace element is a chemical element that is needed in minute quantities for the proper growth, development, and physiology of the organism. For this reason, in biochemistry they are also called micronutrients.
For example, our formalas contain iron in a non-toxic form that is more readily absorbable than that found in beef liver. Unlike iron from a bottle of iron supplements, the iron in our formulas is like that of any plant such as celery or spinach and is a medicine for the body.
Here is a partial list of a few trace elements found in our formulas:
- BORON: Boron enhances the body's ability to use calcium, magnesium, as well as vitamin D. It is also reported to assist in brain functioning and recognition. Boron seems to prevent calcium and magnesium from being lost in the urine and may help with decreasing menstrual pain by increasing the oestradiol level, which is a very active type of estrogen. Boron may help with menopausal symptoms as well as maintaining healthy bones, since its affinity to calcium and magnesium. It may also have to do with reduction of arthritis symptoms.
- CHROMIUM: Chromium is an essential nutrient required for normal sugar and fat metabolism and works primarily by potentiating the action of insulin. It is present in the entire body but with the highest concentrations in the liver, kidneys, spleen and bone. Although chromium is only required in very small amounts, our modern day diet has left many people short of chromium on a daily basis, with the average American being chromium deficient, and two out of three being hyperglycemic, pre-hyperglycemic or diabetic. Chromium is needed for energy, maintains stable blood sugar levels. In cooperation with other substances, it controls insulin as well as certain enzymes. It works with GTF (Glucose Tolerance Factor) when this hormone-affiliated agent enters the bloodstream because of an increase of insulin in the bloodstream.
- COBALT: Cobalt is part of the vitamin B 12 molecule. It is required in the manufacture of red blood cells and in preventing anemia. In a normal diet, deficiency is unlikely.
- COPPER: Copper and zinc absorption is closely related, and although copper is also needed in relatively small amounts, some discussions are under way on the optimum need of this mineral. If large amounts of copper are present, then zinc and vitamin C is reduced in the body, and vice versa. Copper is required in the formation of hemoglobin, red blood cells as well as bones, while it helps with the formation of elastin as well as collagen - making it necessary for wound healing. A lack of copper may also lead to increased blood fat levels. It is also necessary for the manufacture of the neurotransmitter noradrenaline as well as for the pigmentation of your hair.
- FLUORINE: Fluorine is a constituent of bones and teeth, but since it is very seldom added to supplements, we have not included a large volume of data on this element. It is beneficial in most cases in preventing dental caries, but the addition of fluoride to drinking water has become a controversial subject in some societies.
- IODINE: Iodine in our food is dependant on the iodine found in the ground where the food is grown, in the food the animals receive, as it influences the iodine content in the meat and eggs we consume. Iodine is used in the production of hormones (such as thyroxine, thyroxin) by the thyroid gland, which in turn regulates the conversion of fat to energy, stabilizing our body weight as well as controlling our cholesterol levels. These hormones produced from the iodine are also needed to help form our bones, as well as keeping our skin, nails, hair and teeth in prime condition. Some indication also exists that iodine is helpful in preventing cancer of the breast and womb.
- IRON: Promotes formation of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying blood pigment found in healthy red blood cells. Iron deficiency is most common among women in their reproductive years.
- MANGANESE: Activates enzyme systems, along with zinc. Promotes activity of neurotransmitter acetylcholine, and helps stabilize blood sugar.
- MOLYBDENUM: Molybdenum is a component of three different enzymes, which is involved in the metabolism of nucleic acids - DNA and RNA - iron as well as food into energy. These three enzymes are sulfite oxidase, xanthine oxidase and aldehyde oxidase. Molybdenum assists in the breaking down of sulfite toxin build-ups in the body, and may prevent cavities. With these qualities, there might be evidence of antioxidant properties in this nutrient. It assists the body by fighting the nitrosamines, which are associated with cancer, and may help to prevent anemia. It is needed for normal cell function and nitrogen metabolism. Molybdenum deficiencies in older males have also been linked to impotence and may be of value in fighting mouth and gum disorders.
- SELENIUM: Originally believed to be a toxic heavy metal, but now known to be necessary for health. It retards aging, harmful oxidation and free radical formation, reduces the toxic effect of carcinogens, and improves cardiac efficiency.
