Effect of Spirulina Supplementation and Eight Weeks of Combined Exercises on Blood Pressure and Lipid Profile in Women with Hypertension

Background and Aim: High blood pressure and increased lipid profile are risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. To improve cardiovascular health, lifestyle changes should be considered as a guide to reduce people’s inactivity and modify healthy eating patterns. Spirulina is a green alga and has been considered as a food supplement for the treatment of various diseases. This study was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of spirulina supplement and eight weeks of combined exercises on blood pressure and lipid profile in women with high blood pressure. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted as a clinical trial in 40 women with high blood pressure (50-60 years old). People were included in the study in 4 intervention and control groups. The data were collected during two stages of pre-test and post-test in terms of changes in blood pressure and lipid profile. The supplement intervention group consumed 4.2 grams of spirulina supplement daily and had an exercise intervention of 8 weeks of combined aerobic and resistance exercises. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS software (version 23), one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s post hoc test at level 0.05. Results: The results of ANOVA showed that there was a significant difference between systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, and VLDL, after the test, in the study groups (P-value