# Spirulina?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spirulina/541407>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 31, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spirulina/541407 "2010-05-31T18:31:04Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\
**Post date:** [May 31, 2010, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spirulina/541407/1 "2010-05-31T18:31:04Z")

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So is this worth taking as a supplement to an overall balanced diet or not? On the one hand it is low calorie, high in balanced protein, a fair source of some omega threes, and fair for some vitamins and minerals. On the other it is pretty high in sodium and a balanced diet should already be meeting those needs.

What think you and why?

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**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\
**Post date:** [June 1, 2010, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spirulina/541407/2 "2010-06-01T00:46:36Z")

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My college microbiology professor suggested that algae supplements were a particularly expensive way of getting the nutrients you need. You can compare the nutrition and costs for yourself.

Since spirulina is a a blue-green algae, basically a bacterium, you may face similar risks to other single cell protein sources, if you eat too much. Note, the Wikipedia article for spirulaina doesn’t mention the caveat I mentioned for single cell protein in general.

> **[Single-cell protein](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_cell_protein#Product_Safety_and_Quality)**
>
> Single-cell proteins (SCP) or microbial proteins refer to edible unicellular microorganisms. The biomass or protein extract from pure or mixed cultures of algae, yeasts, fungi or bacteria may be used as an ingredient or a substitute for protein-rich foods, and is suitable for human consumption or as animal feeds. Industrial agriculture is marked by a high water footprint, high land use, biodiversity destruction, general environmental degradation and contributes to climate change by With the world...

I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for algae food sources. When I was a kid in the '70’s I read a book on solar energy, that postulated that by now, we’d all have solar water heating built into our roofs, and we’d grow algae in the coils for later extraction to add to our food, AND, we’d nourish the growing algae with our own waste. Took me a while to envision just what that’s look like, flowing through clear coils on top of everyone’s house.