Our current state of health
Although our lives today are more comfortable than previous generations, when it comes to health the figures speak for themselves and reveal:
-rising levels of chronic illnesses; arthritis, cancers, heart disease, etc
-epidemic numbers of adult onset diabetes and obesity
-rising levels of depression and attention disorders
-over-reliance on drugs (legal and illegal) and alcohol
A person's health is determined by a variety of factors, but at the very foundation of good health is good nourishment and unfortunately we are not getting enough!
We are overfed and under-nourished, it's official!
Government reports issued in early 2006 reveal that the nutritional value of our food has steadily declined over the last 50 years.
For example, the iron content of meat has fallen by 47% and milk registers a 60% reduction, the calcium content of cheese shows a similar fall and the copper content of meat declined by 60% and by 90% in dairy foods. Magnesium has fallen by 10% and 25% respectively for these two food groups and in just the last 20 years there has been huge losses of vitamins and minerals from our fruits and vegetables e.g.
Banana Potato Spinach
phosphorus –84% calcium –70% magnesium –68%
vitamin B6 -92% magnesium –33% vitamin B6 –59%
These nutrient reductions, which are the result of intensive farming methods which rob the soils of essential nutrients, come at at time when we are bombarded by a myriad of chemical pollutants in our environment and our food. These petroleum by-products, pesticides, hormones and antibiotics have all been shown to be harmful to our health.
Are Synthetic Supplements the Answer?
The results from an important five year study performed by Oxford University with more than 20,000 people were reported in 2002. After supplementing daily with; 600mg vitamin E, 250mg vitamin C and 20mg beta-carotene, it was observed that no beneficial preventative effect to cardiovascular pathologies occurred (1). And in a separate equally important study, it was shown that taking isolated beta-carotene, a powerful anti-oxidant, actually causes more, not less, cellular oxidation (2).
Seems not then!
But the challenge remains: how can we ensure we are receiving the nourishment we need, while minimising the calories we consume.
The answer is to eat nutrient dense foods such as the edible blue-green algaes and seaweeds.
This challenge is met perfectly by Nature's first food - Klamath blue-green algae (Aphanizomenon flos- aquae or AFA for short), the most nutrient abundant food source on our planet!
AFA - contains a bounty of vital nutrients and is one of the last remaining sources of wild nutrition available in commercially significant quantities.
Blue-green algae are the oldest life form on the planet and laid the foundation of the earth's ecosystems. Ancient civilisations: the Egyptians, Aztecs, Chinese and Ethiopians ate it to supplement their diets and modern day consumers have benefited from its exceptional qualities for more than 30 years. However, it is only quite recently that research has revealed its full nutritional and nutraceutical potential for healing.
Klamath algae is a blue-green, freshwater algae. It differs from other micro-algae such as Chlorella and Spirulina, insofar as it grows wild in an optimal environment allowing it to develop a truly remarkable nutritional profile. That environment is Upper Klamath Lake in southern Oregon, one of the most pristine ecosystems remaining in North America. The lake is constantly replenished by snow and water runoff from one of the most highly active volcanic regions in the world. This unique source of pure rich mineral water together with a great opportunity for photosynthesis (300 days of sun per year) and cold winters that allow the algae to produce important essential fatty acids, create this nutrient abundant food source.
AFA contains over 70 nutrients in an organic, highly absorbable form: 28 Minerals and oligoelements - Klamath algae is the only food to contain the full range of minerals and trace elements needed to keep the human body fully functional.
14 Vitamins - the complete and balanced spectrum. It is an excellent source of B vitamins, guaranteeing over 200% RDA of the increasingly elusive B12, in just 1 gram! (3).
20 Amino Acids - including all the essential ones in a proportion almost identical to that considered ideal for the human body (Food and Nutrition Council, 1980). AFA improves the body's ability to absorb and utilise proteins from food, making it extremely important for children, adolescents, athletes and anyone wishing to optimise protein metabolism (4).
Antioxidants - as well as being extremely rich in anti-oxidant pigments, Klamath algae has a broad range of 15 carotenoids in their natural alpha and gamma forms. And as science has now definitively shown, only this natural spectrum of carotenoids is capable of true anti-oxidant and anti-cancer activity (5).
Essential Fatty Acids - Klamath algae has an excellent profile of EFAs and is one of the richest vegetable sources of Omega-3 and Omega-6 in proportions considered optimal for human consumption (2:1). (Other algae such as Spirulina and Chlorella have practically no Omega-3). This high quality Omega-3 is important for health and low levels in the diet are associated with raised LDL cholesterol and triglycerides (6).
Nutraceutical Molecules - AFA is rich in specific molecules: Phycocyanins - powerful selective COX-2 inhibitors (similar to the new anti-inflammatory drugs but without their very dangerous side effects), Phenylethylamine - a brain amino acid directly responsible for increasing the activation and transmission of important neuro-transmitters such as dopamine and norepinephrine, Polysaccharides - shown to be potent immunomodulators (7).