- SILICON: Silicon is not present in the body in large amounts, yet is found in virtually every type of tissue in the body. Do not confuse it with silicone. Silicon is also called silica and is a natural substance while silicone is a man-made industrial polymer used in breast enlargement operations. Silicon is used to keep bones, cartilage, tendons and artery walls healthy and may be beneficial in the treatment of allergies, heartburn and gum disease, as well as assisting the immune system. It is also required by the nails, hair and skin to stay in good condition and is useful in counteracting the effects of aluminum. Silicon levels drop as we age, and it might therefore be beneficial as an anti-aging component in our diets.
- ZINC: The pivotal point of over thirty vital enzymatic reactions, with profound effects on mental health, skin tone, prostate function and healing capacity.
Enzymes
Our formulas contain thousands of enzymes! We believe that no other food or combination of foods contains so many naturally occurring enzymes.
Some of these enzymes are critically important for health, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD). SOD is an iron-containing enzyme that supports important
body-cell processes and also protects the cells from free radicals.
Enzymes are specialized protein molecules facilitating most of the body
's metabolic processes such as supplying energy, digesting foods, purifying your blood, ridding the body of waste products etc.
Fruits and
vegetables contain just enough enzymes to support self-breakdown, like what occurs when an apple turns brown after falling from a tree. These enzymes are
critical in order for them to be properly digested by the humans and animals that consume them. Without these naturally occuring enzymes, our digestive
system would have to work much harder to break down food to obtain its nutrients. Often our food goes on being undigested due to a
lack of enzymes.
Very few foods contain more enzymes than required for self-breakdown. Papaya is one exception with its
large amount of papain enzyme. But as far as enzymes go, nothing comes close to certain microalgae, which contain inexplicably large
amounts of enzymes.
Further to aiding with digestion, many enzymes found in foods are stored, transformed and used by our
body for other important life-sustaining functions.
The combination of microalgae in our blends boasts thousands of such
life sustaining enzymes including DNA, RNA, SOD, Glycolipids and many more. The spirulina in our blends contain as many as 2,000 enzymes.
Among other important enzymes identified in spirulina are restriction enzymes. Restriction enzymes (endonucleases) work like scissors to
cut the DNA of invading enemy microbes.
A theory proposed to explain spirulina's long life is the role of restriction enzymes.
By cutting the DNA of invading enemy microbes, restriction enzymes may have been good weapons against microalgae's ecological enemies for
3.5 billion years.
Many enzymes in BSF and their health benefits have not yet been identified or explained.
Fatty Acids
Our blends contain the fatty acids Omega 3, 6, 9, GLA and several more including some yet undocumented or undiscovered. Most of us think of fatty acids as oils coming from fish or seeds. You will be happy to learn that our formulas are a rich source of fatty acids and are especially high in GLA, which is a critical nutrient that is universally lacking in the American diet.
Contains Omega 3, 6, 9, GLA and many more fatty acids
The human body uses fatty acids from food for building tissues and for specialized functions such as the production of prostaglandins, localized tissue hormones. One major group of fatty acids is called essential fatty acids, which are polyunsaturated, and include two major groups, omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. They are called "essential" because the body cannot make them but must get them from food.
Essential fatty acids (EFA) "the good fats that heal" are the fats you have been increasingly hearing about in recent years. Your body cannot live without them. They are necessary for a healthy heart, a healthy nervous system, a healthy immune system and especially a healthy brain (the human brain is around 80% fat).
The essential fatty acids are sometimes called vitamin F, include linoleic, linolenic, arachidonic acid and many more. Some are used by the body to manufacture prostaglandins, the hormonal regulators of blood pressure and capillary resilience.
The essential fatty acids are involved in respiration in all the cells, and are especially important to oxygen transport. They affect the health of the hair, skin and nails, and help break up cholesterol in the blood stream. They are not dangerous fat but are absolutely vital to health.
If you have read anything about low-carb dieting or the "Mediterranean Diet," you know that the consumption of healthy oils which contain these fatty acids produces astounding health benefits in the human body. Heart disease and various cardiovascular disorders respond quickly and positively. Brain function is improved, diabetes is brought under control, blood sugar is regulated, and cancer risk soon plummets.
Gamma linolenic acid (GLA) in our formulas is known to stimulate master hormones
Perhaps you have heard of GLA (gamma-linoleic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). Human breast milk is high in GLA, probably due to the infant's need for brain-building fats. However, since many infants never gained the important nutritional benefits of their mothers' milk, they have been GLA-deficient for their entire lives. The American diet of processed foods contains virtually no GLA and low-carb dieters are not getting any either, unless they specifically supplement it.
