A landmark study published in the Journal of Medicinal Food suggests that chlorella may indeed help reduce harmful toxins, known as dioxins, in breast milk. The study, conducted by Japanese researchers, investigated 35 healthy pregnant females and found that of the participants who supplemented their diets with chlorella, there was a significant decrease in the amount of dioxin measured in the participants' breast milk. Additionally, the study found that this same group had an increase in a property found in blood, known as immunoglobulins, believed to be responsible for reducing the risk of infection in nursing infants.

Dioxin is the name generally given to a class of super-toxic chemicals. It potentially may be one of the nastiest, most toxic, man-made organic chemicals; its toxicity is second only to radioactive waste. Studies at the School of Medicine, West Virginia University, demonstrated that chlorella has the potential to help remove poisoning of chlorinated hydrocarbons (a major toxic pollutant found in pesticides and herbicides), dioxin, and PCBs. In other studies, chlorella was equally effective in eliminating heavy metals such as mercury, copper, and cadmium.

Immunoglobulins, also known as antibodies, are believed to aid the body's natural defense system in protecting against infection. Similar to high-density lipoproteins (HDLs) found in cholesterol, a greater concentration of these health assisting proteins are desirable.

Though this article represents only a handful of studies, it is clear that the importance of including superfoods, such as a true pulverized chlorella, as part of a balanced diet cannot be underestimated. Readers are encouraged to independently research the many benefits of chlorella.

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