Effects of Chlorella Supplementation on Decreasing Concentrations of Dioxins in the Blood of Pregnant Japanese Women

Adverse health consequences from prenatal, perinatal and postnatal exposure to background levels of dioxins in the environment, including polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), have been reported. In order to prevent or reduce such health risks, it is important to decrease maternal exposure to dioxins. This study investigated the effect of maternal supplementation with Chlorella on dioxin concentration levels in the blood during pregnancy. Twenty healthy pregnant women participated in the study. Ten received 6 g of Chlorella daily from gestational week 16-20 until the day of delivery (Chlorella group); ten others did not (control group). The blood PCDFs and PCDD/DFs concentrations in the Chlorella group significantly decreased during the supplementation period, from 2.20 ± 1.66 to 1.00 ± 0.61 pg-TEQ/g lipid (p<0.05) and from 5.48 ± 4.01 to 3.38 ± 1.96 pg-TEQ/g lipid ( p<0.05), respectively. The levels of dioxins in the control group did not change significantly. These results suggest that Chlorella supplementation may be effective in reducing dioxin exposure in pregnant woman.