IIMSAM official urged Governments to consider usage of Spirulina

Jan. 26, 2010 - PRLog -- In his press note Dr. Homoud stressed that hunger, malnutrition, undernourishment, and poverty are some of the most crucial inter-related reasons behind the retrogressive and deteriorating situations of human development though the world today has enabled itself through technologies and infrastructure which can easily sustain the growing pressure of population and its allied emergencies. “Among these blots on the face of global humane existence, hunger and malnutrition are being situated as the first priority because of their devastating consequences in terms of progress, growth, productivity, and future implications for humanity”. Dr. Homoud said. He further added that Malnutrition is the insufficient, excessive or imbalanced consumption of nutrients from which a number of other different nutrition disorders arise. “Malnutrition is, by far, the central biggest threat to global public health and is the largest contributor to child mortality, present in almost half of all cases. In a world in which we boast of our scientific, material and cultural advancements, these problems must be dealt with in a sincere and honest manner”. Dr. Homoud said while expressing his concern.

IIMSAM Official contended that spreading Spirulina has been considered the most viable and feasible method of curbing the menace of malnutrition. That is because spirulina, blue-green microalgae, is found easily abundant in most parts of the world. Being developed today as the best food for the future (declared by the United Nations World Food Conference of 1974) because of its ability to synthesize high-quality concentrated food more efficiently than any other algae; because of its high protein content (almost 65-80%) besides having 15 vitamins and 11 minerals in comparison to most of the protein foods like beef and soybeans; and because of its comfortable accessibility, availability, simple and effective harvest and high-yielding cultivation, and less costly nature, spirulina has become important as the most potent tool in the eradication and elimination of hunger and malnutrition from our planet.

Dr. Homoud urged for extensive cultivation, usage and distribution of Spirulina for obvious benefits of using spirulina in humanitarian emergencies are that it can be taken directly from the packet; it does not require refrigeration or mixing with scarce clean water; it can be stored for years; and can be smoothly consumed by critically ill children. Spirulina also provides high concentrations of many other nutrients like amino acids, chelated minerals, photosynthetic pigments, rhamnose sugars (complex natural plant sugars), trace elements, enzymes, fatty acids that are in an easily assimilable form. It use in human, animal, agricultural and nutritional needs has been well documented and researched.

“The role and contribution of spreading spirulina in encountering the problems of hunger and malnutrition cannot be negated as it has proved its medicinal credentials in the prevailing social and material conditions of the world. Only by using it in the developing as well as least developed countries of the third world, we can be able to achieve the humanitarian targets set by us, thus securing humanity of all the basic evils and paving way for future peace, stability, progress, advancement and overall improvement of humanity. Its spread and use is fully concomitant and consonant with the basic and the most fundamental human rights to live and to food without which our future goals will never be achieved”. Dr. Homoud said while highlighting importance of Spirulina amid global hunger crisis.

Given the nature, gravity and extent of hunger and malnutrition in the most populated and underdeveloped parts of the world, the United Nations has passed resolutions for its spread and use. The need is to promote, develop and apply the technologies with the human capital, state agencies, and civil society to ensure its production on an everyday basis. Only an all out attack on hunger and malnutrition by spreading the use of spirulina can end them.  It represents a real life source also for victims of famine and for all those people suffering from high levels of malnutrition. Spirulina is a solution to the tragic problem of malnutrition due to poverty or food emergency.

IIMSAM Goodwill Ambassador further added “In addition to the basic problem of hunger and malnutrition, the use and spread of spirulina are also being insinuated in case of averting various other diseases like cancer, hay fever, herpes infection, high cholesterol, hives, HIV infection, liver protection, weight loss, tissue degeneration, negative mutations, high urine radioactivity, zinc deficiency diseases, obesity, oral cancer, hypochronic anemia, malaria, diabetes, etc. cultivation of spirulina has its own advantages in today’s times of global warming and climate change as its ecological cultivation does not cause pollution, soil erosion, water contamination or forest destruction, and is efficient as far as land use, water use, land occupation and energy consumption are concerned, making spirulina production to maintain resource advantages over conventional foods”. He further stressed that another notable feature is its use in agriculture instead of chemical fertilizers, and as a colourant and protein supplement in poultry and livestock feeds. These aspects are very much related with the aspects of poverty, hunger and malnutrition.

He further call upon the government, individuals and organizations to support IIMSAM which has undertaken several projects of production and distribution of Spirulina to the needy peoples under guidance of His Excellency Ambassador Remigio M. Maradona Director General of the IIMSAM in pursuit of its goal to make this world free of malnutrition. “The spread and use of spirulina in combating hunger and malnutrition is unquestionable, making it the most important dietary element in poverty reduction, ecological growth as well as livelihood development. Spreading its use is the best way to end malnutrition in the societies where hunger and poverty are prevalent to an extreme extent”. Dr. Homoud said.