SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutritional Epidemiology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1624982
This article is part of the Research TopicDietary Pattern and Metabolic SyndromeView all articles
Effects of Spirulina Supplementation Alone or with Exercise on Cardiometabolic Health in Overweight and Obese Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Provisionally accepted
- Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China
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PurposeThis systematic review and meta-analysis evaluates the effects of spirulina supplementation, alone or combined with exercise, on body composition, lipid profiles, glycemic control, blood pressure, and cardiorespiratory health in overweight and obese adults. It also examines the moderating roles of participant characteristics and intervention protocols.MethodsWe systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science from their inception to September 2024. Results were pooled using random-effects models and reported as Hedge’s g (g) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Heterogeneity was explored through subgroup and regression analyses. Bias risk and evidence quality were assessed using the Cochrane RoB 2 tool and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach.ResultsTwenty-three studies (1,035 participants) were included. Spirulina supplementation alone significantly reduced body weight (g = -0.30, 95% CI: -0.53 to -0.08), total cholesterol (g = -0.79, 95% CI: -1.18 to -0.41), triglycerides (g = -0.64, 95% CI: -1.00 to -0.28), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C; g = -0.71, 95% CI: -1.13 to -0.29), and diastolic blood pressure (g = -0.73, 95% CI: -1.43 to -0.03), while increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C; g = 0.53, 95% CI: 0.04 to 1.02). When combined with exercise, spirulina further improved HDL-C (g = 1.08, 95% CI: 0.37 to 1.79) and LDL-C (g = -0.81, 95% CI: -1.59 to -0.04). Subgroup and regression analyses revealed that participant age, body mass index, health status, spirulina form, dosage, and intervention duration influenced outcomes.ConclusionSpirulina may serve as a valuable adjunctive therapy for overweight and obese individuals with metabolic disorders, reducing cardiovascular risk by improving lipid profiles, blood pressure, and body weight. Combining spirulina with exercise enhances certain lipid outcomes. However, its overall impact on body composition and glycemic control appears limited. Further research is needed to confirm its long-term efficacy.
Keywords: Spirulina, Exercise, Overweight, Obesity, Cardiometabolic Health, Meta-analysis
Received: 08 May 2025; Accepted: 09 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Fu, Zhou and Gu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Xueyan Gu, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang, China
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