Chlorella for Health & Longevity - Quick Reference Sheet

Chlorella for Health & Longevity

Created on 09/07/2026 – Quick Reference based on Evidence Review created using AI4L / Opus 5 – Audit

A dried green alga taken daily in gram doses. Best-supported effects are modest: lower cholesterol, small drops in weight and body fat, better liver blood tests in fatty liver. Harms are mostly mild and digestive. The evidence is uneven; the effects are real but small. (Full Review)

Protocol

Standard daily dose
3-6 g/day
Whole-cell powder or tablets; 10-15 g/day is a tested ceiling, not a target
Split versus single dosing
Two or three portions
Doses above 2 g at once drive gastrointestinal complaints
Best time of day
With meals
Preferably the two largest; the dose immediately before bed is avoided
Time to effect
Lipids and liver enzymes
8-12 weeks
The best-replicated cholesterol and liver-enzyme changes
Blood pressure
At least 8 weeks
Required doses above 4 g/day, and only in adults with raised readings
Carotenoid status
Within one month
Tracked as blood and red-cell lutein

Benefits

Contraindications
  • Vitamin K antagonist anticoagulation, unless intake is fixed and INR monitoring intensified
  • Gout, symptom-free hyperuricaemia above 6.8 mg/dL, or chronic kidney disease at stage 4 or worse (below 30 mL/min/1.73 m²)
  • Mould, dust-mite or pollen allergy severe enough to have caused anaphylaxis
  • Active autoimmune disease on immunosuppression, or solid-organ transplant at any time
  • Iron-deficiency anaemia, or ferritin below 30 ng/mL, until repletion is complete
  • Pregnancy in the first trimester, and breastfeeding
Key Interactions
  • Antihypertensives (ramipril, losartan, amlodipine)
  • Glucose-lowering drugs (metformin, gliclazide, insulin)
  • Oral iron, zinc and selenium supplements
  • Other supplements with additive effects (beetroot, citrulline, red yeast rice, plant sterols, psyllium, vitamin K2)
  • Uric-acid-raising agents (hydrochlorothiazide, low-dose aspirin, ciclosporin)

Risk & Side Effects

  • High: Gastrointestinal upset
  • Medium: Reduced iron and selenium status; raised blood and urinary uric acid
  • Low: Photosensitive skin reactions from pheophorbide-a; allergic reactions including anaphylaxis; warfarin interference; contaminant load in commercial products; immune-mediated thrombocytopenia; acute psychosis
  • Speculative: Flare of autoimmune disease through immune stimulation

Monitoring

Marker Target Why
LDL cholesterol 70-100 mg/dL Primary responsive outcome
Total cholesterol 150-200 mg/dL Second responsive lipid outcome
Systolic / diastolic blood pressure Below 120/75 mmHg The effect is confined to those starting elevated
Fasting glucose 75-86 mg/dL Detects the marginal glycaemic signal
HbA1c 4.8-5.3% Confirms any glucose change is durable
Alanine aminotransferase 10-26 U/L men, 10-19 U/L women Best-replicated liver outcome
hs-CRP Below 0.5 mg/L Tracks the low-grade inflammation signal
Serum urate 3.5-5.5 mg/dL Primary safety measure for the purine load
Ferritin with transferrin saturation 50-150 ng/mL and 25-35% Safety measure for mineral depletion
Serum selenium 120-150 µg/L Second depletion measure
Vitamin B12 with methylmalonic acid Above 500 pg/mL, with methylmalonic acid below 0.27 µmol/L Tests for usable B12
INR The anticoagulation indication's own target, typically 2.0-3.0 Detects the vitamin K interaction

Cadence: Baseline panel before starting; home blood pressure daily for two weeks, then weekly; bloods at three months, then every six to twelve months. Anticoagulated users check clotting weekly until stable.

Qualitative Assessment

  • Bowel comfort in the first fortnight — bloating, urgency and stool frequency
  • Energy across the day, the outcome most often reported subjectively in trials
  • Skin response to sun exposure in the first month — swelling or purple-red eruption on exposed areas
  • Recovery quality after hard training sessions
  • Sleep continuity, as a check that evening dosing is not causing overnight discomfort