GLA is not only known for regulating blood sugar and providing important nutrients to the brain; it also exhibits immune-boosting properties. In fact, according to Dr. Hass, author of Staying Health With Nutrition, GLA has been shown to be effective for the following health conditions:
- Cardiovascular disease - anti-inflammatory effect; reducing platelet aggregation, thereby reducing clotting; lowering blood pressure by decreasing vessel tone; cholesterol-lowering effect.
- Arthritis (rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory disorders) - anti-inflammatory effect; immune support; correcting possible EFA and GLA deficiency.
- Skin disorders (eczema, acne, dermatitis) - anti-inflammatory effect; EFA functions; immune support.
- Allergies, asthma - anti-inflammatory effect; EFA function; immune support.
- Multiple sclerosis - nerve conduction; correction of possible EFA and GLA deficiency; immune support; decreased platelet aggregation; balancing prostaglandins.
Essentially, GLA helps support the immune system through a variety of mechanisms, and its benefits go far beyond mere immune system function. Many studies on the health effects of GLA have been conducted, and they show stunning results for this beneficial nutrient. In the 1980s, GLA was studied more intensively than any other nutrient: About 200 clinical trials took place in university hospitals and medical schools throughout the world. One of these researchers, Dr. Horrobin, states that “his studies have led him to believe that a lack of essential fatty acids could turn out to be one of the most common defects in human biochemistry and a significant factor in many diseases". Essential fatty acids are especially important in the function of nerve, muscle, and immune systems, for when people lack the proper balance of EFAs, the neurological, endocrine, and immune systems are shown to be adversely affected.
"GLA has proven to be effective in the treatment of many serious diseases. Double-blind, placebo-controlled studies for atopic eczema demonstrate that GLA improves skin conditions, relieves itching, and reduces the amount of steroid medication required. In a large, placebo-controlled trial at Bristol University in England, both adults and children showed substantial improvements. In clinical trials for diabetes, GLA has reversed neurological damage and lowered plasma cholesterol and triglycerides. GLA has also been shown to be beneficial in the treatment of Sjogren's Syndrome."
- Innocent Casualties: The FDA's War Against Humanity by Elaine Feuer
Gamma linolenic acid (GLA) is a precursor for the body's prostaglandins, master hormones that control many body functions. The prostaglandin PGE1 is involved in many tasks including regulation of blood pressure, cholesterol synthesis, inflammation and cell proliferation.
Foods high in saturated fats, typical of the American diet, may block the beneficial work of essential fatty acids in the human body, leading to many disease conditions. Numerous studies have shown that GLA deficiency may figure in degenerative diseases and other health problems. Clinical studies show dietary intake of GLA can help arthritis, heart disease, obesity, and zinc deficiency. Alcoholism, manic-depression, aging symptoms and schizophrenia also have been ascribed partially to GLA deficiency. A source of dietary GLA may help conditions of heart disease, premenstrual stress, obesity, arthritis and alcoholism. In Spain, the GLA in spirulina and evening primrose oil is prescribed for treatment of various chronic health problems.
The few known sources of GLA include the plant seed oils of evening primrose plant, black currant and borage seeds, fungal oils, certain algae and human milk.
But you can also get some from our formulas every day of your life!
Chlorophyll
Spirulina in our formulas is one of the richest sources of chlorophyll with a perfect balance of magnesium. All plants, algae, and cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) that perform photosynthesis, contain chlorophyll usually with the proper balance levels of magnesium required for photosynthesis.
Chlorophyll: The Shepherd of Light
Energy are vital forces we associate with light having to do with liberating the sun’s forces from carbohydrates and lipids so we can use those forces to produce energy.
Certain microalgae like cyanobacteria in the formulas are the only plants able to transfer sunlight energy into chemical energy with near 100% efficiency.
Energy from light is received somewhat directly as sunlight, but it is received in much greater amounts from our food. The chemical energy stored by photosynthesis in carbohydrates drives biochemical reactions in nearly all living organisms. Releasing the forces of light from food requires a balance disassembly of starches, sugars, and fats, which are the bearers of light.
