
































































Spirulina, wakame or goji berries do not lower markers of low-grade systemic inflammation in healthy subjects
							| Functional Foods in Health and Disease - Online ISSN: 2160-3855; Print ISSN: 2378-7007



	

				
						
 
	Skip to main content
	Skip to main navigation menu
		Skip to site footer


			

				
					
						Open Menu
					
										
																Functional Foods in Health and Disease - Online ISSN: 2160-3855; Print ISSN: 2378-7007
										

				


				
				
					
					
						
																					
				
					Home
				
										
									
										Food Science Publisher
									
								
	
									
										Functional Food Center
									
								


							
	
				
					Current
				
							
	
				
					Archives
				
							
	
				
					About
				
										
									
										About the Journal
									
								
	
									
										Aims and Scope
									
								
	
									
										Contact
									
								
	
									
										Editing Services
									
								
	
									
										Editorial Team
									
								
	
									
										Express Peer Review
									
								
	
									
										Graphical Abstract
									
								
	
									
										Journal Insights
									
								
	
									
										Privacy Statement
									
								
	
									
										Submissions
									
								


							
	
				
					Announcements
				
							
	
				
					Search
				
							



				

																						
									
										
										Search
									
								

													

					

					
								
				
					Register
				
							
	
				
					Login
				
							



					

				
			

		

						
			
				


			
		
			
				Home
			
			/
		
	
			
				Archives
			
			/
		
	
				
					Vol. 11 No. 12 (2021): December 2021
				
				/
			
	
			
									Research Articles
							
		



	
		  	 

		
	
		Spirulina, wakame or goji berries do not lower markers of low-grade systemic inflammation in healthy subjects
	


	
	
		

							
					Authors

						
							
								Jose J. van den Driessche
							
															
									Maastricht University
																	
																																		
	
							
								Ronald P. Mensink
							
															
									Maastricht University
																	
																																		
	
							
								Jogchum Plat
							
															
									Department Nutrition and Movement Sciences
Maastricht University
Maastricht, The Netherlands
																	
																																		


				
			
																	
					
												DOI:
					

					
						
							https://doi.org/10.31989/ffhd.v11i12.853
						
					
				
			

						
										
					Abstract

					Introduction: We have earlier reported that consumption of the algae spirulina (Arthrospira platensis or maxima) and wakame (Undaria pinnatifida) for 17 days, and a single dose of goji berries (Lycium barbarum) did not affect fasting or postprandial CVD risk markers in healthy subjects. However, evidence is increasing that low-grade systemic inflammation is also an important marker for CVD risk. Based on information from in vitro and animal studies, we hypothesize that both consumption of the algae spirulina and wakame as well as a single dose of goji berries lowers markers for low-grade inflammation.   
Methods: Two randomized, placebo-controlled, crossover trials were performed. In the algae study, 35 non-hypercholesterolemic, healthy subjects consumed 4.8 grams of spirulina, wakame or placebo for 17 days, separated by 14-day washout periods. After 17 days, fasting serum TNFα, IL-6, IL-8, and hsCRP concentrations were measured. In the goji berry study, 17 healthy, overweight men received a mixed meal with or without 25 grams of dried goji berries. Before and up to 4 hours after meal intake, serum concentrations of TNFα, IL-6 and IL-8 were measured.       
Results: Consumption of spirulina or wakame did not affect serum concentrations of TNFα, IL-6, IL-8 or hsCRP. In the goji berry study, serum IL-6 and IL-8 concentrations increased postprandially. For IL-8, these increases were more pronounced after the goji berry meal compared to the control meal (P = 0.003). No effects on TNFα were observed. 
Conclusion: 17 days of spirulina or wakame consumption, or a single dose of goji berries did not lower markers of low-grade systemic inflammation in healthy, non-immunocompromised subjects. It is plausible that anti-inflammatory effects of these interventions can only be expected in subjects with an inflammatory risk.
Keywords: spirulina, wakame, goji berries, low-grade systemic inflammation, cytokines
				
			
			

						
																																	
						
		


		

						
										
					
						Downloads
					

						
								
	
													


		
	[Abstract]

	
							
	
								
	
													


		
	[Full Article]

	
							


				

						
						
				
					
						Published
					

					
																			2021-11-24
																	

				
							

			
						
										

											
							
								Issue
							

							
								
									Vol. 11 No. 12 (2021): December 2021
								
							

						
					
											
							
								Section
							

							
								Research Articles
							

						
					
									

			
						
										
					
						License
					

										Authors retain the copyright of their articles and grant the Functional Food Center (FFC) and its journals the right of first publication under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, including commercial use, provided the original author(s) and source are properly credited. Authors may post and share their published work freely, provided that the original publication in this journal is acknowledged.

By submitting to this journal, authors confirm that their manuscripts are original, not under consideration elsewhere, and that they hold the necessary rights to grant this license. The Functional Food Center encourages open scientific exchange and allows derivative and extended works, provided attribution to the original publication is maintained.

				

			
			

		

	




	




	


							



	

	

					
				About the Journal      Editing Services      Graphical Abstract      Journal Insights        Submissions        Editorial Team       Privacy Statement        Contact        Current        Archives

 

			

		
		Open Journal Systems Hosting and Support by: OpenJournalSystems.com


	










