Chlorella Enhances Natural Killer Cell Activity

Natural killer cells (NK cells) are a vital part of your front-line innate immune defense against viruses and tumors.  When they encounter an undesirable they use chemical warfare weapons to kill it on the spot.  A new study shows that chlorella¹ significantly boosts NK cell activity, along with stimulating the production of a variety of immune cells and immune signals that are required for a healthy defense.

This is an animal study with mice that have had tumors implanted in them.  One group was given chlorella and other group was the control.  Chlorella had a significant impact on helping to generate a variety of immune cells needed to combat the tumors, including the important NK cells.  Additionally, the immune cells generated performed at a high level.  They were able to secrete the type of messages (weapons) that helps to kill the tumor cells.  In correlation to chlorella intake tumor cells had less adhesion to healthy cells.  This study is interesting because tumors are known to secrete many compounds that block the natural immune response, leading to tumor survival but not the survival of the host.  Chlorella, on the other hand, has an ability to help counteract this attack, thereby helping the host mount a more efficient immune response.

This study should not be construed to mean that chlorella is a treatment for any cancer.  Rather, it lends support to the notion that chlorella can assist in promoting a more efficient immune response in times of need.  This concept is likely to extend to viral infection as well, although that was not tested in this study.  One earlier study showed that an extract of chlorella boosted the immune response² to flu.  Chlorella, as a single cell organism, has been in a battle with viruses³ during its evolution and there are many studies explaining how chlorella has overcome this challenge.  It is likely that as a food source, chlorella may have some innate wisdom beyond its basic nutrition composition that supports immune function.