Chlorophyll is the shepherd of light energy. In the central atom of the chlorophyll molecule is magnesium, which is where the sun’s light is gathered for releasing the sugars, starches, and fats from which we will eventually get our energy. Magnesium is omnipresent in the catabolic steps in which we disassemble sugars and fats in our metabolic fire : the Krebs (citric acid) cycle. Thus, chlorophyll is at the center of the photosynthetic oxidation-reduction reaction between carbon dioxide and water.
Chlorophyll and Blood Regeneration
Chlorophyll is sometimes called "green blood" because of its similarity to the hemoglobin molecule found in human blood cells. In fact, both are constructed of almost identical molecular structures called pyrrole rings, and both substances are chemically known as "porphyrin pigments" by scientists.
The difference is that chlorophyll contains a magnesium ion at its core, while hemoglobin contains an iron molecule at its core. Magnesium imparts a green color to the chlorophyll molecule and is involved in synthesis of other materials, while iron gives hemoglobin a red coloration and changes the function of the porphyrin molecule to respiration and breakdown of materials. But perhaps the most interesting connection between green foods and blood is the similarity in the structures of the two colored pigments, heme and chlorophyll.
What's so good about the chlorophyll in our algae blends?
Our formulas’ most visible pigments are chlorophylls, and there is nothing more supportive to cleansing than chlorophyll. People who follow Western diets (high in processed foods and animal foods) are in desperate need of cleansing.
Besides energy and cleansing, there are many other associated benefits to chlorophyll:
- Chlorophyll releases ions when struck by the energy of sunlight. These free ions proceed to stimulate the biochemical reactions that form proteins, vitamins and sugars.
- It increases peristaltic action and thus relieves constipation, and also normalizes the secretion of digestive acids.
- It soothes inflammation and reduces excess pepsin secretion associated with gastric ulcers.
- It also supports liver function so that your body can do a better job of eliminating toxins from your system.
- It is believed that if chlorophyll is ingested with sufficient iron, the magnesium can be displaced to yield a hemoglobin molecule.
- Experiments in Japan and Russia have demonstrated that algae has a marked positive effect on leukemia and anemia, possibly due to the conversion of chlorophyll into hemoglobin.
Polysaccharides
The algae found in the formulas have unique cell walls made of complex polysaccharides, which have been shown to stimulate interferon production and exhibit strong anti-tumor activity in a series of studies conducted over the last several decades.
Polysaccharides are relatively complex carbohydrates. They are polymers made up of many monosaccharides joined together by glycosidic bonds. Cell-surface polysaccharides as in microalgae like spirulina play diverse roles in the bacterial "lifestyle". They serve as a barrier between the cell wall and the environment and mediate host-pathogen interactions.
Studies on the consumption of food-grade microalgae have reported enhanced immune function in animals and humans.
- Dietary spirulina has been shown to exhibit chemopreventive and antiviral effects in humans. The active component for these effects has been investigated; it appears that several types of polysaccharides exhibit biological activity.
- Calcium spirulan inhibits replication of several enveloped viruses. These include herpes simplex, cytomegalovirus, mumps and measles viruses, influenza A virus, and HIV-1.
- Another polysaccharide found in spirulina, immunlina, has been shown to activate monocytes and macrophages
- Spirulina polysaccharides are clinically observed to provide immune system modulation and reduction of blood sugar level to normal.
- Scientists also found that spirulina's polysaccharide acts similarly to Phycocayanin, a highly potent agent that activates the immune system. It improves the immune system's ability to detect and destroy foreign microbes or eliminate toxins. It also enhances T-cells and improves Thymus gland function. Also observed were increased antibody levels and normalization of other cellular functions.
- Calcium spirulina, from a blue-green algae spirulina enveloped virus replication, - Hayashi et al. 1996. Pub. In Journal of Natural Products, Vol. 59, p. 83-87. Japan.
Phytonutrients
Our formulas with
their mix of blue-green, brown and red microalgae contain thousands of phytochemicals and colorful pigments making up the entire color spectrum found in
nature from blue to green to red.
We know today that the principal nutrients for cancer prevention are found in colorful fruits and
vegetables (American Cancer Society). Those nutrients are a mix of phytonutrients such as antioxidants, carotenoids, and chlorophyll among
others.
There is abundant evidence from epidemiological studies that the phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables can significantly
reduce the risk of cancer, probably due to polyphenol antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects.
