Combination of Spirulina Supplementation and Moderate Physical Activity Reduced Weight, Abdominal Fat and Malondialdehyde in Obese Rats

Background: Obesity is a multifactorial disease that appears as an accumulation of excess fat tissue due to an imbalance in calorie intake. The phycocyanin pigment in spirulina is a powerful antioxidant that helps weight loss by reducing Malondialdehyde (MDA), a free radical degradation that increases obesity cases and complicates the management. This study aimed toseethe effect of spirulina supplementationwith moderate physical activityto reduce body weight, abdominal fat, and MDA levels in obese male Wistar rats. Method: The randomizedposttest only control group design was conducted on 36 obese male Wistar rats, aged 3-4 months. The total sample was divided evenly into a control group and a study group. The study group received a standard diet and 10 mg/ml oral spirulina supplementation twice a day while the control group was given a standard dietwithNaCl 0.9 %, both accompanied by moderate physical activity for 28 days. MDA level examination, weighing, and abdominal fat weight measurements were carried out after the intervention was done. Results: The results showed that the mean body weight and weight of abdominal fat were significantly lower in the study group compared to the control group, 229.87.18 gr versus 235.58.33 gr, p=0.036 and 4.550.86 gr versus 5.430.72 gr, p=0.002. The MDA level median was also lower in the study group than the control group, 0.73 (0.62-0.81) m versus 1.79 (1.64-2.82) m, pless than0.001. Conclusion: Spirulina supplementation with moderate physical activity reduced body weight, abdominal fat weight, and MDA levels in obese male Wistar rats.