There are testimonials one the internet that claim taking spirulina for autism is a cure, or at least beneficial. But does this hold any truth? Or is it maybe just a coincidence that some children’s autism cleared up after supplementing spirulina?

Although there are no clinical studies published at this moment on the effects that spirulina has on autism, I still think its safe to conclude that spirulina, at the very least, would be beneficial to those with autism.

Heavy metals accelerate and increase the chances of autism, and spirulina has the ability to absorb and remove heavy metals from the body.

To understand this first you need to know how heavy metals effect autism.

Heavy Metals Effects on Autism

A study conducted by Dr. William Walsh, Ph.D, and Dr. Anjum Usman, MD, shows that autistic patients’ bodies do not filter out heavy metals as efficiently as healthy individuals.

This study was performed on 503 autistic patients. Blood tests results showed that the patients had levels of zinc and copper that were above normal. And the reason for this is that their body’s MT proteins are not functioning properly [1].

The MT proteins are responsible for regulating heavy metal concentrations among other things. So the fact that the autistic patients had abnormally high levels of heavy metals shows that these MT proteins are not working right.

If someone is genetically susceptible to autism and lives in an environment that has toxic levels of heavy metals, this increases the likelihood of developing autism.

If you or someone you know has or is susceptible to autism then you may want to consider supplementing spirulina. Its an all natural and very healthy food that in theory should work.

In Theory, Spirulina Should Help With Autism

Like I mentioned above, spirulina has the ability to remove absorb toxins from the body. Once absorbed, your body is able to easily excrete this toxins.

The spirulina is very effective at removing heavy metals from the body. Its has proven effective in scientific studies at removing all sorts of heavy metals from the body. I already have written an article on taking spirulina to detox.

It is proven to detox from copper, which is one of the heavy metals shown to be abnormally high in autistic people. As for zinc, I can’t find a human study that proves spirulina to be effective, but I have found a study that shows spirulina can absorb zinc very effeciently.

Wheres the proof?

There was a study published in 2009 in the Indian Journal of Experimental Biology that shows spirulina consumption will decrease copper levels in the body. The results of supplementing spirulina showed that copper concentration in feces increased [2]. This increased copper defecation is due to the spirulina absorbing the copper, which is then easily excreted.

And as for the study of zinc. There is a study I came across that shows spirulina absorbs zinc very well from water [3]. It was a study done to figure out the best methods of cleaning up heavy metal contamination left from industries. But anyway, spirulina is considered VERY effective. So I would assume that it can absorb excess zinc from the body like it can other heavy metals.

But zinc is an essential nutrient….

Its true that zinc is an extremely important nutrient and is involved in 100’s of functions in the human body, but still, having too much is harmful. And the fact that autistic patients showed abnormally high levels of zinc is a problem.

Spirulina would help regulate your body’s zinc levels by absorbing the excess that is floating around in your blood.

• Note – Spirulina contains zinc too. I know it sounds counterproductive, giving your body zinc and removing zinc? But its not, it will give your body zinc if it needs it and remove excess zinc if your body has too much.

Should You Give Spirulina a Try?

There is scientific evidence that suggests spirulina would benefit those with autism or those who are susceptible to getting autism and there are personal testimonials (just google it) that claim spirulina greatly benefited children with autism, lessening autistic indicators.

So with that in mind I think it would be a great idea to give spirulina a try.

But one word of advice: You shouldn’t go out and buy just any spirulina. Spirulina’s contents varies depending on how it was grown and the environment. This means the nutrient values vary.

And just like spirulina can absorb heavy metals and other toxins from your body it can also absorb these toxins from the environment. So you have to avoid spirulina products that have undisclosed growing locations or that do not have good quality assurance standards in place.

How do you know what spirulina products to buy?

I have reviewed some of what I consider the best spirulina products you can buy. They all assure high quality and are from credible sources. You can Click Here to read my reviews.

Studies

1) Disordered Metal Metabolism in Autism Spectrum Disorders. New Developments: Volume 7, Number 1 – Fall, 2001.

2) Effect of Dietary Spirulina on Reduction of Copper Toxicity and Improvement of Growth, Blood Parameters and Phosphatases in Carp, Cirrhinus mrigala. Indian Journal of Experimental Biology. Vol 47, Sep 2009, pp. 754-759.

3) Spirulina platensis AS BIOSORBENT OF ZINC IN WATER. Engineering and Management Journal. 12 (2013), 5, 1079-1084.