Table 1 Baseline parameters of participants enrolled in the spirulina placebo-controlled trial

Female

26

50.9%

44

44.9%

0.5

Age

4.3

4.0–4.6

4.3

4.1–4.5

0.9

Weight (kg)

14.0

13.4–14.6

14.4

14.0–14.8

0.3

Height (cm)

99.6

97.5–101.6

100.5

99.1–101.9

0.4

BMI

14.1

13.7–14.3

14.2

13.9–14.4

0.4

Thinness BMI < − 2 SD

12

23.5%

19

19.4

0.3

Child under 5 years (n = 102)

35

67

Wasting: Weight/height < −2

9

25.7%

7

10.4%

0.07

Weight/height < −1

9

25.7%

29

43.2%

Stunting: Height/Age < −2

10

29.4%

13

19.4%

0.5

Height/Age < −1

8

23.5%

18

26.8%

Hematology (n = 99)

n = 29

N = 70

Hemoglobin (g/dL)

12.1

11.8–12.4

11.8

11.7–12.0

0.2

Child with anemia^a*

2

6.9%

9

12.8%

0.3

Eosinophil (/mm³)

1578

1156–2001

1445

1129–1761

0.2

Ferritin (μg/L)

71.93

47.98–72.70

67.74

59.8–75.3

0.9

Ferritin ≤30 μg/L^b

2

6.8%

7

10%%

0.6

C-RP1(mg/L) *

1.8 [1]

0.8–2.7

1.5[4]

1.0–2.1

0.2

C-RP ≥ 6 mg/L *

2

(6.9%)

7

10.0%

0.6