Research · Systematic review
Spirulina in clinical practice: evidence-based human applications
Selmi C, Leung PS, Fischer L et al. · 2011 · Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Key finding
Systematic review of spirulina human clinical trials across multiple health outcomes. Consistent evidence for lipid improvements and modest glycaemic effects. Emerging evidence for immune modulation (NK cell activity, anti-allergy) and antioxidant biomarker reduction. No serious adverse events reported across the reviewed trials.
Why this matters for consumers
A broad systematic review covering the full scope of spirulina clinical evidence as of 2011. Provides a useful snapshot of the evidence base — what was established, what was preliminary, and where the gaps were. The absence of serious adverse events across trials is the most clinically significant finding from a safety perspective.
Study limitations
Systematic review of heterogeneous, generally small trials; publication bias likely; most included studies are small and not replicated.
Related studies
The effects of spirulina on anemia and immune function in senior citizens
Selmi et al. · 2011
Spirulina maxima prevents induction of fatty liver by carbon tetrachloride
Torres-Durán et al. · 2007
Antihyperlipidemic effects of spirulina in patients with type 2 diabetes
Mani et al. · 2000
Supplementation with spirulina in a standard anti-diabetic regimen
Parikh et al. · 2001
New research, when it matters
Curated science, recipes, and brand intel — once a week, no spam, unsubscribe in one click.