The other cause of malnutrition, even in countries with sometimes lush vegetation, is the weight of cultural habits. If a barely weaned infant is provided with food almost exclusively made up of cassava, clinical signs of nutritional deficiencies appear.
The Kanembous of Chad who traditionally consume spirulina have demonstrated its effectiveness during periods of famine. It is in the treatment of children suffering from malnutrition and the resulting deficiency diseases - such as marasmus and kwashiorkor - that the results are the most spectacular. Researchers have found that malnourished children can be restored with daily intake of spirulina for 4-6 weeks.
Spirulina has positive effects on small patients with protein-energy diseases. By administering a spirulina-based diet to children, a rapid disappearance of edema and a return of appetite was observed.
In Romania, spirulina is officially considered as a nutritional adjuvant in the therapy of diseases related to malnutrition.
