A Review of the Health-Promoting Properties of Spirulina with a Focus on athletes’ Performance and Recovery

Abstract

Spirulina species are photosynthetic and filamentous bacteria, commonly called ‘blue-green microalgae’. Spirulina has a high nutrient content. It contains 60–70% protein with all essential amino acids present, and is rich in several vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds. Spirulina is also rich in essential fatty acids, and antioxidants. This rich nutritional content provides to Spirulina several health benefits including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulation, and insulin-sensitizing properties as well as positive effects in various diseases which could be also interesting for athletes. This paper mainly aims to review the interest and effects of Spirulina supplementation in athletes at rest, and in relation to exercise/training. Spirulina’s biochemical composition, health properties/effects in humans, and effects in athletes including nutritional status, body composition, physical performance and intense exercise-related disorders were discussed in this review. Literature data showed that Spirulina seems to have positive effects on body composition especially in overweight and obese subjects which could not be the case in other pathologies and athletes. Spirulina appears to be also effective in improving aerobic fitness especially in untrained and moderately trained subjects. Results reported in the literature suggest that Spirulina may improve strength and power performance despite the minor or no significant effects in highly trained subjects. Most studies have shown that Spirulina improves antioxidant status, prevents and accelerates the recovery of exercise-induced lipid peroxidation, muscle damage and inflammation in trained and untrained subjects. Taken together, the results from these studies are encouraging and may demonstrate the potential benefits of Spirulina supplementation in athletes despite methodological differences.

Keywords:

• Antioxidants
• athletic performance
• body composition
• inflammation
• muscle damage
• Spirulina

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

Mehdi Chaouachi

Mehdi Chaouachi holds a PhD degree in exercise physiology from the department STAPS at university of Rennes 2. As a researcher, he is particularly interested in dietary supplementation, strength and conditioning training, exercise physiology and physical performance optimization in competitive young and adult athletes.

Sophie Vincent

Sophie Vincent is an assistant professor in the department STAPS at university of Rennes 2. As a researcher, she is particularly interested in nutrients, dietary supplementation, exercise or training physiology and physical performance optimization in healthy and pathological subjects.

Carole Groussard

Carole Groussard is an assistant professor in the department STAPS at university of Rennes 2. As a researcher, she is particularly interested the interactions “physical activity, nutrition and health” and more especially on the effects of exercise and/or training associated or not to biologically active ingredients on the pro/antioxidant status in healthy or pathological Humans and animals.