Pond Scum: Blue-Green Algae

Hi! I'm a massage therapist in Oregon and see your column in our local weekly. One of my clients is a sales rep for a line of blue-green algae products (I'm sure you've seen them) produced nearby. She's been trying to get me to join the company and sell them in my office. I tried the powder in a fruit shake and one of the energy bars and they tasted a little earthy but still good. I know how you feel about multi-level marketing, but is there any REAL health benefit from eating algae?
--Leslie N.

As you can see, algae eaters aren't just in your waiting room fish tank anymore. You've certainly noticed that the longer you practice, the more you're approached with free samples of miraculous products that also happen to be your road to financial freedom. Ah, the drawbacks of not choosing traditional medicine; if we were physicians, the approach would be from drug companies. Then, at least, we'd get golf vacations and fishing trips rather than just a sad packet of slimy gunk wrenched off some guy's outboard motor.

Like most gunk, this stuff is fairly interesting from a biologist's point of view. Blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, are actually bacteria with characteristics of plants. Unlike their microbial brethren, they use chlorophyll for photosynthesis to create energy. Of the many species, two filamentous algae (OK, we'll call them algae) are commonly dried and sold as a health food: AFA and Spirulina (trust me, their full names are not so pretty). AFA, the one primarily produced near you in Oregon's Upper Klamath Lake, turns out to be the Tom Cruise of supplements--a huge star suddenly imploding after revealing toxic personality traits.

First, a brief history: As with many products, the earliest marketers made unfounded claims of amazing curative powers. Commonly, testimonials described resurrection from nearly every human disease, and the sales literature emphasized two of the tastiest baited hooks--fatigue and weight loss. As the statements grew in scope to include claims of actual therapeutic applications and healing ability, the FDA took notice. Ultimately, one of the largest producers received a permanent injunction from a district court for selling the supplements as unapproved drugs.

Although today's promoters are savvier by simply using action words that don't require proof (i.e. supports, boosts, fortifies), the problem with the algae has not ended. Another blue-green algae species, one that commonly lives within the colonies of AFA, produces potent liver toxins called microcystins and can easily contaminate the supplement harvest. Widespread supplies of tainted products led Health Canada, the equivalent of our FDA, to issue a warning against long-term use of AFA, and strongly warned parents against feeding the algae to children (as a baseless treatment for attention-deficit disorders). Before your kids have a meltdown that they can't have their daily algae--and what kid wouldn't--please note that microcystin toxins haven't been found in Spirulina supplements.

Of course, sales literature usually doesn't mention toxins. Rather, it often shows photographs of pristine mountain lakes with clear blue water. The subtle deception is that clear blue water won't easily grow algae. Stagnant, murky water with excess phosphorus or nitrogen is actually the perfect incubator. It's also the perfect description of Upper Klamath Lake, the algae's ancestral home. According to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, agricultural run-off and decaying organic material make these waters quite polluted. Ready for another algae smoothie?

But you asked about actual health benefits. There aren't many. Like spinach, blue-green algae is definitely high in chlorophyll. Unfortunately, no evidence exists that humans benefit from eating the plant pigment. A long, impressive list of algae's trace minerals can be found with every independent distributor welcome packet, but a similar array of nutrients (in much larger quantities) is contained in even the smallest serving of fresh vegetables. That leaves protein; proponents tout that blue-green algae is nature's richest source (around 70 percent). Assuming that's true, at the maximum recommended dose (2 grams) your daily protein intake is equivalent to exactly half of a Chicken McNugget.

I admit the drive-thru at McDonald's is not the best place to get your daily vitamins, but neither is the very costly blue-green algae your client is selling. The combination of potential toxins, pollution and nutritional pointlessness makes this a poor choice as a food supplement and even worse as a second-income plan. Take if from me, declining a patient's offer to join their downline might be awkward, but consider the alternative: creating a sales pitch that makes pond scum sound appetizing.


Dr. Ed Rabin is a chiropractor practicing at Life Chiropractic Center in Boise. Send your pet plecostomus and health-related questions to theantidote@edrabin.com (on the Web at www.edrabin.com).