Phytochemicals have been used as
drugs for millennia. For example, Hippocrates in 400 BC used to prescribe willow tree leaves to abate fever. Salicin as in Aspirin, with potent
anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties, was originally extracted from the White Willow Tree.
In summary our formulas
contain a large array of pigments and carotenes like beta carotene, alpha-carotene, astaxanthin, lutein, lycopene, quercitin, phycocyanine,
phycobilins, b cryptoxanthin and several others that offer powerful immunity and toxin shields against continuous pollution,
toxins and stress.
Antioxidants
Our formulas contain extraordinary antioxidant compounds and especially those like alpha-carotene and beta-carotene known as "pro-pro vitamin A" for their capacity to not only traverse the cell membrane but to span across it.
An antioxidant is a molecule capable of slowing or preventing the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons from a substance to an oxidizing agent. Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals, which start chain reactions that damage cells. Antioxidants terminate these chain reactions by removing free radical intermediates, and inhibit other oxidation reactions by being oxidized themselves.
Its also known today that the orange and red pigments have the most antioxidative and protection powers due to their molecular shape and properties. For example, beta carotene, the orange pigments of carrots or the red licopene of tomatoes have molecular shapes allowing them to easily travel accross the blood brain barrier, even accross the blood iris barrier, hense the popular saying "you've never seen a rabbit wearing glasses". Our formulas contain high level of astaxanthin, the star of antioxidants Astaxanthin is a pigment of the carotenoid complex present in large amount in the microalgae Haematococcus pluvialis. It is an oxygenated pigment called a xanthophyll. Its unique molecular structure gives it a superior antioxidant capacity.
Benefits of Astaxanthin:
- 10 to 40 times more effective as an antioxidant than beta-carotene
- 500 to 1000 times more effective in inhibiting lipid peroxidation as an antioxidant than Vitamin E
- Has greater anti-inflammatory capability than Vitamin E
- Has almost 4 times the antioxidant capacity of lutein
- Offers superior protection against UVA and UVB light-induced oxidative stress more stable in scavenging and quenching than b-carotene canthaxanthin and zeaxanthin
- Highly potent in enhancing the production of T1 and T2 cancer killing cells
- More effective than lycopene and lutein in enhancing liver microsome detoxification activity
- Enhances the actions of Vitamins C and E in the body
- Enhances the release of retinol (Vitamin A) from the liver
Carotenoids
Our formulas contain an extraordinary number of yellow/orange pigments called carotenoids.
Carotenoids are organic pigments that are naturally occurring in plants and some other photosynthetic organisms like algae, some types of fungus and some
bacteria. There are over 600 known carotenoids; they are split into two classes, xanthophylls and carotenes. They absorb blue light.
Until
late in the 20th Century, the functions of these carotenoids were discussed only in terms of their potential vitamin A activity. But since then it has
been discovered that certain members of the carotenoid family, approximately 50 carotenoids of the known 600, are called "pro vitamin A" compounds
because the body can convert them into retinol, an active form of vitamin A.
BioSuperfood and BioPreparation contain many of these
yellow/orange pigments from which pro and pro-pro-vitamin A can be made. Here is a partial list:
- Alpha-carotene
- Beta-carotene
- Phycocyanin
- Xanthophylis
- Cryptoxanthin
- Echinenone
- Zeaxanthin
- Lutein
- Licopene
- Astaxanthin
- Etc.
The extraordinary amounts of carotenoids and several lesser pigments such as phycoerythrin, tetrapyrrole, and phytonadione found in these algae are not just the "color" of living organisms, but are used to carry on metabolic processes throughout the body. Without them,
enzymatic reactions would be reduced until cellular disintegration occurred.
Flavonoids
Microalgae in BIOSUPERFOOD/BIOPREPARATION contain a wide range of flavonoids Recent evidence shows as many as 15,000 compounds in certain
micro-algae, many of which are not yet identified, while flavonoids and bioflavonoids have been.
Flavonoids are important secondary plant
metabolites present in land plants and in many microalgae so far identified (Cyanobacteria, Rhodophyta, Chlorophyta, Haptophyta, Ochrophyta), and likely
in many more to be investigated. Recent studies (i.e. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/jpy.12180/abstract) data unequivocally shows that
microalgae contain a wide range of flavonoids and possess the enzyme pool required for their biosynthesis.
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