Spirulina for Athletes: Does It Really Help?

Key Findings

This narrative review concluded Spirulina supplementation demonstrates potential benefits for athletes, particularly in recovery and antioxidant support. Key outcomes include improved body composition (primarily in overweight/obese populations, less consistent in athletes), enhanced aerobic fitness in untrained/moderately trained individuals, and minor or non-significant effects on strength/power in highly trained athletes. Crucially, most included studies reported Spirulina effectively improved antioxidant status, reduced exercise-induced lipid peroxidation, and accelerated recovery from muscle damage and inflammation across both trained and untrained subjects. The review emphasizes these effects are promising but notes significant methodological heterogeneity among the analyzed studies.

Study Design

This is a narrative review (not an original observational study as mislabeled in the prompt), synthesizing findings from multiple existing human studies on Spirulina and athletic performance. The review analyzed literature on Spirulina's biochemical composition (60-70% protein, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, essential fatty acids), general health properties, and specific effects in athletes regarding nutritional status, body composition, physical performance, and exercise recovery. No single sample size, duration, or methodology applies, as the review aggregates data from diverse primary studies involving both trained and untrained human subjects.

Dosage & Administration

The provided study summary does not specify the doses, duration, or administration methods (e.g., capsules, powder) of Spirulina used across the individual studies included in this review. The review focuses on synthesizing reported outcomes rather than detailing intervention protocols from the primary literature it analyzed.

Results & Efficacy

The review reported consistent findings on Spirulina's impact on oxidative stress and recovery: most analyzed studies showed significant improvements in antioxidant status markers and reductions in exercise-induced lipid peroxidation, muscle damage (e.g., creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase), and inflammatory markers (e.g., IL-6, TNF-α). Effects on performance were population-dependent: aerobic capacity improvements were noted in untrained/moderately trained subjects, while strength and power gains were minor or non-significant in highly trained athletes. Body composition benefits (e.g., reduced fat mass) were primarily observed in overweight/obese cohorts, not consistently replicated in athletic populations. Specific p-values or effect sizes from the primary studies were not aggregated or reported in this review summary.

Limitations

As a narrative review, this study lacks a systematic methodology (e.g., PRISMA guidelines), increasing risk of selection bias and incomplete literature coverage. The review explicitly acknowledges "methodological differences" among the primary studies it analyzed, including variations in Spirulina dosage, study duration, participant training status, and exercise protocols, hindering direct comparison and meta-analysis. It does not address potential publication bias favoring positive results. Future research needs standardized protocols, larger samples of highly trained athletes, and investigation into optimal dosing regimens.

Clinical Relevance

For athletes, Spirulina supplementation shows the strongest evidence for enhancing recovery by mitigating exercise-induced oxidative stress, inflammation, and muscle damage, potentially reducing downtime between intense sessions. Benefits for body composition and aerobic performance appear most relevant for recreational or moderately trained individuals, not elite athletes. Users should manage expectations: Spirulina is not a primary performance enhancer for strength/power in highly trained athletes but may serve as a valuable recovery adjunct. Consulting a sports nutritionist for integration into a comprehensive regimen is advisable.