Recent studies suggest chlorella algae may help with chronic gastrointestinal conditions such as colitis. The source reports a 61% reduction in ulcerative colitis symptoms with chlorella consumption.
Researchers at the Medical College of Virginia Commonwealth University conducted a small study of chlorella’s effects on certain chronic diseases. Randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trials involved 55 people with fibromyalgia, 33 with hypertension and 9 with ulcerative colitis. This report concerns the ulcerative colitis patients.
Chlorella is described as one of today’s most researched plants, combining relatively inexpensive raw material with a high-quality product beneficial to health.
Chlorella algae contain a very wide range of nutrients:
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16 vitamins, 14 minerals, essential fatty acids, 4 types of dietary fibre (averaging 13% of volume), carotenoids including lutein, glycoproteins essential for basic bodily functions, polysaccharides, RNA/DNA nucleic acids, digestive enzymes and chlorophyll — nature’s green magic.
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60% of chlorella consists of high-quality proteins, with 19 amino acids.
Eight of nine ulcerative colitis patients, aged 25–56, completed the study. All UC patients in the open-label study underwent initial sigmoidoscopy, and their symptoms were recorded and scored. Each participant took fifty chlorella tablets (ten grams) and about three ounces of liquid extract daily for two months. No restrictions were imposed; participants were instructed to continue their usual routines, including previously prescribed medicines.
At the end of month two, full examinations and interviews assessed improvements in ulcerative colitis. They determined the Disease Activity Index (DAI), a commonly used objective assessment of colonic inflammation. DAI has four subscales: stool frequency, rectal bleeding, mucosal appearance and the physician’s overall assessment. Each scores 0–3, for a maximum total of 12. Zero represents no disease symptoms.
Every participant’s symptoms improved after adding chlorella to the diet. Examinations showed significantly less inflammation. The overall assessment indicated significant improvement in ulcerative colitis. Mean DAI fell from 7.2 to 2.8 — nearly a sixty-percent reduction in symptoms.
Before the study, a substantial body of medical literature suggested potential benefits of chlorella for ulcerative colitis:
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Many reports indicated that chlorophyll helped cleanse and protect the lower digestive tract. Chlorella is described as having the highest chlorophyll content of any known plant.
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Laboratory studies suggested that chlorella stimulates the immune system to produce macrophages, cells that clear harmful substances from blood, body fluids and cavities.
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In the intestines, chlorella was reported to stimulate beneficial lactobacilli, which help suppress harmful bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli).
Background: ulcerative colitis
Ulcerative colitis is a common chronic inflammatory bowel disease, histologically characterised by inflammation involving the mucosa and submucosa of the rectum and colon.
Its most common symptoms are abdominal pain and bloody diarrhoea. Patients may also experience anaemia, fatigue, weight loss, rectal bleeding, dehydration and malnutrition.
The cause of ulcerative colitis is unknown and there is currently no cure. Although available drug treatment is often disappointing, most patients obtain some relief with sulfasalazine and corticosteroids. At the time of the cited report, no particular diet or dietary supplement had been proven effective for treating ulcerative colitis. The study therefore aimed to determine whether highly symptomatic patients would benefit from including chlorella in their diet (Merchant and Andre, 2001).
Source:
Food Functional
. 2020 Jan 29;11(1):1098-1109. doi: 10.1039/c9fo01028a.
Microalgae aqueous extracts exert intestinal protective effects in Caco-2 cells and dextran sodium sulphate-induced mouse colitis
R. E. Merchant and C. A. Andre, “A Review of Recent Clinical Trials of the Nutritional Supplement Chlorella Pyrenoidosa in the Treatment of Fibromyalgia, Hypertension, and Ulcerative Colitis,” Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine 7, no. 3 (May/June 2001): 79–91.
Dietary Supplementation with Chlorella Pyrenoidosa Produces Positive Results in Patients with Cancer or Suffering From Certain Common Chronic Illnesses. Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, Feb, 2001, by Randall E. Merchant, Cynthia A.
