Article at a glance:
- Chlorella is a popular superfood used as a dietary supplement.
- It can help maintain liver health in more ways than one.
- Chlorella can help with detoxifying and protecting the liver.
Is chlorella good for the liver? Given its many benefits, you may wonder if this superfood can also help improve your liver health. With its many nutrients, chlorella can help improve your liver function in several ways. Read on to discover the benefits of chlorella for liver health.
What Is Chlorella?
There are many green superfood supplements out on the market right now. Chlorella is one of the most popular ones and with good reason. This unicellular algae naturally grows in freshwater. It was originally found growing in freshwater bodies in Taiwan and Japan.
Over the years, people have discovered the benefits of green algae chlorella. As such, it has been cultivated and harvested to be made into supplements. Today, apart from Taiwan and Japan, chlorella is being grown and harvested in China, India, and the United States (Hawaii).
Manufacturing Chlorella Supplements
Manufacturers and brands mainly use two different strains of chlorella when making their supplements: chlorella vulgaris and chlorella pyrenoidosa. While you may find more supplements made with Chlorella vulgaris, the Chlorella pyrenoidosa strain is what many others prefer since its nutrient content is denser.
If you’re looking for chlorella supplementation, you can find them in several different forms. The three most common forms include chlorella tablets, chlorella powders, and liquid chlorella extracts.
The Nutritional Value of Chlorella
Green algae chlorella has gained a following in the realm of clinical nutrition for its jam-packed nutritional content. It contains many nutrients, including vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, chlorophyll, chlorella growth factor, and other highly beneficial compounds our body needs.
Here are just some of the nutrients this superfood is known for:
- Protein: This freshwater alga is mostly made up of protein, making it a good protein source. It also has complete proteins, meaning it has all the essential amino acids our body needs.
- Iron: Chlorella supplementation can also be an excellent source of iron as it can provide as much as 40% of your daily iron needs.
- Antioxidants: This supplement is also a source of antioxidants like vitamins C and E, which can help avoid oxidative stress.
- Essential Fatty Acids: Similar to other types of algae, chlorella is also a source of omega-3 fatty acids.
- Fiber: Chlorella is also a decent source of dietary fiber, helping with metabolism and overall digestive health.
Chlorella and Liver Health: 3 Main Benefits
What does chlorella do for the liver? In many ways, it can help this hard-working organ and, by extension, help our overall health.
Here are some ways this supplement can positively affect your liver’s health:
1. Chlorella for Liver Cleanse: It Helps With Heavy Metal Toxicity
Does chlorella help detox the liver?
One benefit chlorella brings that may positively affect liver function is that it helps with heavy metal toxicity.
Toxins, including heavy metals, can cause numerous health issues if left alone in the bloodstream. From gastrointestinal problems to cancer, heavy metal toxicity can negatively impact our health.
Does chlorella clean the liver?
The liver is meant to flush out toxins, but if you have too much in your system, it won’t be able to catch everything. Instead, along with other organs in your body, these toxins may cause serious liver damage.
This is where chlorella comes in. Studies have observed that chlorella, as a dietary supplement, can help bind with the ions of heavy metals such as cadmium and lead. Also, it can minimize toxin-related damage, not only to your liver but to your entire body as well.
2. Chlorella for Fatty Liver: It Has Properties that Protect the Liver
Does chlorella help with liver enzymes?
Chlorella may also help protect liver function as it helps cleanse liver enzymes called alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). The more liver enzymes in your system could indicate that your liver is not functioning properly. They are all linked to possible oxidative damage to your liver.
Studies have found that chlorella may help protect your liver from damage. It may even help you from one of the most common liver diseases: nonalcoholic fatty liver disease or NAFLD. One placebo trial observing chlorella’s hepatoprotective properties observed 70 respondents who were patients with NAFLD. One group was given 300mg of chlorella, while a control group received 300mg of placebo tablets daily for 8 weeks.
Several clinical trials showed that the chlorella supplementation group had lower ALP, ALT, and AST levels than the placebo group, indicating better liver function.
Is chlorella good for fatty liver?
Liver enzymes aren’t only the inflammatory biomarkers that chlorella has helped reduce. It has also been shown to help lipid profile and blood glucose levels. The liver has a central role in lipid metabolism, and higher levels of this biomarker indicate that your liver isn’t doing its job properly, possibly due to damage.
The same can be said about the liver and blood sugar; this organ also helps process glucose and maintain glucose homeostasis or the balance of blood sugar regulation. This also means it can help maintain blood glucose for those with insulin resistance syndrome.
Multiple clinical trials have found that chlorella has helped individuals get better lipid profiles. It also helped lower serum glucose levels and even increased the serum concentrations of insulin in the body, but not as significantly as with metformin consumption. By extension, it helps increase a person’s insulin sensitivity.
3. Chlorella for Liver Infection: It Helps Lower Hepatitis C Viral Load
Hepatitis C is a liver infection, and the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) causes it. When a person has this disease, it causes inflammation in the liver. This infection can be a short-term ordeal but may also last a long while. However, unsurprisingly, chronic Hepatitis C infections can cause serious damage to the liver, including liver cirrhosis, hepatic fibrosis, liver cancer, and even death.
In a study, chlorella has been found to help reduce the HCV load among people with this infection. The study involved 12 weeks of chlorella supplementation. By the end of it, researchers have found that those taking chlorella had lower ALT levels, indicating a lower viral load of hepatitis C.
Other Health Benefits of Chlorella
Besides maintaining liver health, taking a chlorella supplement regularly has many other benefits. Here are some of these benefits.
- Chlorella can aid in the significant decrease of blood pressure levels for those with hypertension.
- Chlorella may help in lowering a person’s total cholesterol level.
- Chlorella may help maintain gut health.
- Chlorella may help improve immune function.
- Chlorella may also help improve your respiratory health.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Chlorophyll Good for the Liver?
Chlorophyll is a substance found in chlorella and is also good for your liver. It can help your liver health as it’s an antioxidant, protecting your liver from any free radical damage.
Does Chlorella Cleanse Your Liver?
While we know chlorella liver detox is possible, did you know that chlorella can also cleanse the liver? Apart from the heavy metals it binds to and helps get rid of, this supplement also helps clean up carcinogens in the liver and the body.
Can Chlorella Cause Liver Problems?
There are no common chlorella liver side effects known. In fact, taking chlorella is considered safe. The only side effects people experience are rare; most stem from already existing health conditions.
Maintaining a Healthy Liver
Liver functions are essential to maintaining a healthy body. Chlorella is one superfood that can help ensure that the liver works properly and remains healthy in more ways than one.
Ready to reap the benefits of chlorella for liver health? Start chlorella supplementation and experience the wonders it can provide, not just for your liver but for your overall health.
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