Quantifying the effects of spirulina supplementation on plasma lipid and glucose concentrations, body weight, and blood pressure
What this study found
Spirulina supplementation was associated with favorable changes in several cardiometabolic biomarkers, especially lipids. Compared with control, total cholesterol fell by WMD = -36.60 mg/dL, LDL-C by -33.16 mg/dL, triglycerides by -39.20 mg/dL, very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol by -8.02 mg/dL, fasting blood glucose by -5.01 mg/dL, and diastolic blood pressure by -7.17 mmHg. Effects were not consistent for HDL-C, systolic blood pressure, HbA1c, body weight, or BMI. The authors concluded that spirulina may be a useful nutraceutical for cardiovascular risk factor modification, but the…
- Study & population
- This systematic review and meta-analysis included 12 studies with 807 participants and 14 active spirulina arms.
- Intervention
- Oral spirulina supplementation was evaluated across 14 active treatment arms in 12 studies, with doses ranging from 1 to 19 g/day and intervention durations from 2 to 48 weeks.
- Key limitation
- Evidence was limited by substantial between-study heterogeneity for several outcomes, small and diverse trial populations, and widely varying doses and durations.
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Open PDFOriginal abstract
Purpose Spirulina is generally used as a nutraceutical food supplement due to its nutrient profile, lack of toxicity, and therapeutic effects. Clinical trials have investigated the influence of spirulina on metabolic-related risk factors but have yielded conflicting results in humans. Here, we summarize the evidence of the effects of spirulina on serum lipid profile, glucose management, BP, and body weight by conducting a meta-analysis. Materials and methods Relevant studies were retrieved by systematic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus databases, and reference lists of relevant original studies from inception to July 2018. Data were extracted following a standardized protocol. Two investigators independently extracted study characteristics, outcomes measures, and appraised methodological quality. Effect sizes were performed using a random-effects model, with weighted mean differences (WMDs) and 95% CIs between the means for the spirulina intervention and control arms. Subgroup analyses were conducted to explore the possible influences of study characteristics. Publication bias and sensitivity analysis were also performed. Results A total of 1,868 records were identified of which 12 trials with 14 arms were eligible. The amount of spirulina ranged from 1 to 19 g/d, and intervention durations ranged from 2 to 48 weeks. Overall, data synthesis showed that spirulina supplements significantly lowered total cholesterol (WMD = −36.60 mg/dL; 95% CI: −51.87 to −21.33; P=0.0001), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (WMD = −33.16 mg/dL; 95% CI: −50.52 to −15.75; P=0.0002), triglycerides (WMD = −39.20 mg/dL; 95% CI: −52.71 to −25.69; P=0.0001), very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (WMD = −8.02 mg/dL; 95% CI: −8.77 to −7.26; P=0.0001), fasting blood glucose (WMD = −5.01 mg/dL; 95% CI: −9.78 to −0.24; P=0.04), and DBP (WMD = −7.17 mmHg; 95% CI: −8.57 to −5.78; P=0.001). These findings remained stable in the sensitivity analysis, and no obvious publication bias was detected. Conclusion Our findings provide substantial evidence that spirulina supplementation has favorable effect on select cardiovascular and metabolic biomarkers in humans, including lipid, glucose, and DBP management.