Spirulina platensis, a single-celled blue-green algae used in supplements, is often taken for the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. A new study from Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, in Iran, tested the efficacy of spirulina supplementation on the body mass index (BMI), weight and cholesterol levels of 64 obese adults between the ages of 20 and 50.

Subjects were divided into intervention and placebo groups. The intervention group took twice-daily supplements of Spirulina platensis for 12 weeks. BMI, fasting blood samples and lipid profiles were assessed at the beginning and end of the study, and food intake and appetite were reported daily. The scientists found more than double the reductions in both body weight and BMI in the spirulina group, compared to the control group. In addition, reductions in both total cholesterol and appetite were found in the intervention group.

This article appears in the October 2017 issue of Natural Awakenings.