Spirulina supplementation during gradual weight loss in competitive wrestlers

Abstract

We aimed to assess the effects of spirulina supplementation during gradual weight loss on serum concentrations of follistatin (FST), myostatin (MST), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and body composition in competitive wrestlers. Forty competitive wrestlers (age: 22 ± 2 years) were randomly assigned to one of two groups: gradual weight loss + spirulina (SP; n=20) or gradual weight loss + placebo (PL; n=20). Subjects in both groups lost weight according to a designed diet over 12 days and were required to reduce baseline body mass by 4%. Subjects in the SP group received two tablets of spirulina, while subjects in the PL received two tablets of placebo before each meal. Concentrations of mentioned serum markers and body composition were measured before and after the interventions. Body mass (SP = -3.1 kg and PL= -2.9 kg), body fat percentage (SP = -2.1 % and PL= -0.6 %), fat mass (SP = -2.2 kg and PL= -0.9 kg), and skeletal muscle mass (SP = -1.4 kg and PL= -1.5 kg) significantly decreased in both groups (P<0.05). The changes in body fat percentage and fat mass were significantly greater in SP compared to the PL group (P<0.001). Additionally, MST (SP = -0.1 ng/ml), AST (SP = -2.1 u/l), and ALT (SP = -2.7 u/l) concentrations significantly diminished in SP group (P=0.005) while FST (PL = -0.1 ng/ml) and IGF-1 (PL = -2.6 ng/ml) concentrations significantly decreased in PL group (P<0.05). Spirulina supplementation during gradual weight loss is beneficial in reducing body fat percentage, fat mass, MST, and liver enzymes while maintaining IGF-1 and FST concentrations in competitive wrestlers.

Most promising alternative protein sources possible to use in sports nutrition – A review

“…Additional benefits of spirulina supplementation in their study were demonstrated by Bagheri et al. (2021). Forty professional wrestlers participated in the study.…”

“…Kalpana et al (2017) showed that spirulina supplementation at a dose of 3 g day À1 could improve cardiorespiratory performance through improved recovery, reduced fatigue, and reduced exercise-induced lipid peroxidation, the similar extent to commercially available antioxidants. Additional benefits of spirulina supplementation in their study were demonstrated by Bagheri et al (2021). Forty professional wrestlers participated in the study.…”

“…The results suggested that spirulina supplementation reduces body fat and reduces liver enzymes while maintaining insulin‐like growth factor (IGF‐1) levels compared to the placebo group. This feature can benefit from using spirulina in athletes (Bagheri et al., 2021). Another double‐blinded randomised study on 15 trained cyclists who were given spirulina for 21 days at a dose of 6 g day −1 showed that the test group, compared to placebo, significantly had lower heart rates and lactate levels and generated significantly higher power during a submaximal exercise test (p<0.05).…”

The effects of conjugated linoleic acid supplementation on anthropometrics and body composition indices in adults: a systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis

“…Therefore, the identification of alternative adiposity-reducing strategies with the potential to prevent or alleviate the negative consequences of obesity is warranted. Apart from lifestyle modification, often considered the cornerstone of a weight management programme (4)(5)(6) , a wide range of supplements are now available touting anti-obesity properties (7)(8)(9)(10) . Among those, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has shown promise as a food supplement to reduce adiposity in preventing overweightness and obesity (11,12) .…”