Exercise and Spirulina: Effects on Anxiety

Stress is a major cause of mood disorders including anxiety and depression. Effective lifestyle and nutritional strategies that can manage or reduce stress are therefore seen as being beneficial to the prevention or treatment of stress. Spirulina platensis is a cyanobacteria that is freeze dried and made into a nutritional supplement due to its high nutriative capacity. Evidence suggests that consuming nutritionally dense foods such as spirulina may be beneficial and help overcome mood disorders, particularly when combined with exercise. In one study researchers exposed adolescent rats to stress and this caused them to significantly increase anxious behaviour in adulthood. However, if rats were administered spirulina and allowed to exercise, the anxious behaviour was significantly attenuated in later life. Therefore correct nutritional and lifestyle adjustments during adolescent years may play a significant role on mood during adulthood, and these changes may significantly improve the quality of life of the individual. 

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Moradi-Kor, N., Dadkhah, M., Ghanbari, A., Rashidipour, H., Bandegi, A. R., Barati, M., Kokhaei, P. and Rashidy-Pour, A. 2020. Protective Effects of Spirulina platensis, Voluntary Exercise and Environmental Interventions Against Adolescent Stress-Induced Anxiety and Depressive-Like Symptoms, Oxidative Stress and Alterations of BDNF and 5HT-3 Receptors of the Prefrontal Cortex in Female Rats. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment. 16: 1777

About Robert Barrington

Robert Barrington is a writer, nutritionist, lecturer and philosopher.
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