Table 2.
Summary of human trials on effects of algae consumption on lipid metabolism.
| Study population | Study design | Algae | Method of administration | Intervention | Duration | Study outcomes (Blood Lipids) | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intervention: Non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) patients, mean age: 47.8 years, M/F, n = 15 Control: Healthy volunteers, Mean age: 53.4 years, M/F, n = 7 |
Controlled clinical trial | Spirulina (blue-green algae; species not specified) |
Tablets | Intervention: 2000 mg/day Spirulina Control: Not supplemented with Spirulina |
8 weeks | ↓ TG, TC, LDL-C and VLDL-C. | Mani et al. (136) |
| Patients with ischemic heart disease and hypercholesterolemia, 40–60 years, M/F, n = 30 |
Controlled clinical trial | Arthrospira fusiformis (blue-green algae) | Tablets | Intervention 1: 2000 mg/day A. fusiformis Intervention 2: 4,000 mg/day A. fusiformis Control: Not supplemented with A. fusiformis |
12 weeks | ↓ TC, LDL-C, TG, VLDL-C; ↑ HDL-C. | Ramamoorthy and Premakumari (150) |
| Healthy volunteers, > 20 years, M/F, n = 29 | Double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled study | C. vulgaris (green microalgae) | Tablets | Intervention: 5,000 mg/day C. vulgaris Control: 5,000 mg/day placebo (lactose) Consumption of 3 eggs/day to provide 510 mg cholesterol daily |
4 weeks | Suppressed elevation in TC and LDL-C. | Kim et al. (151) |
| At-risk group: Volunteers with high risk of diabetes or hyperlipidemia, > 20 years, M, n = 17 Healthy group: Healthy volunteers, > 20 years, M, n = 16 |
Clinical trial |
C. pyrenoidosa (green microalgae) |
Tablets | Both groups took 8,000 mg/day of Sun Chlorella A | 12 weeks (excluding 4-weeks follow-up) | ↓ TC, LDL-C and HDL-C in volunteers with high-risk factors for lifestyle-related diseases | Mizoguchi et al. (137) |
| Healthy volunteers with mild hypercholesterolemia, mean age: 49.8 years (Intervention), 49.8 years (Placebo), M/F, n = 63 | Randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial | E. cava (brown seaweed) | Tablets | Intervention: 400 mg E. cava extract/day Control: placebo tablet containing no E. cava extract |
12 weeks | ↓ TC and LDL-C. | Choi et al. (153) |
| Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients, 40–70 years, M/F, n = 20 | Randomized controlled trial | Sea mustard (also known as wakame or U. pinnatifida, a brown seaweed) and sea tangle | Pills | Intervention: 48 g algae/day Control: No supplementation |
4 weeks | ↓ TG and ↑ HDL-C. | Kim et al. (82) |
| Study 1: Overweight or obese volunteers (BMI 25-40 kg/m2), ≥ 18 years, M/F, n = 64 Study 2 Overweight volunteers (BMI 25-29 kg/m2), ≥ 18 years, M/F, n = 64 |
Study 1: Double-blinded, randomized, controlled trial Study 2: Double-blinded, randomized, 2-way crossover trial |
Ulva sp. 84 (green seaweed) |
Capsules | Study 1: Intervention 1: 2000 mg SXRG84/day Intervention 2: 4,000 mg SXRG84/day Study 2: Intervention 1: 2000 mg SXRG84/day for 6 weeks Control: Placebo for 6 weeks |
Study 1: 6 weeks Study 2: 12 weeks (no washout period) |
Study 1: ↓ non-HDL-C in overweight volunteers consuming 2000 mg SXRG84/day Study 2: No differences in lipid markers |
Roach et al. (154) |
| Overweight and obese adults with elevated LDL-C (> 2.0 mmol/L), 18–65 years, M/F, n = 34 | Double-blinded, randomized, controlled trial |
F. vesiculosus (brown seaweed) |
Capsules | Intervention: 2000 mg F. vesiculosus Control: 2000 mg rice flour placebo |
12 weeks | No changes in TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C or TC:HDL ratio. | Murray et al. (155) |