Hello. I'm doing a Science Fair project on the blue-green algae called Chlorella. I'm basically studying it's medical properties, but there aren't too many studies out there. Supposedly, according to studies on the internet, it can slow age, balance blood suger and pressure, extend the life of those with cancer, build your immune system, help your liver, makes tissue heal at faster rates, and more. However, does anyone know if any of these claims can be backed up? I've found online information like on http://www.chlorellafactor.com/ and http://www.mercola.com/chlorella/, but both don't have much to back up their claims. Does anyone here have any information as to the validity of the claims behind Chlorella?
Just a note - I've broken the links to these sites. Because of the way search engines work, a link from the UBC site can "legitimize" a site that doesn't deserve it, and these particular sites are of the kind that don't deserve it. A maxim to live by: To answer your question, my advice is to do the following. Search for chlorella on Google but use the filter "site:edu" (i.e., search for site:edu chlorella). This will restrict your search to educational sites, and avoid the near-worthless commercial sites. As an alternate strategy, check out PubMed, a citation search engine for primarily medicinal academic papers. It's likely the best way to find an authoritative source, although you may have to wade through unrelated items to get to the information you seek.
Technically Chlorella is a green alga, not a blue-green. Many studies years ago used this alga a lot due to its large celled structure. For medical research I think you may want to check out the use of alginic acid. Tests on forms of Chlorella should yield an idea as to how much alginic acid can be produced per gram weight of alga as compared to other forms of algae. Alginic acid has been used for heart patients by cardiologists. Even back in the mid 80's alginic acid for medical purposes sold for between $5,000 to $10,000 a fluid ounce. Comparing the medical qualities of freshwater algae with their counterpart saltwater algae can be tricky. Several of the attributes you raised can be equated or have been associated with Kelp. Not necessarily or at least not all of them have been confirmed from a medical standpoint but more so from a herbal medicine or herbal remedy point of view. Jim
