Research

Hormonal

Spirulina supplementation during gradual weight loss significantly reduces serum myostatin (MST) and liver enzymes (AST, ALT) compared to placebo, suggesting a protective effect on the liver and a reduction in the catabolic environment.

Spirulina supplementation (3g/day) during your weight cut may help protect your liver and reduce catabolic stress. The study showed significant reductions in liver enzymes (AST, ALT) and myostatin (a hormone that limits muscle growth) in wrestlers taking spirulina compared to placebo. This suggests spirulina may help create a less catabolic environment during weight loss.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
MST (SP = –0.1 ng/ml... P = 0.005) concentrations significantly diminished in SP group... AST (SP = −2.1 u/l... P = 0.007) and ALT (SP = −2.7 u/l... P = 0.002) significantly decreased in SP group.
Reza Bagheri et al. · British Journal Of Nutrition · 2021

Why this rating

Same study as N1, RCT design, small sample size, but clear statistical significance for these specific markers.

Source

Spirulina supplementation during gradual weight loss in competitive wrestlers

Reza Bagheri et al. · British Journal Of Nutrition · 2021

DOI 10.1017/s000711452100091x

rct · n=40Cited 14×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →