Tuesday Nov 12, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- Simply taking one tablet of spirulina as a dietary supplement daily can effectively lower cholesterol in patients suffering dyslipidaemia, a study recently published in Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture has found. Lowering cholesterol means reducing risk of heart disease, which is a major killer in the United States.
For the study, 42 Cretan outpatients at a median age of 47 years who were recently diagnosed with dyslipidaemia were asked to consume orally one gram of spirulina daily for a total of 12 weeks. The full lipid profile was determined in fasting blood samples both at the baseline and the end of the study. Blood pressure, height, weight and body mass index were also measured and calculated for each participant.
Elias E Mazokopakis from University Hospital of Heraklion in Crete, Greece and colleagues conducted the study and found patients with high cholesterol taking one gram of spirulina daily for 3 months significantly decreased triglycerides, low density lipoprotein cholesterol or bad cholesterol, total cholesterol, non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol and the ratio of total cholesterol to high density lipoprotein cholesterol (good cholesterol).
The study shows that the 3 month dietary supplementation decreased serum triglycerides, low density lipoprotein-cholesterol, total cholesterol, non-high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and the ratio of total cholesterol to good cholesterol by 16.3%, 10.1%, 8.9%, 10.8% and 11.5%, respectively while good cholesterol was not significantly increased.
Although spirulina rendered a hypolipidaemic effect in the patients with high cholesterol, but it did not change blood pressure and body mass index.
The study concluded "Spirulina supplementation at a dose of 1 g daily has powerful hypolipidaemic effects, especially on the triglyceride concentration in dyslipidaemic Cretan outpatients."
Another early study reported in Nutrition Reports International has also found taking spirulina as a dietary supplement can help lower serum levels of cholesterol, which is linked to increased risk for heart disease among other things.
That study involved 30 healthy men with mild hyperlipidemia or mild hypertension with half receiving 4.2 grams of spirulina per day for 8 weeks and half receiving the same dose of spirulina for 4 weeks only.
Spirulina supplementation significantly reduced the total cholesterol but discontinued dietary supplementation led the serum cholesterol back to the baseline. The reduction in the serum cholesterol was found more significant among those with higher cholesterol or higher intake of cholesterol.
Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) is a filamentous cyanobacterium commonly used as a dietary supplement. It is commonly used by the Japanese who enjoy a longer lifespan than the peoples in many other countries. It is also commonly used by athletes and people who engage in exercise.
Spirulina is found high in protein (60% including all essential amino acids, more protein than red meat does), vitamins including vitamins like A, E, D, K and possibly vitamin b12 as well , omega-3 fatty acids, minerals including calcium, iron, potassium, sodium and magnesium and healthful phytochemicals like chlorophyll, a green pigment found in Spirulina.
In addition to the cholesterol-lowering effect, spirulina as an antioxidant is a powerful detoxification agent in the case of arsenic poisoning and others and can be used as a core dietary supplement for a detox program. It can also prevent infections and help control inflammation and inactivate HIV virus and potentially help prevent AIDS because spirulina can increase the immunity.
Spirulina is readily available over the Internet and local health stores in the form of powder and it provides more benefits than lowering cholesterol. For instance, studies revealed that spirulina can help type 2 diabetes mellitus patients to manage their blood sugar.
No side effects have been associated with use of Spirulina as a dietary supplement. It has been used as a healthful food in some regions for a long time. (David Liu, PHD)
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