Spirulina as a functional food and its health uses
What it found
Spirulina is a rich source of protein, essential fats, vitamins, minerals and plant compounds, and studies suggest it may help with conditions like diabetes, cancer, heart problems, COVID-19, brain inflammation and gut imbalance.
It is also used in many foods and was taken by NASA astronauts on Moon and Mars missions.
What they found
Studies in people and animals
Disease potential
Studies suggest spirulina may be promising for treating diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disorders, COVID-19, neuroinflammatory conditions and gut dysbiosis.
Other findings
Nutritional makeup
Spirulina is a rich source of complete proteins, essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and bioactive compounds such as carotenoids, chlorophyll and xanthophylls.
Food uses
Spirulina is used in sports supplements, bakery products, beverages, dairy products, snacks and confectionery.
Space missions
NASA has used spirulina for astronauts on space missions to the Moon and Mars.
Food additive potential
Spirulina's use as a natural food additive has enormous potential for further research.
What the authors conclude
- They say spirulina's high nutritional profile and disease-fighting potential make it suitable for many food formulations.
- They advise that further progress can be made in using spirulina in the food additive industry, based on previous studies.
How it was done
The authors wanted to give an overview of what spirulina is made of, what it might do for health, and how it is used in food products.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This is a review of previous studies, so it cannot prove that spirulina causes any health effect in people.
- The studies included may have different designs and quality, so the findings are not definitive.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS), Pakistan; Riphah International University, Pakistan; Health Services Academy, Pakistan
The paper
- Title
- Spirulina, an FDA-Approved Functional Food: Worth the Hype?
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Ahmad AMR, Intikhab A, Zafar S, et al (2023). Spirulina, an FDA-Approved Functional Food: Worth the Hype?. Cellular and molecular biology (Noisy-le-Grand, France). doi:10.14715/cmb/2022.69.1.24PubMed 37213142DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error