Why Algae Tablets Are the Perfect Companion to Cryotherapy and Red Light Therapy This Fall
, by Catharine Arnston, 15 min reading time
Let spirulina and chlorella be your perfect fall health companions along with red light and cryotherapy for mitochondria, exercise, blood sugar, and weight loss
With fall just on the horizon, many of us are looking to make a return to our health routines. This may include rediscovering that groove in the gym or incorporating some of the newest biohacks like cryotherapy or red light therapy, algae tablets can also be your perfect companion. Keep reading to learn why!
What Are Red Light Therapy and Whole-Body Cryotherapy?
Red light therapy, also called low-level laser therapy or photobiomodulation, refers to the exposure to one or both of these light spectrums:
- Red (630 - 700 nm) light, which penetrates a few millimeters into the skin, delivering mostly skin benefits
- Near-infrared (800 - 880 nm) light, which penetrates a few inches deep, delivering deeper benefits.
These lights activate cytochrome C oxidase, overall having a stimulating effect on the mitochondria. When delivered at the right dose and intensity, their health benefits include [1]:
- Pain relief
- Reduced inflammation
- Boosted circulation through heat and nitric oxide (NO)
- Improved energy levels, mood, and wellbeing
- Support for tissue repair and healing, including scar reduction
- Anti-aging, especially on the skin
Whole-body cryotherapy or cryotherapy refers to a type of whole-body extreme cold treatment between -100 to -180oC (-148 to - 192 oF), depending on the chamber, for a few minutes. You’ll feel cold and shiver but will be invigorated. It has several health benefits, including [2]:
- Stimulating an increase in mitochondria numbers, which may burn more calories
- Improving antioxidant response, along with pain, and inflammation
- Improving overall well-being and relaxation response
- Improving exercise and injury recovery
- Improving exercise recovery and training response
- Mitigating cellular aging by increasing heat shock proteins [3]
- Improving NO [4]
Just like algae tablets, these biohacking modalities can deliver many health benefits quickly and conveniently. They also work amazingly in combination with an exercise and nutrition program, helping to boost their benefits.
How Algae Provides Complementary Benefits to Cryotherapy and Red Light Therapy
Like cryotherapy and red light therapy, spirulina and chlorella can provide many nutrients, antioxidant enzymes, and mitochondrial energizing vitamins. These make algae tablets and these biohacks the perfect combo.
Support and feed your mitochondria, boosting energy and motivation
Mitochondria are little organs inside your cells. They are responsible for energy production. Lifestyle stressors, toxicity, poor nutrition, and aging can reduce mitochondrial function. This can result in low motivation and fatigue, like needing coffee to get going.
Cryotherapy provides a small amount of stress that stimulates mitochondrial production, while red light therapy jumpstarts a mitochondrial enzyme [5],[6]. Algae tablets provide protective antioxidants and feed your cells with mitochondrial nutrients. In mouse cells, a spirulina chlorophyll pigment might enhance the cells’ ability to harness energy from red light. This suggests that spirulina may help improve the energizing benefits of red light therapy [7]
These make algae tablets the perfect combo for red light and cryotherapy to provide energy at the cellular level.
A clinical trial found that the combination of chlorella with high-intensity interval training was able to improve mitochondrial production, along with accelerated fat loss and aerobic capacity [8].
In 27 participants, 6 grams/day of chlorella increased antioxidant capacity over a 4-week period [9]. Researchers also found that those receiving the supplement had improved fatigue tolerance at rest compared to the placebo group.
In another study, 38 people took 3.6 grams of chlorella for 6 weeks [10]. Researchers found that at the end of the study, the participants had lower oxidant levels and increased antioxidants, including vitamin C, vitamin E, and glutathione.
Low mitochondrial function can also make your brain produce less dopamine, the motivation neurotransmitter [11]. By jump-starting the mitochondria, red light and cryotherapy also boost dopamine and serotonin. Therefore, ENERGYbits® synergizes with these biohacks as sources of antioxidants like SOD2 and amino acids that are the backbone of dopamine [12].
Support exercise performance and training response
Nitric oxide (NO) is a gas that helps relax our blood vessels, boosting circulation along with energy, stamina, mental clarity, and exercise performance. The biggest food source of NO is nitrate from vegetables, which 90% of Americans don’t get enough of. Also, aging reduces natural NO production.
Chlorella and spirulina may help boost NO by providing the amino acid arginine [13]. In your body, arginine gets converted into NO. This makes it a great option for a pre-workout supplement or along with red light therapy and cryotherapy. These therapies boost NO production or release, while the algae tablets provide the arginine as raw material for NO.
