Hypolipidemic Effect of Arthrospira (Spirulina) maxima Supplementation and a Systematic Physical Exercise Program in Overweight and Obese Men: A Double-Blind, Randomized, and Crossover Controlled Trial

Abstract

Low-fat diets, lipid-modifying nutraceuticals and a higher level of physical activity are often recommended to reduce dyslipidemia. A double-blind, randomized, crossover, controlled trial was designed to evaluate the independent and synergistic effects of Arthrospira (Spirulina) maxima supplementation (4.5 g·day−1) with or without performing a physical exercise program (PEP: aerobic exercise (3 days·week−1) + high-intensity interval training (2 days·week−1)) on blood lipids and BMI of 52 sedentary men with excess body weight. During six weeks, all participants were assigned to four intervention treatments (Spirulina maxima with PEP (SE), placebo with PEP (Ex), Spirulina maxima without PEP (Sm), placebo without PEP (C; control)) and plasma lipids were evaluated spectrophotometrically pre- vs. post intervention in stratified subgroups (overweight, obese and dyslipidemic subjects). Pre/post comparisons showed significant reductions in all plasma lipids in the SE group, particularly in those with dyslipidemia (p ≤ 0.043). Comparing the final vs. the initial values, BMI, total cholesterol, triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were decreased. High-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased in all treatment groups compared to C. Changes were observed mostly in SE interventions, particularly in dyslipidemic subjects (p < 0.05). Spirulina maxima supplementation enhances the hypolipidemic effect of a systematic PEP in men with excess body weight and dyslipidemia.

Spirulina supplementation and anthropometric indices: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of controlled clinical trials

“…Five studies were conducted on both genders, four studies on females, two studies on males and one were unknown. Four studies were implemented in Iran (Akbarpour & Ebrahimzadeh, 2019; Sadeghi, Irandoust, & Taheri, 2018; Shariat, Farhangi, & Zeinalian, 2019; Yousefi, Mottaghi, & Saidpour, 2018), two in Poland (Miczke et al, 2016; Szulinska et al, 2017), two in Cameroon (Ngo‐Matip et al, 2014; Winter et al, 2014), one in Burkina Faso (Bationo, Ouédraogo, Kouanda, & Sondo, 2013), one in India (Ramamoorthy & Premakumari, 1996) and two in Mexico (Hernandez‐Lepe et al, 2018; Hernandez‐Lepe et al, 2019). Characteristics of included studies are presented in Table 1.…”

A Novel Promising Frontier for Human Health: The Beneficial Effects of Nutraceuticals in Cardiovascular Diseases

“…In the absence of physical activity, spirulina showed a consistent effect on lipid profile. When it was given in association with physical activity, the best outcome was achieved [ 216 ]. A similar study also showed that spirulina in association with physical activity can improve significantly cardiorespiratory fitness more than a single intervention alone [ 217 ].…”

Current Evidence to Propose Different Food Supplements for Weight Loss: A Comprehensive Review

“…However, the analysis was limited by the small number of studies included. A successive placebo controlled RCT evaluating the effects of consumption of 4.5 mg/day of spirulina extract in addition to a physical exercise program for six weeks on 45 overweight and obese men did not find any significant changes in anthropometric parameters, whereas it confirmed the lipid lowering effects [132].…”