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[[Image:spirulina_farm.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Spirulina farm in India]]
Spirulina is an aquatic micro-organism often referred to as an algae, though it more closely resembles bacteria. It is used as a food supplement to combat malnutrition. 1 gram of spirulina is said to be as nutritious as 100g of spinach or carrots, and is cheaper. It has an extremely high protein content, with 60-70% of its dry weight consisting of a balanced mix of various essential amino acids. Further it is very rich in beta carotene (to produce vitamin A), iron, vitamin B12, ganna-linolenic acid and other micronutrients. It exists as a thin filament rolled up into a spiral. It has no cell wall and is therefore very easy to digest.
It improves physical growth as well as cognitive development. It is also effective for improving the immunity of people, and therefore helps in fighting and preventing HIV/AIDS and anaemia. Studies show it is also effective against arsenic poisoning, a condition which is extremely hard to combat.
==References and External Links==
* Antenna Technologies – malnutrition and spirulina - [[[http://www.antenna.ch/en/malnutrition/introduction.html]]]
* More detailed documents - [[[http://www.antenna.ch/en/malnutrition/documents.html]]]