A pond full of green algae and some of the world’s top models may appear to have nothing in common, but three Victoria’s Secret models (two of them previous Angels) have said they use a green algae supplement called chlorella.
Miranda Kerr, Rosie Huntington-Whitley and, most recently, Kelly Gale have all mentioned they use chlorella in their diets. A green algae which grows in fresh water, chlorella can be dried to make a powdered supplement, which can be added to smoothies, shakes or sprinkled on food.
Whilst it might seem far-fetched to think that an algae could help you become a supermodel, the science actually suggests it could (at least a little), and scientists say it may help with both our waistlines and looks.
It is well known that collagen plays an important role in skin aging, but, there’s another protein found in our skin which may be even more important. Elastin, as its name suggests, gives our skin its elasticity and an ability to rebound when pinched or pulled. Less elastin means less elasticity, which inevitably leads to skin sagging and wrinkles. As we age elastin is broken down more readily and replaced at a slower rate than when we’re younger, meaning our skin gradually ages.
There aren’t many ways we know of to help prevent the loss of elastin as we get older, but scientists1 have discovered that chlorella could help. They tested chlorella extracts and found they had an ability to inhibit an enzyme called elastase. Elastase can be found in our bodies and breaks down elastin. By inhibiting it, chlorella may offer one of the only natural products capable of reducing the age related breakdown of the protein, and could well be a more powerful anti-aging remedy than many of the products currently on the market that target collagen.
There have also been a number of studies showing chlorella could help with our waistlines. Whilst some research2 indicates that the algae could help to reduce the increase in the size of the body’s fat cells, normally seen when consuming a diet high in fat, it is perhaps chlorella’s effects on exercise performance that could be most beneficial for our figures. Research shows chlorella appears able to help the body perform more effectively when exercising and recover better afterwards3,4,5…and many of us could benefit from a little more exercise.
Don’t worry, you don’t need to don a pair of waders and a fishing net to benefit from chlorella. Sun Chlorella produce a high quality, pure chlorella powder (and tablets), which can be easily added to shakes, smoothies or sprinkled on food.
For further information, visit www.sunchlorella.co.uk
REFERENCES
- Journal of Applied Phycology. February 2017, Volume 29, Issue 1, pp 179–188. Comparative analyses and evaluation of the cosmeceutical potential of selected Chlorella strains. Marianna Chatzikonstantinou, Aikaterini Kalliampakou, Melissanthe Gatzogia, Emmanouil Flemetakis, Pantelis Katharios, Nikolaos E. Labrou
2. Journal of Oleo Science Vol. 65 (2016) No. 7 p. Chlorella Protein Hydrolysate Attenuates Glucose Metabolic Disorder and Fatty Liver in High-fat Diet-induced Obese Mice. Naoto Noguchi, Teruyoshi Yanagita, Shaikh Mizanoor Rahman, Yotaro Ando
3. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise: Volume 50 2018 – Issue 5S – p 768. Chlorella Intake Further Enhances Anaerobic And Aerobic Capacities Increased By High Intensity Intermittent Training. Fujie, Shumpei1; Hasegawa, Natsuki1; Horii, Naoki1; Oshiden, Moe1; Tsuji, Katsunori1; Xu, YuZhong1; Mizoguchi, Toru2; Okumura, Eri2; Tabata, Izumi, FACSM1; Iemitsu, Motoyuki1
4. Eur J Nutr. 2017 Aug 19. doi: 10.1007/s00394-017-1525-9. The effect of Chlorella pyrenoidosa supplementation on immune responses to 2 days of intensified training. Chidley C1, Davison G2.
5. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity: Volume 2019. Chlorella vulgaris Improves the Regenerative Capacity of Young and Senescent Myoblasts and Promotes Muscle Regeneration. Nurhazirah Zainul Azlan, Yasmin Anum Mohd Yusof, Ekram Alias and Suzana Makpol