Spirulina and Chlorella for Brain Health: Unlocking Benefits for Memory, Focus, Brain Fog, and More

June 01 2024, by Catharine Arnston, 13 min reading time

Can spirulina and chlorella support healthy brain aging? Learn various lifestyle contributors and how algae tablets mitigate them.

Are you worried about age-related brain issues like occasional forgetfulness and brain fog? You are not alone. More and more Americans report experiencing the constellation of symptoms collectively known as “brain fog.” Also, conditions like Alzheimer’s affect one in nine older adults 65 or older, and three in four adults 75 or older. In total, this is currently almost seven million Americans [1].

While Alzheimer’s is a complex condition with no cure, nutrition and lifestyle play a major part. Speak to your doctor about preventing or treating any disease, including this one

To educate and empower, this article will cover the science behind lifestyle aspects of age-related brain decline, and how algae can address many of them.

How Algae Address Brain Health and Age-related Cognitive Decline

Support healthy blood sugar control

When it comes to your brain, you may not think of your blood sugar. However, because your brain is so energy-intensive, poor blood sugar control can profoundly affect the brain.

Insulin resistance and high insulin may play a major role in Alzheimer’s, to the extent that Alzheimer’s is now called type 3 diabetes [2]. The brain could also be less responsive to insulin than other parts of the body. When it can’t take up glucose, it struggles for fuel.

Researchers are still discovering how diet contributes to Alzheimer’s, but they suspect a lifetime of high insulin could be a factor [3].

Suboptimal blood sugar control is extremely common, even without diabetes. This is possibly because modern-day high-carbohydrate diets like donuts for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch, and pasta for dinner tend to cause unhealthy but normal blood sugar fluctuations. If you are often sleepy after meals or have minor mood or brain symptoms that disappear with eating, you may have suboptimal blood sugar regulation.

High blood sugar demands a lot of insulin, which can then drop the blood sugar too low. Low blood sugar can cause cravings or hunger that make you reach for a high-sugar snack, which can then increase your blood sugar again. These vicious cycles of blood sugar fluctuations are unhealthy for the brain [4]. Also, the brain is extremely sensitive to oxidative stress when your blood sugar is high [5].

Both oxidative stress and blood sugar fluctuations can make you tired, cause brain fog, age the brain, and reduce blood flow to your brain [5].

Whether you have tendencies for brain fog, mood swings, or anything brain-related, poor blood sugar balance will make it worse.

How algae tablets help: Many clinical trials have shown chlorella and spirulina can support healthy blood sugar control, even in those with suboptimal diets [6]. They do so by feeding blood sugar-friendly gut flora [7]. Chlorella also influences genes related to glucose processing and insulin metabolism [8] [9]. In addition, algae tablets are a powerful food source of antioxidants to protect from some effects of suboptimal blood sugar.

Supporting mitochondrial function and antioxidant defense

A brain that struggles with energy is a brain in decline. Mitochondria, the cells’ powerhouses, generate the energy your brain needs for most of its functions as ATP. Because the brain is one of the body’s most energy-demanding organs, anything that affects your brain mitochondria will affect brain health. Unfortunately, many common chemical exposures, nutrient deficiencies, and stress can contribute to mitochondrial dysfunction.

Aside from producing energy, your mitochondria detect dangers and coordinate your cells’ response to them, such as killing damaged cells [10]. This is why mitochondrial dysfunction is a key component of all brain issues and can snowball into more cell deaths than necessary.

The mitochondria build an electrical potential by pumping electrons to convert energy from food into ATP. This electron movement (electricity) helps make ATP [11]. Sometimes this process leaks some high-energy electrons, increasing oxidants in your mitochondria.

Too many stray high-energy electrons can jam the ATP production process so the mitochondria cannot produce enough. This is called mitochondrial dysfunction. It can reduce the brain’s precious energy supply which can manifest in mental fatigue, concentration issues, and other brain fog symptoms [12]. The oxidants can also damage and age your neurons and tissues, leading to other problems over time.

Mitochondrial dysfunction begets more stray electrons and damaging oxidants that snowball into worse mitochondrial dysfunction and damage. This becomes a vicious cycle [12].

The good news is that many modalities that restore healthy mitochondria, such as a ketogenic diet and red light therapy, can powerfully protect the brain. In some cases, these can even restore optimal cognitive function [13].

