Chlorella
Supplements · Antioxidants · Supplement, Typed Supps
A single-celled algae with a famously tough outer wall.
Stage by stage
- Intake (Tablet or powder): Cell wall must be mechanically broken during processing, or much passes through undigested.
- Small intestine (Normal digestion): Digested nutrients absorbed through normal digestion.
- Bloodstream (Nutrients absorbed): Digested nutrients enter the bloodstream through normal digestion.
- Protein & chlorophyll (Nutrient-dense): Provides protein, antioxidants, and chlorophyll.
What the evidence supports
- Raising immune markers such as natural killer cell activity — limited evidence. One small 8-week randomised, placebo-controlled trial reported increased NK-cell activity and inflammatory cytokines. Short, small, and not yet replicated at scale.
- Detoxifying the body or removing heavy metals — insufficient evidence. A popular marketing claim with no reliable human trial support. Human chelation evidence is essentially absent.
Typical dose
About 2–5 g daily
Upper limit: No established UL
Timing
With food, standard dosing.
Time to effect
- Weeks: Any reported effect in studies.
Medication interactions
- Warfarin: Its vitamin K content can reduce warfarin's anticoagulant effect and raise clot risk; a documented case report showed loss of INR control after starting chlorella. (high)
- Immunosuppressants: It appears to stimulate immune activity, working against the drug's purpose. (moderate)
Common myth
“Chlorella detoxes heavy metals from your body.” In reality: Evidence for meaningful heavy metal removal in humans is limited.
More in Antioxidants
In the glossary
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