Chlorophyll - AFA has a very high concentration of chlorophyll, which contributes to the cleansing and detoxification of the blood. Recent studies confirm that dietary sources of chlorophyll have anti-tumor and hepatoprotective actions (8).
RECENT STUDIES CONFIRM THE HEALING POWER OF KLAMATH ALGAE
Inflammation
A review of cases with proven clinical records by a panel of five physicians from the University of Illinois established a therapeutic ability of the algae in relation to: inflammatory and osteoarthritic conditions, fibromyalgia, allergies both nutritional and respiratory, neurological conditions such as depression and attention deficit disorder (9).
High Cholesterol and Triglycerides
Klamath algae has been shown to rapidly normalise the metabolism of fats contributing to a significant reduction in cholesterol and triglycerides (8). A recent study performed at the University of Urbino, Italy, using Klamath algae and Phycoplus® (phycocyanin extract) confirmed this lipid lowering effect along with a significant reduction in lipid oxidation, the basis of cardiovascular and hepatic diseases and cell ageing (10).
Hypoglycaemia, Diabetes and Obesity
AFA has been proven to inhibit the pancreatic production of alpha-amylase, thereby decreasing excessive glycaemic levels and to partially inhibit the intestinal activity of two enzymes, sucrase and maltase, which are responsible for the assimilation of sugars into the bloodstream. Together these findings show how AFA can contribute to the resolution of the famed Syndrome X, that combination of excessive glycaemia and hyperinsulinaemia which is at the root of today's metabolic disorders such as hypoglycaemia, diabetes and obesity (11).
NB Loss of control of blood fats and sugar causes rapid physical and mental ageing!
Stress, Anxiety and Depression
Disorders such as depression, anxiety and attention deficit disorders figure prominently in the retrospective study quoted earlier. Until recently, Klamath algae's ability to improve stress and nervous conditions was attributed to its general nutritional properties. But it has been discovered that Klamath algae, if processed using the Refractance Window Method®, contains a significant amount of phenylethylamine (PEA), a brain amino acid directly responsible for increasing the activation and transmission of important neurotransmitters such as dopamine and norepinephrine. Supplementation with 10-60mg of PEA was able to cure 60% of clinically diagnosed depressions (12). Klamath algae, and especially a specific algae extract-Phycoplus®, contain enough PEA to promote better mood, relieve stress and anxiety, help with moderate to serious depressions, and possibly solve problematic yet still not clearly diagnosed conditions such as ADD/ADHD (13). Indeed, PEA has been named the "molecule of love" due to its increased endogenous production in states such as intense concentration, joyful activities and love (14).
Conclusion
By including a small amount of Klamath AFA in your daily diet, you will be providing your body and mind with the full range of nutrients required for optimal health.
References
1) Heart Protection Study of antioxidant vitamin supplementation in 20,536 high-risk individuals: a randomised placebo-controlled trial, in Lancet 2002, 360: 7-22.
2) Mayne S.T., et al., Beta-carotene, carotenoids and disease prevention in humans, in Faseb J., 10(7): 690-701 (1996); Pryor W.A., et al., Beta-carotene: from biochemistry to clinical trials, in Nutrition Rev., 58(2 Pt 1): 39-53 (2000).
3) Herbert V., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1988, 48, 852-8.
4) Kushak R.I. J., American Nutraceutical Association 2001, 3, 4, 35-39.
5) Mayne S.T. et al., Faseb J. 1996, 10, 690-701 and Pryor W.A., et al.
Nutraceutical Rev. 2000, 58 (2 Pt 1), 39-53.
6) Kushak R.I., J. American Nutraceutical Association 2000, 2, 3, 59-65.
7) Pugh N., et al., Planta Medica 2001, 67, 737-742.
8) Dashwood R., et al., Mutation Res. 1998, 399, 2, 245-53. Chernomorsky S., et al., Teratog Carcinog Mutagen 1999, 19, 5, 313-22.
9) Krylov V.S., et al. (2002), Retrospective epidemiological study using medical records to determine which diseases are improved by AFA.
10) Benedetti S. et al., Stato antiossidante e perossidazione lipidica in soggetti sani in risposta alla supplementazione con "Phycozym" 2003.
11) Kushak R.I., et al., Gastroenterolgy 1999, 116, A559.
12) Sabelli H., et al., J Neuropsyc Clinical Neuroscience 1996, 8, 2, 168-71.
13) Baker et al., Biol Psychiatry 1991, 29, 1, 15-22.
14) Sabelli H.C., Mosnaim A.D., Am J of Psychiatry 1974,131, 6, 695-99.
