The Power Pill

MICROSCOPIC, more than two billion years old, neither plant nor animal, thrives in standing water and probably the Gods eat it.

Still looking for the answer? Go to the nearest chemist and ask for the 'Greatest Superfood in the World'. A green capsule will contain your answer: a blue-green algae called Spirulina. Already sold in more than 40 countries as the richest food on earth, Sunova Spirulina, developed by Dabur and marketed by Lucky Laboratories, is the first significant commercial venture in India.

Hailed variously as God Food, Miracle Food, Brain Food and Green medicine, there is no end to the claims made in Spirulina's favour. Among a few: it rids the body of toxins, relieves foot odour, reduces desire for alcohol, benefits diabetics and HIV patients by boosting their immune system, regulates the menstrual cycle, boosts children's growth, heightens mental clarity, increases sexual stamina, fights cancer, protects against radiation, is excellent for pregnant and lactating women, aids muscle-building and lung capacity, fights obesity by suppressing appetite and is absolutely free of side-effects.

Spirulina is not a 20th century discovery. The Aztecs considered it a "sacred power plant". Priests and warriors sustained themselves on dried spirulina wafers. It was first noticed by a French engineer who saw members of an African tribe eating it. Soon after, research by scientists in Japan, US and Mexico established its superfood status. While the first commercial plant came up in Mexico, California is now the biggest centre of Spirulina growers.

 Its fantastic nutritional profile has spurred many companies and organisations to research the algae's effect on the human body. The NASA has attempted to grow Spirulina on space stations as possible food on long-term flights. Children exposed to radiation after the Chernobyl disaster were found responding favourably to it. They showed enhanced immunity and reduced radioactivity after a daily intake of five grams for 45 days. In 1994, a Russian patent was awarded for Spirulina as a medicine for reducing allergic reactions from radiation sickness. AIDS patients in Philadelphia also reported clearing up of infections, increased vigour and better digestion after taking Spirulina. In China, children deficient in zinc responded more favourably to Spirulina than to zinc sulphate tablets.

In India too, there have been three major studies on the efficacy of Spirulina as a nutrition supplement. In the first, 5,000 pre-school children in Tamil Nadu suffering from vitamin A deficiency were fed one gram of spirulina daily for 150 days. This resulted in the reduction of the bitot's spot symptom from 80 per cent to 10 per cent. In a second study, sponsored by the Centre and conducted by the Madras-based Murugappa Chettiar Research Centre, 400 pre-school children were given a daily dose of Spirulina which improved vitamin A levels in their bodies. The project aimed to provide an alternative to vitamin A therapy, for, as C.V. Seshadri, head of the Centre, says: "Giving massive doses of imported vitamin A is not a permanent solution. "

Yet another study by the Hyderabad-based National Institute of Nutrition concluded in favour of Spirulina being an effective vitamin A supplement. In fact, growing Spirulina has become a cottage industry in Tamil Nadu. Not only do villagers sell it to companies like Lucky Laboratories but also use it to supplement their own diets.

Spirulina may be fine for the undernourished, but should normal, healthy individuals include it in their daily diet? D.B.A. Narayana, head of R&D at Dabur, thinks so. "Let's face it. We don't eat correctly so we are missing some basic nutrients," he says. Ishi Khosla, a nutritionist at Apollo Hospitals, begs to differ: "True, but it doesn't necessarily follow that the answer is in taking algae supplements. A balanced diet can provide the missing nutrients, is probably cheaper and certainly has a better taste."

An article in the National Council Against Health Fraud (NCAHF) website says that "the product itself is likely to be harmless, but the claims made are outrageous and unsupported by scientific evidence." In yet another article, author Suzanne Rostler writes: "While fans of Spirulina call it brain food, attributing wonderful properties to it, its detractors say it's nothing more than pricey pond scum and the latest bit of nutrition quackery. Eating it can cause nausea and vomiting. Some strains have been found to cause paralysis in laboratory animals." "This is downright alarmist," retorts Narayana. "There is lot of evidence to suggest it is totally non-toxic," he says. Whether the God Food holds out to its divine promises, only the consumer can tell. But to be sure, the market for supplements is growing fast, and given Spirulina's success elsewhere, it should catch on in an increasingly health-conscious society.

A note of caution: consumers should beware that food supplements can't be regulated and there is no guarantee for their efficacy, much less their safety. As long as there are no claims about a product being therapeutic or curative, manufacturers can stand firmly on safe ground.