Effect of Spirulina Supplementation on Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Open accessAbstract
Spirulina is a microalga that presents various important pro-health properties, for instance lowering blood pressure in the research. The study aims to appraise the efficacy of Spirulina administration on systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were retrieved by a systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library databases from inception to June 2021 according to a standardized protocol. The effect size of each study was counted from mean and standard deviation before and after the intervention and shown as Un-standardized mean difference and 95% confidence interval. Sensitivity analyses were performed. Meta-analysis on 5 RCTs with 230 subjects was eligible. The amount of Spirulina ranged from 1 to 8 g per day, and intervention durations ranged from 2 to 12 weeks. Data analysis indicated that Spirulina supplementation led to a significant lowering of SBP (Mean Difference (MD): −4.59 mmHg, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): −8.20 to −0.99, I square statistic (I2) = 65%) and significant lowering of DBP (MD: −7.02 mmHg, CI: −8.86 to −5.18, I2 = 11%), particularly in a subgroup of hypertensive patients. Spirulina administration might have a supportive effect on the prevention and treatment of hypertension. More exact randomized controlled trials are needed to clarify the effect of Spirulina supplementation on blood pressure.
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Clinical trials involving Spirulina supplementation in adults with hypertension and dyslipidemia demonstrated significant reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides, alongside modest increases in HDL-cholesterol.
“Clinical trials involving Spirulina supplementation in adults with hypertension and dyslipidemia have demonstrated significant reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides, alongside modest increases in HDL-cholesterol”
From Navigating the potential of algal peptides: health effects, market applications, and scientific challenges (2026) · cites this paper as [133]
The Results (sections 3.3 and 3.4; page not provided) report significant reductions in systolic and diastolic blood pressure with Spirulina. The Discussion (section 4; page not provided) mentions improved lipid metabolism, but the paper does not report the claimed significant changes in total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, or HDL-cholesterol; its analyzed outcomes were blood pressure. (LLM, conf=0.90)
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References 40 · Cited by 33
- Authors
- Machowiec, P., Ręka, G., Maksymowicz, M., Piecewicz-Szczęsna, H., & Smoleń, A.
- Affiliations
- Medical University of Lublin (PL)
- Department of Epidemiology and Clinical Research Methodology, Medical University of Lublin, 20-080 Lublin, Poland
- Corresponding author
- Machowiec, Piotr
- Venue
- Nutrients
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Published
- 2021-08-31
- Volume
- 13
- Issue
- 9
- Pages
- 3054
- ISSN
- 2072-6643 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC8468496
- OpenAlex
- W3197030120
- Cited by
- 33
- References
- 40
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 3
- FWCI
- 0.93
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Nutrients (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Blood Pressure and Hypertension Studies
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Aquatic Science › Seaweed-derived Bioactive Compounds
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Protein Hydrolysis and Bioactive Peptides
- Keywords
- Spirulina, blood pressure, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, hypertension, dietary supplementation, microalgae, antihypertensive effect
- MeSH terms
- Blood Pressure, Humans, Hypertension, Phytotherapy, Dietary Supplements, Spirulina
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