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Cited by 127Seaweed-derived Bioactive CompoundsAlgal biology and biofuel productionFood Science and Nutritional Studies

The beneficial effects of spirulina focusing on its immunomodulatory and antioxidant properties

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Maddaly, Ravi·2010·Nutrition and Dietary Supplements
DOI 10.2147/nds.s9838
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Abstract

Abstract: Spirulina, linking bacteria and plants is primitive, has a simple structure but a complex composition. It has been a common dietary substance around the world from ancient times. Although dietary usage and supplementation continues to be popular, there was for a long time no strong scientific evidence of spirulina’s nutritive and health benefits. In recent years, spirulina has attracted scientific attention, not only for its various health benefits, but also at a micro level of understanding the mechanisms of action of its various components. From being a ‘complete’ protein source, spirulina and its components have been shown to have positive benefit across a range of human health indications from malnutrition to antioxidant properties. These reports come from in vitro , animal and human studies. Although, few adverse effects of spirulina supplementation have been reported, most of these can be addressed by ‘organic’ production, good culture, harvest and processing practices along with its careful usage in specific conditions such as metabolic disorders. Case reports on effects of spirulina supplementations are many and with a larger evidence base of scientific validation studies, spirulina has the potential to be accepted by global accreditation/certification/approval authorities as a safe nutritional and dietary supplement. Keywords: dietary supplement, immunomodulation, malnutrition, lipid modulation

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  • At a concentration of 50 μM for up to 48 h, C-phycocyanin and β-carotene had an anticancer impact on the human chronic myeloid leukemia (K562) cell line, lowering 49% of cell growth.

    “At a concentration of 50 μM for up to 48 h, C-phycocyanin and β-carotene had an anticancer impact on the human chronic myeloid leukemia (K562) cell line, lowering 49% of cell growth [44].”

    From Trends and Technological Advancements in the Possible Food Applications of Spirulina and Their Health Benefits: A Review. (2022) · cites this paper as [44]

    The Anticancer properties section reports a 49% decrease in K562 cell proliferation after treatment with 50 μM C-phycocyanin for up to 48 hours. It does not attribute that K562 result to β-carotene, so the claim is unsupported for that compound. (LLM, conf=0.92)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Total carbohydrate content of spirulina ranges from 15% to 25% dry weight.

    “On the other hand, a number of additional studies came to the conclusion that the total carbohydrate content of spirulina ranged from 15% to 25% dry weight [32,33,42,44,45,46].”

    From Trends and Technological Advancements in the Possible Food Applications of Spirulina and Their Health Benefits: A Review. (2022) · cites this paper as [44]

    Table 1 (indexed under Conclusion; page unavailable) lists carbohydrates as 15% of spirulina’s composition. It does not give a 15%–25% range or specify that the percentage is by dry weight. (LLM, conf=0.87)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Spirulina supplementation can maintain nutritional balance, reduce blood lipids, modify carbohydrates, drop blood sugar levels by a large amount, and minimize inflammatory stress levels.

    “Spirulina supplementation can be used to maintain nutritional balance, reduce blood lipids and modify carbohydrates, and drop blood sugar levels by a large amount. It can also be used to minimize inflammatory stress levels [44,156].”

    From Trends and Technological Advancements in the Possible Food Applications of Spirulina and Their Health Benefits: A Review. (2022) · cites this paper as [44]

    The 'Role in diabetes mellitus' section says spirulina helps maintain nutritional balance and reports blood-lipid lowering; it also describes correction of abnormal carbohydrate metabolism in diabetic rats. The 'Immunomodulatory properties' section reports reduced inflammatory responses in specific conditions. Neither section establishes a large drop in blood sugar from supplementation, and the carbohydrate finding is limited to a rat model. (LLM, conf=0.86)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Authors
Maddaly, R.
Venue
Nutrition and Dietary Supplements
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2010-07
Pages
73
ISSN
1179-1489 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.2147/nds.s9838
OpenAlex
W2151477353
Cited by
127
References
10
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 4
FWCI
5.89
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Nutrition and Dietary Supplements (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
  • Dove Medical Press (Taylor and Francis Group) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Aquatic Science › Seaweed-derived Bioactive Compounds
  • Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › Algal biology and biofuel production
  • Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Food Science and Nutritional Studies
Keywords
Spirulina, immunomodulation, antioxidant activity, dietary supplements, malnutrition, lipid modulation, complete protein, supplement safety, cyanobacteria, metabolic disorders

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