USF Study Supports StrokeRecovery Benefits of Spirulina



May 6, 2005 -- Researchers at the University of South Florida (USF) College of Medicine, James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital and the National Institute on Drug Abuse announced that rats fed diets enriched with spirulina experienced less brain-cell loss and improved recovery of movement following a stroke. Their findings are published in the May 2005 issue of Experimental Neurology.

In this study, the researchers fed one group of rats a control diet and the other, a diet supplemented with equal amounts of blueberry, spinach or spirulina for four weeks prior to the experiment. The experiment involved the interruption of blood flow to the brain (ischemia) for 60 minutes to induce stroke, followed by re-establishment of blood flow (reperfusion). Researchers then measured physical damage to the brain, as well as movement. Rats fed spirulina-enriched diets had stroke lesions that were 75 percent smaller than their untreated counterparts. Among the three enrichment diets used, animals pretreated with spirulina had the least brain physical damage and the least brain cell death. In addition, rats pretreated with the blueberry, spinach or spirulina diets showed greater increases in post-stroke movement.

The researchers believe that this brain-protective effect is due to the scavenging of free radicals by the antioxidant phytonutrients contained in spirulina and in fruits and vegetables. According to Dr. Paula Bickford, the leader of the research group and a researcher at the USF Center for Aging and Brain Repair and James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, the supplemented diets also contained anti-inflammatory substances that may help reduce inflammation-induced injury following a stroke. In a previous study, this group found that treatment of aged rats with blueberry, spinach and/or spirulina decreased pro-inflammatory cytokines and improved both spatial and motor learning in aged rats.

"I was amazed at the extent of neuroprotection these antioxidant-rich diets provide," Bickford said. "The clinical implication is that increasing fruit and vegetable consumption may make a difference in the severity of a stroke. It could be a readily available, inexpensive and relatively safe way to benefit stroke patients."

Dr. Amha Belay, Scientific Director, Earthrise Nutritionals, LLC, added, "This study is significant in that supplementing the diet with spirulina provided a better protection against damage from stroke than supplementing with blueberry and spinach

"More than 75 percent of U.S. residents fail to meet the minimum recommended five daily servings of fruits and vegetables," Belay said. "It is conceivable that supplementing the diet with spirulina may help bridge this gap."

Earthrise Nutritionals, LLC is the leading producer and a 25-year pioneer in the field of Spirulina production and marketing, and a leader in research on various applications of Spirulina. Corporate offices are located in Irvine, California, with production facilities in Calipatria, California. Earthrise is part of the worldwide DIC Group of companies, based in Tokyo. For more information on Earthrise products, visit www.earthrise.com or contact Lance Sigal, Director of Marketing, or Ron Henson, V.P. Bulk Sales, 2151 Michelson Drive, Suite 258, Irvine, CA 91612, 800-949-7473.





USF Study Supports StrokeRecovery Benefits of Spirulina