How algae tablets help: Single-celled algae like spirulina and chlorella are very similar to your mitochondria. They provide many of the nutrients that your mitochondria need. Also, spirulina and chlorella are rich food sources of antioxidants like superoxide dismutase that can protect your mitochondria from oxidants [14]. Animal studies suggest that eating raw chlorophyll may boost mitochondrial energy production and mitigate cell deaths [15], [16]. In other words, algae tablets can re-energize your brain and protect its cells by optimizing mitochondrial health and functions.

Nutrient deficiencies

To function well, your brain needs nutrients. This powerful organ never stops working, so it needs a constant supply of high-quality fuel and cofactors. Typical Western diets lack important vitamins and minerals necessary for optimal brain function, and brain health can suffer. Not getting enough of these nutrients regularly can impact energy and neurotransmitter production, how neurons communicate, and even how well blood flows to the brain. Here are some examples:

B vitamins help the brain produce energy from carbohydrates, fats, and proteins [17].
Amino acids are the building blocks for neurotransmitters [18].
Vitamins C and E work as antioxidants to protect the brain from oxidative stress [19].
Omega-3s and flavonoids support healthy blood flow to the brain [19].
Vitamin D and magnesium help regulate neurotransmitter activity [18].

A deficiency in any of these micronutrients can impact brain health and may worsen brain fog and age-related brain decline.

As digestion and appetite tend to decline with age, older adults are at a higher risk for several nutrient deficiencies [20].

How algae tablets help: Algae tablets provide many essential fatty acids, antioxidants, proteins, vitamins, and minerals that help your brain function smoothly and protect it from oxidative stress. Some researchers even think algae offer unique benefits that could be useful for slowing down cognitive decline [21].

The most important brain vitamins algae tablets offer are B vitamins. Low levels of B vitamins are linked to cognitive decline [22], and making sure you are reaching these targets becomes especially important as you age.

When we give the brain the fuel it needs, it performs well. Algae tablets provide the whole-food nutritional insurance you need, even with suboptimal diets or low appetite.

Supporting hormonal health

Hormones are crucial for your brain, which may explain why the brain tends to struggle during menopause and andropause. In women, estrogen and progesterone protect the brain and control many neurotransmitter functions. In men, testosterone and other male hormones have a similar role.

These hormones support important mood regulation, memory formation, and cognitive function [23]. Fluctuations, as we see across the menstrual cycle or during menopause, can throw off neurotransmitter activity, impacting mental clarity, mood, and concentration.

It’s no surprise that many postmenopausal women have trouble with short-term memory, multi-tasking, word finding, and forming coherent thoughts [24]. This can feel a lot like brain fog! A similar hormonal phenomenon in men, dubbed andropause, may affect cognition in at least 36% of aging men [25].

Everyone’s hormones will decline naturally with age, but your brain doesn’t have to. Nearly every one of us has encountered elders who remain very sharp well into their 90s and 100s. Aside from continuing to use their brains and having meaningful connections in their communities, nutrition is key.

How algae tablets help:

Protect mitochondrial functions [14], as hormone productions start in the mitochondria
Provide key nutrients both for the brain and hormones
Support detoxification of used hormones and day-to-day chemicals that can throw off your hormones [26], [27]
Mitigate oxidative stress
Overall having an anti-aging effect on your cells

Chlorella and Spirulina Brain Benefits for Memory, Focus, and Brain Fog

Spirulina, found in our ENERGYbits®, delivers brain health benefits beyond just nourishing the brain with whole foods and sustainable nutrients. It has antioxidant, blood sugar-balancing, mitochondria-boosting, and neuroprotective properties. The energy it provides can reduce mental fatigue, enhance brain clarity, and even protect brain blood vessels [28]!

One 12-week study examined the benefits of 0.5 grams/day of spirulina helped improve symptoms of cognitive decline in 30 Alzheimer’s patients [29]. The researchers measured cognition at baseline and after the 12 weeks using a test called the mini-mental state examination (MMSE). They also tested other blood markers. The results showed that the spirulina group had better MMSE scores compared to placebo, and better fasting glucose and insulin levels.

The chlorella in our RECOVERYbits® can protect your brain by supporting detoxification, blood sugar, and hormonal health [30]. In a study of aged mice, feeding them with chlorella seemed to significantly mitigate the mice’s cognitive decline [30].

Love Your Brain to Bits!

Algae tablets are a safe and convenient way to provide the nutrition, energy, and antioxidants your brain needs every day. Whether you want to lift brain fog, improve concentration or memory, or protect your brain as you age, ENERGYbits® should be an indispensable part of your toolbox. They’re a powerful brain support as you age, along with diet, exercise, stress management, and exercising your brain every day.