Chlorella

These are the questions our naturopaths ask in store about chlorella, and nearly all of them come back to iodine. Australian law treats chlorella as an ingredient that contains iodine rather than as a green superfood, so that's the question to settle before you buy rather than after.

A good fit if

• You're an adult with no thyroid condition, and you're happy to treat chlorella as a food that contains iodine
• You want to know what the Australian rules actually say about this alga before you buy it
• You're choosing a product that states its iodine content, or a listed medicine, where Australia's permitted ingredients list (Schedule 1) caps iodine below 300 micrograms a day
• You don't already take kelp, sea moss, bladderwrack or an iodine supplement, so chlorella isn't adding to another iodine source

Check with us first if

• You have any kind of thyroid condition. The NHMRC notes that people with thyroid disorders may react badly to iodine even below the upper limit it sets for everyone else, and chlorella always contains iodine.
• You're pregnant or breastfeeding. We found no Australian safety position on chlorella in pregnancy, and both your iodine needs and your limits change at that time.
• You're thinking about chlorella for a child. The NHMRC sets the iodine upper limit at 200 micrograms a day for children aged 1 to 3 and 300 for children aged 4 to 8, and the iodine limit for an adult dose on the permitted ingredients list is that second figure.
• You take prescription medicine, including thyroid medicine. We found no interaction evidence for chlorella at all, so this is an open question rather than one that's been cleared.
• You already take kelp, sea moss, bladderwrack or iodine drops, because nothing limits your total iodine across several products.
• If you take prescription medicine, check with your doctor, pharmacist or our naturopaths before you start.

This list is the part of the page we will not shorten. If any of it applies to you, talk to one of our naturopaths or your doctor before starting.

• Anyone with a thyroid condition. Chlorella carries iodine by definition under Schedule 1, and NHMRC states that individuals with thyroid disorders or a long history of iodine deficiency may still respond adversely at intakes below the upper level.
• Anyone buying chlorella sold as a food rather than as a listed medicine. The Schedule 1 iodine limit applies to medicines, so a food-grade powder or tablet hasn't had its iodine capped by that rule.
• Anyone already taking another iodine-bearing product, such as kelp, sea moss, bladderwrack or an iodine supplement. Nothing adds your total up for you.
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding. No Australian safety position on chlorella was found in our research pass, so it's unanswered rather than cleared.
• Children. The Determination sets no paediatric limit for chlorella, and NHMRC's iodine upper level for a child aged 4 to 8 is the same 300 micrograms that Schedule 1 allows in a whole adult daily dose.
• Anyone on prescription medicines. No interaction evidence for chlorella was gathered in our research pass, so no interaction position can be stated either way.