Over the last decade, the reputation of marine phytoplankton as a health supplement has been slowly building. Those who take it report a wide range of potential benefits, ranging from increased energy, improved cognitive function, through to bolder claims of having been cured of some major life-threatening conditions. So what is it about this humble green powder which delivers such a powerful punch. And should we believe the claims that this may be the most nutrient dense substance on the planet?
A Potent Vegetarian Source of Long Chain EPA
It’s a sad fact that commercially farmed salmon are now fed other fish in order to help them gain weight for market. The deeply unsustainable nature of this exchange, combined with the radically decreased EPA in the finished product over heritage stocks have led scientists to start investigating other sources of EPA to keep farmed fish healthy. Their primary choice in this is marine phytoplankton, because it’s the highest vegetarian source of the long chain EPA which the salmon need. For humans, the same benefits holds true. If, like many, you’ve decided that fish oil is both unsustainable and, due to the contamination of our oceans, likely polluted with heavy metals, then you’d do well to consider phytoplankton. Over the last decade, a huge amount of selection has done to find plankton strains particularly suited for human health and, one of the benefits of this, has been strains with super high EPA levels.
Supremely bioavailable
Another of the extraordinary things about phytoplankton is their small cell size. Consider that a human red blood cell has a 9 micron cell size, as opposed to certain phytoplankton strains which have a 3 micron size and you begin to see why this substance differs from any other food stuff. It’s tiny size enables a level of absorption across the blood brain barrier which no other food stuff can compete with. This size enables it to bypass the mitochondrial system altogether, meaning that the impressed range of micronutrients and pigments including every single amino acid can quickly find their way into the body.
Superoxide Dismutase – The Master Antioxidant
For some years now, studies have been deepening on SOD, the body’s most potent antioxidant and which ranks as our most critical free radical scavenger. While the potency of SOD is now agreed upon, scientists have been unable to find a way to successful increase quantities in the body since it appears to be almost entirely destroyed by stomach acid. While some pioneers have attempted enteric coated supplements, the nano particle size of phytoplankton dispenses with this entirely, since it doesn’t need to pass through the digestive system in the same way.
What are some of the potential health benefits of marine phytoplankton?
- A potent tool for Chronic Fatigue Sufferers due to its source of ATP – Many sufferers report extraordinary energy gains, after just one dose.
- A powerful anti-inflammatory and source of EPA and hence a weapon against numerous diseases, including cardio-vascular. (Ref. Oregon State University EPA Study)
- Nature’s best source of Superoxide Dismutase, the master antioxidant
- Can improve CD3, immune cells responsible for the elimination of viruses and bacteria from organic tissues
- Improves Mental Clarity
- Energizes – rich in nucleotides, primary cellular energy units
- Rich in Caretonoids, and therefore aids healthy vision
Marine Phytoplankton is entirely sustainable
The final point about this remarkable organism is that it’s sustainable. Grown in what are called bio-reactors, scientists aim to replicate the plankton blooms which occur in the deep ocean. When conditions in nature are right, plankton blooms can grow so large as to be seen from space. Free from pollution, and crucially providing a mind boggling array of nutrients which can directly impact human health, the humble marine phytoplankton can offer a huge benefit to any supplement regime in a way which doesn’t impact our natural environment.
