Food supplements made from “Klamath algae” can pose a significant health risk, warns a new study by a Quebec researcher.
“It is not because it is natural that it is harmless”, underlines the researcher in environmental chemistry at the University of Montreal Sébastien Sauvé, author of the study published a few days ago in the journal Algal Research.
Klamath Algae Capsules are made from blue-green algae. There is a whole range of different blue-green algae dietary supplements on the market. The best known, spirulina, is widely added to smoothies and energy balls.
These supplements are widely consumed due to their high protein, amino acid, vitamin and mineral content.
Contrary to popular belief, cyanobacteria, also called blue algae or blue-green algae, are not algae. Rather, they are bacteria that contain chlorophyll, hence their green coloring. The same bacteria that form algal blooms in lakes and cause a lot of inconvenience to boaters and swimmers during the summer season.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY LAURENT MCCOMBER, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Photo of Lac Sainte-Marie from 2015, at the time of an excessive proliferation of cyanobacteria
“It has been known for a few years that food supplements based on cyanobacteria can contain cyanotoxins,” explains the researcher, who wanted to confirm this hypothesis.
Cyanotoxins are toxins produced by certain species of cyanobacteria that can have adverse effects on human health if ingested. These effects include abdominal pain, headache, diarrhea and vomiting. In more severe cases, hemorrhages in the liver can be observed which can prove fatal.
Sébastien Sauvé’s team assessed the presence of several toxins in 37 types of dietary supplements sold in North America in 2021. These products were purchased mainly on Amazon’s Canadian and American sites.
The majority of these products, including spirulina, contain little or no cyanotoxins. But the big culprit, according to the study, is Aphanizomenon flos-aquaealso called “Klamath seaweed”.
PHOTO CHARLES WILLIAM PELLETIER, THE PRESS
Klamath Algae Food Supplements
The difference between the two is that Klamath algae is harvested directly from Klamath Lake, Oregon, while spirulina is grown in artificial ponds for marketing purposes.
“It’s more difficult to exercise quality control when you pick up blue-green algae in the natural environment,” says Sébastien Sauvé. The probability of accidentally harvesting other species, including species that produce cyanotoxins, is higher.
It’s the dose that makes the poison
The cyanotoxins most often detected in natural environments are called microcystins.
Unsurprisingly, the supplement that contained the most microcystins was a Klamath algae product. And almost all of the contaminated supplements were composed of the latter.
First problem: two of the products analyzed by Sébastien Sauvé exceeded the quality criteria for drinking water in terms of microcystins of the World Health Organization (WHO).
The second problem is that the regulation of natural supplements floats in a gray area. “The marketing of dietary supplements is permitted, but there is no systematic approval process,” laments Sébastien Sauvé.
In other words, Health Canada does not approve all dietary supplements. Those that are registered have an eight-digit Natural Product Number (NPN) on the label. In the case of supplements based on cyanobacteria, the safety of the products takes into account the concentration of cyanotoxins.
At the same time, each company is responsible for carrying out the necessary quality control analyses. “Have the suppliers done their homework to ensure that everything is in order? This is the question that motivated Sébastien Sauvé to proceed with the detection of cyanotoxins in food supplements.
In my opinion, we should at least ensure that the criteria for drinking water are respected.
Sébastien Sauvé, researcher in environmental chemistry
Health Canada preferred not to comment on the results of Sébastien Sauvé’s study.
Do you really need it?
But is it really relevant to consume food supplements based on blue-green algae? “No, it is not necessary to take it, according to Vanessa Daigle, nutritionist-dietitian. It is much more appropriate to eat well on a daily basis, to ensure that you have a diet rich in plants. »
If you absolutely want to consume it, it is better to recommend products based on spirulina or chlorella, which are grown in a controlled environment, according to Sébastien Sauvé. “You have to be careful with supplements that come from Klamath Lake,” he says.