DHA Algae Oil
When someone mentions algae the first thought that comes to mind is the gooey green plant life that grows in ponds, lakes and swimming pools or the seaweed on the beach. Most of time it is consider an annoyance more then a helpful tool. Algae has over 100,000 strains and a lot of those strains play a role in our daily life in some way. In fact, new technology is showing that algae is not just a gooey plant, it’s a natural food source and a natural supplement that can help in brain development. Algae contains DHA which is also known as Docosahexaenoic Acid, which plays an important part in eye sight and in cerebral development, especially during infancy. DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid, which is used to help prevent heart attacks and strokes. DHA is found in the brain, retina and in sperm cells.
The DHA sold as a supplement comes from algae and it is used in infant formulas as well as dietary supplements. DHA is harvested from marine micro algae and the omega-3 fatty acid it produces is an alternative for people who need to increase DHA, but don’t want to use fish oil to do it.
New research is using DHA algae oil to study Alzheimer’s disease. A study at the University of California Irvine showed that DHA from algae slowed down the accumulation of a protein called Tau, which leads to the development of neurofibrillary tangles, which is one of two brain lesions of Alzheimer’s disease. DHA also reduces the beta amyloid, which is another protein that forms plaques in the brain, which is the other Alzheimer lesion. The research is showing that DHA plays a role in slowing the onset of Alzheimer’s. Other studies are underway to evaluate how DHA can slow the progress of the cognitive and functional decline in patients with mild memory loss related to the aging process.
That kind of Algae research is just one aspect of what this plant species can do to increase human awareness. Algae is developing into the primary source of vegetable oil to possibly replace fossil fuel in the future. The advantages of using algae over other plant oils are substantial. It grows faster and it can be harvested sooner than other vegetable oils. New companies are developing new technologies to produce algae in large quantities in less space and those projects are producing amazing results. The first crops from some of those companies could be available this year.
That gooey green plant that looks like a plant from another planet is proving to be a vital part of our twenty-first century lifestyle and its value in terms of appreciation for it medicinal, as well as functional abilities is increasing daily.
