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IS CHLOROPHYLL A CURE-ALL? Kim Wilson
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been a huge surge in interest around Chlorophyll, largely thanks to TikToker influencers promoting benefits from skin health to eliminating bad breath and more! But is it worth the hype?
THE FOUNDATIONS: What is Chlorophyll? Chlorophyll is the pigment present in all green plants. It’s responsible for keeping these plants healthy by helping them to absorb energy from the sun. It’s concentrated in sources such as spirulina, algae and chlorella. Chlorophyll also contains vitamins and antioxidants which have the potential to benefit your body. We do get chlorophyll through our diet when we eat green plant foods such as spinach, but chlorophyll may be more concentrated in a supplement form. Furthermore, there’s doubt over whether chlorophyll survives digestion long enough to be absorbed when we ingest it with other foods. THE MARKETED BENEFITS OF CHLOROPHYLL ARE AS FOLLOWS: • Boosting the immune system • Preventing cancer • Detoxification of your blood • Cleansing of the intestines • Eliminating bad breath and body odour • Eliminating fungal infections in the body • Boosting energy levels We need larger, more comprehensive research to come out in future to fully describe how chlorophyll may or may not improve our health, but for now here’s what we do know… THE BENEFITS OF CHLOROPHYLL WEIGHT MANAGEMENT Weight loss is a popular request for those looking to change their health. According to TikTok influencers, chlorophyll is claimed to be supportive of weight loss. Research to back this up however, is limited. One small study showed that females who took a supplement including chlorophyll had greater weight loss than a group that did not take the supplement and saw a reduction in their cholesterol levels. The mechanisms behind this process are still unknown, and further research is needed. DETOXIFICATION The second most popular request when it comes to health changes is for a detoxification product. There have been a few small studies examining the effects of chlorophyll on detoxification processes and cancer to date. In animal studies, oral chlorophyll has been shown to reduce tumour size in mice with pancreatic cancer. Human studies have not yet been able to replicate this result, however more trials are currently underway. 20
