Visiting this web site requires a newer version of Netscape Communicator.
Visit Microsoft's Web site to obtain the newest version of Internet Explorer, or visit Netscape's Web site to obtain the newest version of Netscape Communicator.
Visiting this web site without first upgrading your browser may result in unreliable behavior.
"The human heart so far surpasses all known motors in functional capacity that we can hardly hope to improve on it, even with the most ingenious machine produced by man…It beats 100,000 times per day, approximately 40 million times in a year…It pumps two gallons of blood per minute and 100 gallons per hour, through a vascular system of about 60,000 miles in length—2 1/2 times the circumference of the earth."
—Bircher-Benner, Nutrition Plan for High Blood Pressure Problems, 1993
Microalgae’s potent range of antioxidants, in addition to its healthy balance of EFAs, offer top-quality cardio-vascular support.
Dietary supplementation with algal beta-carotene may normalize the elevated LDL oxidation in patients with diabetes, and thus delay the onset and further development of artherosclerosis in these patients.275
Aph. flos-aquae algae has high concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) which account for almost 10% of its dry weight. Even more important, it has a high percentage of the omega-3 fatty acids, comparing extremely favorably with most plants, seeds, nuts, and other microalgae.
Natural algae-rich beta-carotene supplementation appears to normalize the diabetic- enhanced LDL oxidation levels and consequently may be of importance in delaying the accelerated development of atherosclerosis in these patients.
"EFAs have lubricating qualities and increase cell membrane flexibility. They are known to reduce blood cholesterol and thus help to prevent cardiovascular disease…EFAs are especially useful because of the efficiency with which they increase the solubility of cholesterol deposits and wash these deposits away from our artery walls…As the consumption of fish oils or essential fatty acids found in Aph. flos-aquae increases, the tendency for blood platelets to aggregate decreases and blood pressure goes down." 279
Support Heart Function
Algae-derived omega-3 fatty acids may support heart function, reduce blood viscosity, decrease arteriosclerosis (a disease of hardened arterial walls) and lower high blood pressure, according to research of Zvi Cohen at The Laboratory for Micro-algal Biotechnology in Israel and Helen Norman at the United States Department of Agriculture. 280 The flexibility of any cell membrane is directly proportional to the amount and type of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) it contains. Research reveals that algae supplementation can significantly reduce high levels of arachidonic acid (AA) in the blood and liver lipids and cause a significant increase in the percentages of the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). 281
Dr. Rafail Kushak and colleagues demonstrated that Aph. flos-aquae essential fatty acids are more easily assimilated than those of soybean oil and offer superior cardiovascular benefits. While both soybean oil and blue-green algae contain the essential omega-3 fatty acid, alpha-linolenic acid (LNA), the scientists found that rats required triple the amount of soybean oil in their diets to achieve the same level of circulating LNA as rats fed algae. Also, Aph. flos-aquae significantly increased both eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) blood plasma lev-els far more effectively than did soybean oil. 282 Both EPA and DHA are essential for optimal cardiovascular and brain function and can be synthesized in the body from LNA.
Microalgae-derived DHA supplements markedly enhanced the DHA status levels in serum and platelets of healthy vegetarian subjects. Researchers also found a substantial increase of EPA and a lowering of total and LDL-cholesterol: HDL-cholesterol ratios, suggestive of a decreased risk factor for heart disease in the DHA algal sup-plemented group. 283 Microalgae supplementation may be especially important for vegetarians who have a limit-ed intake of fish and eggs.
Japanese White rabbits fed on a ten-week load of high-cholesterol diet and powdered Chlorella, showed a significant suppression of total and beta-lipoprotein cholesterol levels, along with less aortic atheromatous lesions. However, rabbits in the control, with no algae in their diet, showed a dramatic increase in serum total cholesterol and beta-lipoprotein cholesterol levels, with resulting symptoms of atherosclerosis. 291
Homocysteine blood levels are a significant predictor for risk of heart attack, the number one killer of adults in America. 296 Importantly, homocysteine can be transformed into the amino acid methionine—its beneficial alter form—with the help of B vitamins; especially folic acid in conjunction with B-6 and B-12. Microalgae con-tain a variety of B-vitamins and methionine.
Hawaiian scientists have developed a way to grow and extract heart-healthy substances from microalgae. Currently a randomized, double-blind trial is underway in association with Michigan State University, to evaluate whether astaxanthin, a natural antioxidant from microalgae, reduces blood serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP). CRP is an indicator of low-grade arterial inflammation and one of the single strongest predictors of risk of future heart problems in apparently healthy men and women. 298
