Spirulina may be beneficial for Alzheimer’s disease Original paper

In this randomized controlled trial, spirulina improved cognitive function in people with Alzheimer’s disease.

The effect of spirulina on cognitive function in people with Alzheimer’s disease.

The primary outcome was the score on the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE; a test used to assess the severity of cognitive impairment). Other outcomes included levels of C-reactive protein (CRP; a marker of inflammation) and blood lipids, and markers of glycemic control (fasting glucose; fasting insulin; Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance, or HOMA-IR; and the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index, or QUICKI).

53 people (ages 55–90) with Alzheimer’s disease, of whom, 50 had moderate disease (an MMSE score of 10–20) and 3 had mild disease (an MMSE score of 21–26).

The participants in this randomized controlled trial were assigned to take either 500 mg of spirulina or a placebo for 12 weeks.

Spirulina increased (improved) MMSE scores compared with placebo (+0.30 vs. –0.38). Spirulina also decreased levels of CRP and improved all of the markers of glycemic control, compared with placebo.

The participants had an average MMSE score of approximately 12 out of 30 at baseline. For reference, a score of 26 or higher suggests no cognitive dysfunction.