Table 3.

Subgroup and sensitivity analyses of TC, LDL-C, HDL-C, and TG stratified by previously defined study characteristics

Variables		TC				LDL-C				HDL-C				TG
	Arms	WMD (95% CI)	P	I2 (%)	Arms	WMD (95% CI)	P	I2 (%)	Arms	WMD (95% CI)	P	I2 (%)	Arms	WMD (95% CI)	P	I2 (%)
Spirulina dose
<2 g/d ≥2 g/d	3 9	−25.51 (−53.52 to 2.50) −35.41 (−51.43 to −19.39)	0.07 0.0001*	86 96	3 8	−21.57 (−56.54 to 13.39) −37.62 (−63.23 to −12.00)	0.23 0.004*	93 95	3 8	2.39 (−4.86 to 9.65) 7.21 (−0.44 to 14.85)	0.52 0.06	74 95	3 9	−26.04 (−64.07 to 11.99) −41.65 (−63.18 to −20.12)	0.18 0.0001*	74 76
Duration
<12 weeks ≥12 weeks	3 9	−8.45 (−26.33 to 9.42) −38.88 (−56.05 to −21.72)	0.35 0.0001*	50 95	2 9	−18.12 (−36.69 to 0.45) −35.06 (−54.30 to −15.82)	0.06 0.0004*	0 97	2 9	2.58 (−2.72 to 7.88) 6.66 (0.22 to 13.11)	0.34 0.04*	0 95	3 9	−29.35 (−58.65 to −0.05) −40.65 (−55.82 to −25.49)	0.05 0.0001*	0 80
Types of control used
No intervention Placebo	6 5	−58.90 (−82.53 to −35.28) −12.74 (−21.89 to −3.59)	0.0001* 0.006*	97 0	6 5	−54.38 (−80.57 to −28.19) −8.21 (−17.41 to 0.99)	0.0001* 0.08	98 12	6 5	10.46 (1.73 to 19.19) 0.61 (−2.44 to 3.67)	0.02* 0.69	97 0	6 5	−54.58 (−70.22 to −38.94) −9.93 (−29.13 to 9.26)	0.0001* 0.31	80 0
Sensitivity analysis
Removing the studies that used the soybean as control	11	−37.28 (−53.05 to −21.52)	0.0001*	94	11	−33.16 (−50.52 to −15.79)	0.0002*	96	11	5.81 (0.10 to 11.51)	0.05	94	11	−40.80 (−54.74 to −26.86)	0.0001*	74

Note:

^*Indicates a significant result.

Abbreviations: HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; TC, total cholesterol; TG, triglycerides; WMD, weighted mean differences.