Chlorella for health: evidence from a GRADE-assessed systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.
8 affiliations
- 1Student Research Committee, Department of Community Nutrition, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. [email protected].
- 2Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Expert Group (SRMEG), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran. [email protected].
- 3Students' Scientific Research Center (SSRC), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
- 4Micronutrient Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Disorders, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
- 5Student Research Committee, Department of Nutrition, School of Health, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran.
- 6Applied Biomedical Research Center, Basic Sciences Research Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. [email protected].
- 7Centre for Research Impact & Outcome, Chitkara College of Pharmacy, Chitkara University, Rajpura, Punjab, 140401, India. [email protected].
- 8Biotechnology Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. [email protected].
Abstract
Background
Chlorella species have attracted attention for their potential to improve cardiovascular and metabolic health; however, comprehensive evidence from controlled trials remains limited.Methods
A comprehensive search of PubMed, CENTRAL, Web of Science, Scopus, and EMBASE databases was conducted up to February 2025. Study quality and certainty of evidence were assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias and Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) tools, respectively.Results
Thirty-three studies were included. Chlorella supplementation led to significant reductions in body fat (Weighted Mean Difference [WMD] = -0.72%; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: -1.09, -0.35; P < 0.001), body mass index (WMD = -0.29 kg/m²; 95% CI:-0.44, -0.15; P < 0.001), weight (WMD = -1.52 kg; 95% CI:-2.07, -0.97; P < 0.001), waist-to-hip ratio (WMD = -0.01%; 95% CI:-0.01, -0.01; P < 0.001), homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (WMD = -0.20; 95% CI:-0.33, -0.08; P = 0.002), insulin (WMD = -0.97 µIU/mL; 95% CI:-1.38, -0.55; P < 0.001), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (WMD = -5.70 mg/dL; 95% CI:-8.10, -3.31; P < 0.001), total cholesterol (WMD = -7.02 mg/dL; 95% CI:-9.78, -4.25; P < 0.001), alanine transaminase (WMD = -4.84 IU/L; 95% CI:-6.46, -3.21; P < 0.001), aspartate aminotransferase (WMD = -3.38 IU/L; 95% CI:-4.65, -2.11; P < 0.001), and lactate dehydrogenase (WMD = -14.13 U/L; 95% CI: -25.18 to -3.09; P = 0.012). Additionally, there were significant increases in high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (WMD = 1.57 mg/dL; 95% CI:0.27, 2.87; P = 0.018).Conclusions
Chlorella supplementation demonstrates meaningful benefits for cardiometabolic health, with effects influenced by species, dosage, and participant characteristics. While this analysis has some limitations, further long-term studies are required to optimize its clinical application. Overall, Chlorella appears to be a promising supplement that may warrant inclusion in dietary interventions.
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BibTeX
@article{jafari2026chlorella,
title = {{Chlorella for health: evidence from a GRADE-assessed systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.}},
author = {Ali Jafari and Helia Mardani and Niloufar Rasaei and Bahare Parsi Nezhad and Amirhossein Sahebkar},
journal = {Systematic reviews},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1186/s13643-026-03276-w},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42928353},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Chlorella for health: evidence from a GRADE-assessed systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis.
AU - Ali Jafari
AU - Helia Mardani
AU - Niloufar Rasaei
AU - Bahare Parsi Nezhad
AU - Amirhossein Sahebkar
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/29
JO - Systematic reviews
DO - 10.1186/s13643-026-03276-w
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42928353
AB - Background Chlorella species have attracted attention for their potential to improve cardiovascular and metabolic health; however, comprehensive evidence from controlled trials remains limited.Methods A comprehensive search of PubMed, CENTRAL, Web of Science, Scopus, and EMBASE databases was conducted up to February 2025. Study quality and certainty of evidence were assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias and Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) tools, respectively.Results Thirty-three studies were included. Chlorella supplementation led to significant reductions in body fat (Weighted Mean Difference [WMD] = -0.72%; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: -1.09, -0.35; P < 0.001), body mass index (WMD = -0.29 kg/m²; 95% CI:-0.44, -0.15; P < 0.001), weight (WMD = -1.52 kg; 95% CI:-2.07, -0.97; P < 0.001), waist-to-hip ratio (WMD = -0.01%; 95% CI:-0.01, -0.01; P < 0.001), homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (WMD = -0.20; 95% CI:-0.33, -0.08; P = 0.002), insulin (WMD = -0.97 µIU/mL; 95% CI:-1.38, -0.55; P < 0.001), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (WMD = -5.70 mg/dL; 95% CI:-8.10, -3.31; P < 0.001), total cholesterol (WMD = -7.02 mg/dL; 95% CI:-9.78, -4.25; P < 0.001), alanine transaminase (WMD = -4.84 IU/L; 95% CI:-6.46, -3.21; P < 0.001), aspartate aminotransferase (WMD = -3.38 IU/L; 95% CI:-4.65, -2.11; P < 0.001), and lactate dehydrogenase (WMD = -14.13 U/L; 95% CI: -25.18 to -3.09; P = 0.012). Additionally, there were significant increases in high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (WMD = 1.57 mg/dL; 95% CI:0.27, 2.87; P = 0.018).Conclusions Chlorella supplementation demonstrates meaningful benefits for cardiometabolic health, with effects influenced by species, dosage, and participant characteristics. While this analysis has some limitations, further long-term studies are required to optimize its clinical application. Overall, Chlorella appears to be a promising supplement that may warrant inclusion in dietary interventions.
SN - 2046-4053
ER -