Arthritis is a pain that can affect nearly everything you do throughout your day if its bad enough. But there are ways to fix this. Have you ever heard of taking spirulina for arthritis? If you have arthritis and are interested in a natural, all around healthy remedy that actually works then I suggest you listen up.
Before I get into things I think its important that you know what spirulina is if you don’t already. So just to give you a very brief summary, Spirulina is a blue-green algae that is becoming increasingly popular for human consumption. It is considered the most nutrient dense natural food on earth and has a TON of health benefits because of this.
But anyway.., now I’ll get to the point of the article.
Spirulina can help with your arthritis and its proven!
There is a theory going around that spirulina can actually make arthritis worse. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, because spirulina stimulates the immune system it could make rheumatoid arthritis worse in theory because it is an autoimmune disease.
But I have not been able to find any evidence to support this theory. And after all it is just a theory. The only evidence I have found supports the claim that spirulina helps decrease arthritis.
The studies tell the truth
The most recent study I could find on was conducted in 2009 and is published in the journal Inflammopharmacology. In this study Winstar rats with arthritis were supplemented with 0.4g of spirulina per kg of bodyweight. The results were significant. Indicators of arthritis such as joint thickness in the paws were significantly decreased and returned to near normal levels [1].
Then another study I came across.was published in the Mediators of Inflammation journal in 2002. Like the one above, this study also tested out the arthritic decreasing powers of spirulina on rat test subjects. But this study used spirulina doses as as low as 0.1 g/kg of body weight and still found significant results. In as little as 8 days, the arthritis in the knee joints had decrease by a lot [2].
Wow, only 8 days and there were significant results. But how the heck does spirulina work so well?
How does Spirulina Decreases Arthritis, is it magic?
Spirulina inhibits the inflammatory reactions that occur when you have arthritis, thus decreasing your arthritis and pain.
This is thought to be due mostly to the inflammation properties of phycocyanin, which spirulina contains a lot of. Phycocyanin is very beneficial and helps in a lot of other ways besides just inflammation. For example it improves the immune system and increases the body’s ability to remove toxins (detox).
But its ability to decrease inflammation is largely due to its ability to fight off free-radicals. This comes from its powerful antioxidant abilities.
You see, oxidative stress causes your body to produce free-radicals, which are damaging and cause inflammation among many other problems. Its a chain reaction, but it can be stopped by decreasing oxidation with antioxidants. And phycocyanin is a great antioxidant that can do exactly that.
The anti-inflammatory properties of phycocyanin are well documented and pretty concrete. Is conclusive.
Spirulina Actually Works
The bottom line is that spirulina is not some hippie food thats benefits are a myth and have nothing to support them. Its a well studied superfood that is proven by science to be very beneficial healthwise. And on of its many benefits is its ability to reduce inflammation significantly, which means it reduces your arthritis.
Remember what the results of the one study I mentioned was? Spirulina reduced arthritis indicators to near normal levels!
So if you are interested in purchasing spirulina there is one important thing that you need to know before you do so.
Be Careful!
You have to be careful when selecting what spirulina to buy. Why? The main reason is because spirulina can be toxic. What I mean is that it has a natural ability to absorb things from its environment. And if its grown in polluted or contaminated waters, it will absorb those toxins. Its a good thing if you are taking spirulina to detox your body, but obviously a bad thing if you were to purchase it grown in poor quality standards.
So how do you know what spirulina to get?
I have reviewed some of the highest quality products that I have come across below. These products are all grown without the use of chemicals and are grown in an environment with quality assurance.
What form of spirulina are you looking for? Click below to find products that I have reviewed
Sources –
1) Evaluation of protective efficacy of Spirulina platensis against collagen-induced arthritis in rats. Inflammopharmacology. 2009 Jun;17(3):181-90. doi: 10.1007/s10787-009-0004-1. Epub 2009 Apr 24.
2) Inhibitory effects of Spirulina in zymosan-induced arthritis in mice. Mediators Inflamm. 2002 Apr;11(2):75-9.