A study involving 20 subjects found that 6 grams/day of chlorella supplementation lowered blood lactate levels. Lactate is a marker of muscle fatigue, during and after exercise [13]. The subjects also had higher oxygen delivery per heartbeat, at moderate and intense exercise levels.
In another trial, 14 cyclists given chlorella over 21 days could handle higher exercise intensity. They also had better average and peak power output and hemoglobin levels compared to those taking placebo [14].
In another study, 11 untrained men received spirulina for 7 days and then were measured for VO2 max – maximum oxygen consumption during physical exertion which is a measure of fitness levels [15]. Researchers found spirulina reduced oxygen uptake and heart rate, so the subjects completed the test more easily. They also found higher hemoglobin levels in the subjects compared to the control group, which explains why they could carry oxygen better.
Help recovery from exercise
Like red light and cryotherapy, algae tablets help with recovery from exercise. In a study of 17 rugby players, spirulina mitigated inflammation and markers of muscle damage and helped accelerate recovery of these markers [16]. This might help reduce performance loss and speed up recovery after training sessions. This can be especially helpful if you have not been training during the summer months!
Chewing your algae tablets as a pre-workout can be a great tool for improving your exercise performance. Whereas, red light and cryotherapy are excellent in between sessions to support exercise recovery.
Maintain healthy blood sugar and gut bacteria
Increasingly, research shows the importance of blood sugar control for managing health habits, aging gracefully, and minimizing long-term health risks. Research shows that red light therapy improves blood sugar control by improving mitochondrial function and glucose metabolism [17]. Cold exposure, especially cryotherapy, improves blood sugar by increasing adiponectin, which increases glucose transport into muscle cells [18]. Whereas, spirulina and chlorella support healthy blood sugar control by improving the gut flora and immune system [19],[20].
Given that so many hormones and processes help control blood sugar, combining these three different natural approaches can be very powerful to help maintain optimal blood sugar control.
Make it easier to lose weight
After an over-indulgent summer, losing weight might be one of your biggest fall priorities. Algae tablets can be a helpful tool, by promoting lean gut bacteria, reducing food cravings, and smoothing out metabolism. At the same time, red light therapy and cryotherapy can help boost mitochondrial function and calories burned.
One study combined chlorella supplementation with high-intensity interval training to see if it improved weight loss compared to a control [21]. Researchers found that after 8 weeks, the chlorella group lost visceral fat, which is the type that is linked to worse health outcomes. In animals, chlorella might especially mitigate the negative impacts of a high-fat diet, which is the equivalent of a junk food diet in humans [22].
In a review of 5 studies, spirulina helped reduce body weight, body fat percentage, and waist circumference [23]. These results tended to be even better when starting at a higher body weight to begin with. Another review also found that spirulina also has appetite-suppressing effects, which can make it easier to lose weight and keep it off long-term [24].
Cryotherapy helps burn calories as your body produces heat to warm up. Also, it stimulates the production of brown fat, or mitochondria-rich fat cells that produce heat to keep you warm. In a study of 19 women with metabolic syndrome and 18 healthy women in their late 50s - 60s, 20 whole-body cryotherapy sessions for 3 minutes daily significantly reduced total body fat and midsection fat [25].
No matter where your starting point is this fall, algae tablets, especially combined with red light and cryotherapy, can be a great tool for supporting your weight loss goals.
Support the immune system
With cooler temperatures, and spending more time indoors, some people find that their immune systems can take a hit. Getting sick can derail you from reaching your health goals, but algae tablets can help. Whereas, like exercise, cold exposure and cryotherapy can temporarily weaken immune function before having an overall improvement [26],[27].
In a clinical trial involving 15 participants, chlorella increased salivary secretory immunoglobulin A, an important immune component [28]. This molecule serves as the first line of defense in protecting your body from pathogens.
In an 8-week study in which participants were given 5g of chlorella, researchers found some big improvements in immune function [29]. Importantly, chlorella increases the activity of a special type of immune cell called natural killer cells, which are a type of white blood cell that destroys infected and diseased cells in your body. This can help infections from spreading.
In another study with 39 participants, spirulina helped combat the temporary immune deficits that can occur with strenuous exercise [30]. Researchers found that levels of basophils, leukocytes, and monocytes – all important types of immune cells – were better.
Keeping your immune system running well supports every aspect of your life. This fall, protect yourself by using algae tablets to keep this system in check and help you stay on track to reaching your health goals.
Final Notes
This fall, we at ENERGYbits® want to support you in all aspects of health. Whether you have big goals in the gym, for the scale, staying healthy, or incorporating new biohacks, we want to help you get there. Tackle all of your health goals, no matter how big or small, with ENERGYbits®!
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