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# Spirulina a good source of vitamin A
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/spirulina_a_good_source_of_vitamin_a_0908141038/
- Published: 2014-09-08T11:37:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:21:52.000Z
- Description: Chinese school-age children given two or four grams of spirulina five days a week for ten weeks increased their total-body vitamin A stores, a study found, pointing to the alga as a beta-carotene source the body converts to vitamin A only as needed.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Supplements, Nutrition, #vivvo-import

Monday Sep 8, 2014 (foodconsumer.org) -- A new [study ](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25191548?ref=foodconsumer.org)led by researchers at National Institute for Nutrition and Food Safety in Beijing, China suggests spirulina, an alga rich in high quality protein and carotenoids can be used as a vitamin A supplement. 

In the study, children were given four or two grams of spirulina or nothing five days per week for ten weeks. 

The study results show that spirulina is a good dietary source of beta-carotene which can effectively increase in vivo vitamin A storage in Chinese school-age children. 

Spirulina has a [compete spectrum of nutrients](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirulina%5F%28dietary%5Fsupplement%29?ref=foodconsumer.org) including high protein, vitamins and minerals. It is indeed the best food humans can eat. 

It should be noted that direct supplementation with vitamin A can be risky as this compound at high concentrations can be toxic. Supplementation with spirulina is safe as it provides beta-carotene, which only is converted into vitamin A as needed.

Spirulina has been used as a weight loss aid and to [prevent breast cancer](https://www.foodconsumer.org/spirulina%5Fhelps%5Fprevent%5Fbreast%5Fcancer%5F0418141216/), [skin cancer](https://www.foodconsumer.org/spirulina%5Fmay%5Fprevent%5Fsin%5Fcancer%5F0523141225/), [pancreatic cancer](https://www.foodconsumer.org/spirulina%5Fplatensis%5Fmay%5Fprevent%5Fpancreatic%5Fcancer%5F0616140704/), [liver damage](https://www.foodconsumer.org/spirulina%5Fmaxima%5Fprevents%5Fliver%5Fdamage%5F0615140549/), [high cholesterol](http://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite/Nutrition/13203.html). This supplement has been also found to help[ type 2 diabetes mellitus](https://www.foodconsumer.org/spirulina%5Fhelps%5Ftype%5F2%5Fdiabetes%5Fmellitus%5F0424130639/) in a study conducted by Indian scientists. (David LIu, PHD)

Li L, Zhao X, Wang J, Muzhingi T, Suter PM, Tang G, Yin SA. Spirulina can increase total-body vitamin A stores of Chinese school-age children as determined by a paired isotope dilution technique. J Nutr Sci. 2012 Dec 13;1:e19\.