Table 1.

Atherosclerosis parameters in rats receiving high fat diet (HFD) and/or spirulina.

Group	Atherogenicity Coefficient (AC)	Cardiovascular Risk Ratio (CRR) (%, w/w)
I	0.85 ± 0.09	1.86 ± 0.09
II	0.25 ± 0.09	1.23 ± 0.09
III	2.66 ± 0.36 #	3.67 ± 0.36 #
IV	1.83 ± 0.13 *	2.83 ± 0.13 *
V	1.73 ± 0.13 *	2.73 ± 0.13 *

Group I, fed with a standard diet; Group II, fed with a standard diet and treated with spirulina; Group III, fed with a high-fat diet (HFD); Group IV, fed with a HFD and treated with spirulina (preventive treatment); Group V, fed with a HFD and, after the development of hyperlipidaemia in the fifth week, treated with Spirulina (curative treatment). Values are expressed as Mean ± SEM; # p < 0.0001 vs. control (group I); * p < 0.05 vs. HFD (group III), n = 8 samples.