http://www.naturalnews.com/006989.htmlIn response to the article, "Diverse taxa of cyanobacteria produce b-N-methylamino-L-Alanine, a neurotoxic amino acid" by Cox et al., which appears in the April 2005 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS 102: 5074-5078), Earthrise Nutritionals, LLC and Cyanotech Corporation provide the following response to alleviate concern among consumers of Spirulina.
1. While the study shows that a potential toxin, BMAA, occurs in diverse groups of cyanobacteria, it did not test BMAA in Spirulina (Arthrospira). Spirulina is not mentioned in the list of 30 types of cyanobacteria tested.
2. The analysis of BMAA was done on live laboratory cultures of cyanobacteria. It is, therefore, impossible to make a correlation between this study and Spirulina, the dietary supplement that has a recorded history of safe use.
3. It should also be pointed out that the connection between BMAA and Alzheimer's disease is far from certain. Dr. Paul Alan Cox's group has not made any definite connection in their report, and other experts in the field have expressed their reservations.
4. We have requested that Dr. Cox test our Spirulina products in his laboratory in order to determine the presence or absence of BMAA.
5. When similar studies found that microcystins were present in a wide variety of cyanobacteria, Earthrise and Cyanotech took the proactive step of funding research toward the development of methods for the analysis of microcystins and began certifying their products as microcystin-free. We have been doing so for almost 10 years. Our microcystin method was developed in cooperation with Dr. Wayne Carmichael, a leading expert in cyanobacterial toxins. We will approach leading experts in this area and take similar steps to address the current problem.
Highlighted Links
www.earthrise.com www.spirulina.com6. The following statement from Health Canada (
www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/media/relea...) is further proof that Spirulina does not contain microcystins: "As a blue-green algae, Spirulina products were included in the sampling and testing conducted by Health Canada. Results of the testing, conducted at two separate laboratories, indicate that no microcystins were detected in blue-green algal products containing only Spirulina. Based on these results, products made only from Spirulina are no longer being considered a microcystin-related health risk."
7. We have not received any complaint concerning health problems related to neurological conditions. On the contrary, the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of Spirulina have been demonstrated in several animal studies. These studies have shown that the antioxidants in Spirulina scavenge oxygen radicals and help promote brain health.
8. Moreover, the safety of Spirulina has been confirmed in many ways:
-- Centuries of safe human use as food by the Aztecs in Mexico and the Kanembu in Chad.
-- Rigorous safety testing including one of the most comprehensive Spirulina animal studies sponsored by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) using rats and mice. In this study, Spirulina was incorporated into the food at 10-35% of the total diet. There were no problems with second- or third-generation reproduction, fertility, lactation or birth defects found. No cancer-causing properties were found, as well as no significant problems with heavy metals, nucleic acids, pesticides or bacteria. Subsequent tests in many countries have proven the safety of Spirulina.
9. In conclusion, we also want to stress that Spirulina produced by the two companies is determined GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) by scientific procedures and after FDA review. For details, please refer to the following FDA website:
www.cfsan.fda.gov/~rdb/opa-g127.htmlEarthrise 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.
http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Industry/Neurotoxin-is-absent-from-Cyanotech-s-spirulinaNeurotoxin is absent from Cyanotech's spirulina
13-Jun-2005
Related topics: Industry
The safety of spirulina has been confirmed by an independent laboratory test, which found no detectable presence of b-N-methylamino-L-Alanine (BMAA) in the microalgae produced by Cyanotech. The result should allay any fears arising from a recent article on the presence of the neurotoxic amino acid in certain cyanobacteria, says the company.
Hawaii-based Cyanotech took the unusual step of commissioning independent testing from Professor Wayne Carmichael of the Department of Biological Sciences at Wright State University following the publication of an article entitled "Diverse taxa of cyanobacteria produce b-N-methylamino-L-Alanine, a neurotoxic amino acid" in the April 2005 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS 102:5074-5078).
Ninety-seven percent of the free-living cyanobacteria strains tested and 73 percent of the strains isolated from symbiosis were shown to produce BMAA, but spirulina, blue-green vegetable algae rich in beta carotene, iron, vitamin B12 and gamma linolenic acid, was not included in the study.
Cyanotech chairman, president and CEO Gerald Cysewski told NutraIngredients-USA.com that the omission was "unfortunate" - even though the study was carried out on live laboratory cultures of cyanobacteria, making it impossible to draw a correlation with spirulina dietary supplements.
Despite this, Cyanotech and competitor Earthrise feared that the article could have a negative impact on business.
"The results of the test confirm that our Spirulina contains no trace of BMAA and we are pleased to provide this reassurance to our customers of the integrity of our products," said Dr Cysewski.
The companies initially contacted the article's author Dr Paul Cox of Califiornia State University to request that his study be expanded to include spirulina but, after receiving no response, commissioned Dr Carmichael to carry out the test instead.
Dr Cox and colleagues not only identified a link between BMAA and an Alzheimer's-like disease suffered by the Chamorro people of Guam, who eat the seeds of BMAA-producing cycad plants, but also said that their data demonstrate that BMAA is produced by cyanobacteria from geographical regions and diverse environments throughout the world.
"Because cyanobacteria function as primary producers in many food chains, it is likely that human populations far from Guam may be exposed to this environmental neurotoxin," they wrote.
"This suggestion is partially corroborated by the discovery of BMAA in brain tissues of Canadian Alzheimer's patients."
They advocated the monitoring of BMAA in sources of drinking water and in invertebrates, fish, or grazing animals used for human consumption that either directly consume cyanobacteria or forage on plants or prey that may have accumulated cyanobacteria-produced BMAA.
