Tag: cancer fighting properties

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Antiviral Biosea Health

Boost Immunity Fast With Seaweed

Boost immunity fast with seaweed pacific sea moss

Boost Immunity Fast With Seaweed

Boost immunity fast with seaweed is the first line of defence and it needs to be strong. In the human body, the first line of defence against novel viruses is only one special cell in the army of immune defences. And Seaweed is known for building that special army – even in the elderly.

We are hearing a lot about viruses and words like “antibodies”, “vaccines” and “immunity” are now part of our everyday language.

But when it comes to fighting a virus that we have never encountered before, the only words we need to know are “Natural Killer Cells”.

Natural Killer Cells

Natural Killer Cells sound more like science fiction than science, but these cells are the secret weapon in the body’s fight against new viruses.
Viruses are like the hidden spy that infiltrates the government and carries out his evil mission. In the human body, viruses invade our cells where they hide from our other immune defenses and use our own genetic material to replicate themselves.

Natural Killer Cells roam around the body detecting cells that are showing stress from a virus invasion. They quickly kill off the virus loaded cell and prevent it from infecting surrounding cells.

How do we get more Natural Killer Cells? Seaweed.

Antibodies Increase with Seaweed

boost immunity fast with antibody increase with seaweed
Fucoidan from seaweed increases vaccination protection for seasonal flu in elderly patients. [1]

Boost Immunity Fast With Seaweed with Zinc

Boost Your immunity fast with Zinc
Relations among percentages of CD56+lym-phocytes and serum zinc concentrations in healthy, free-living men and women aged ≥90 y [2]

Key to Natural Killers

Like all armies, the Natural Killer Cell army increases its numbers when there is an invasion. When the patrolling Natural Killer Cells detect the virus, they not only kill that cell, they also send a message back to the bone marrow headquarters for more Natural Killers to be built.

Speed up Production of Natural Killer Cells

Sadly, natural killer cells are known to decline with age. However, one study on the elderly in Japan showed that adding seaweed to the diet increased Natural Killer Cells and made the Natural Killer stick around in the body for much longer. (Negishi, Mori et al. 2013) In the fight against novel viruses, the more Natural Killers we have, the better our bodies will cope at keeping the virus at bay.
Seaweed Contains all the Nutrients Needed for More Natural Killer Cells.

Importance of Nutrients

All the nutrients, especially zinc needs to be available for the manufacture of Natural Killers. In a study of elderly in Italy, scientists looked at levels of vitamins and minerals in the blood and the amount of Natural Killer Cells. Those with higher levels of zinc also had more Natural Killers. This in line with what we already know about zinc being effective in stopping virus infections. (Ravaglia, Forti et al. 2000). Seaweed has 7 times the zinc as oranges as well as being packed with vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients to build other parts of the immune system.

So build your first line of defense quickly. Use seaweed capsules or chocolate to increase your Natural Killer Cells before a new virus tries to invade.

References

[1] Negishi, H., M. Mori, H. Mori and Y. Yamori (2013). “Supplementation of elderly Japanese men and women with fucoidan from seaweed increases immune responses to seasonal influenza vaccination.” The Journal of nutrition 143(11): 1794-1798. (Pubmed)

[2] Ravaglia, G., P. Forti, F. Maioli, L. Bastagli, A. Facchini, E. Mariani, L. Savarino, S. Sassi, D. Cucinotta and G. Lenaz (2000). “Effect of micronutrient status on natural killer cell immune function in healthy free-living subjects aged≥ 90 y.” The American journal of clinical nutrition 71(2): 590-598. (PubMed)

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Biosea Health Cancer Reviews

Seaweed Protects Against Lung Cancer

seaweed protects against lung cancer

Prebiotics, including seaweed, and probiotics (yoghurt) prevent lung cancer. How can this be true? Not convinced that seaweed protects against lung cancer. A 2019 study in the Journal of American Medical Association showed prebiotics, including seaweed, and probiotics (yoghurt) have a role in the prevention of lung cancer[1].

How can the gut and the lungs be linked?

The relationship between the gut microbiota and overall health and wellbeing is now well established. Metabolites from the microorganisms, including short chain fatty acids, trigger changes in metabolic pathways throughout the body. It has previously been shown that gut microbiota can influence inflammation in the lungs [2] and also improved lung function in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) [3]

Prebiotics and Probiotics – the difference.

Prebiotics are also known as soluble fibre. They are foods that dissolve when eaten to create a viscous gel that is readily digested by the good bacteria in the colon. This type of fibre is found in legumes and fruit. Prebiotics are different to cellulose rich insoluble fibre which is found in grains and vegetables. These are not digested, but act as bulk to enable bowel movements and prevent constipation.

Probiotics are foods or supplements that already contain a component of bacteria or other micro-organisms. Probiotics deliver bacteria to the lower intestines to improve the ratio of good to bad bacteria. Yoghurt is the most common example of this, but other probiotic foods include kombucha, kefir, miso and sauerkraut.

Peer-reviewed Studies Showing Seaweed protects against Lung Cancer

Scientists from around the world published the study in the Oncology Section of the Journal of the American Medical Association in October 2019.

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of individual or combined prebiotic and yoghurt intake on lung cancer risk. The positive effects from prebiotics and probiotics, specifically yoghurt, have been well documented in the past. Both create health benefits by modulation of gut microbiota and metabolic pathways. However, little research had been done to examine the effect of prebiotic and yoghurt intake on the development of lung cancer.

In this massive study data from 1.4 million participants from America Europe and Asia was collected over a period of 8 years. Scientists looked at fibre intake, yoghurt consumption and other known risks including age, smoking status, obesity and much more.

Results showed that both the prebiotic fibre and yoghurt decreased the risk of lung cancer by just under 20% each. But surprisingly, when prebiotic fibre and yoghurt were combined the risk reduction rose to 30%. This suggests a synergistic effect between prebiotics and probiotics.

Prebiotic Seaweed Protects Against Lung Cancer

Pacific Seamoss has a carbohydrate content of 38 percent, of which 34 percent is prebiotic soluble fibre. Pacific Seamoss, like other functional foods, has a wide variety of beneficial health effects because of its high prebiotic activity. It is the metabolites from the good bacteria which cross into the blood stream to create medicine-like effects throughout the body and improve overall health and resistance to disease.

This study suggests that Pacific Seamoss also confers a reduced risk of lung cancer, up to 30 percent if you are a regular yoghurt eater as well.

But I don’t smoke, so I don’t need to worry about lung cancer

“Unfortunately, this is a myth. 45% of females who get lung cancer don’t smoke”

Smoking is still the major cause of lung cancer accounting for about 90 percent of cancers in males but only 65 percent in females. Secondhand smoke is also a leading cause. But there is a high percentage of lung cancer cases that have no known origin and may be genetically linked or just related to getting older.

Lung Cancer is the Leading Cause of Cancer Deaths

Lung cancer is the 4th most common cancer but the most deadly. While more people are diagnosed with other cancers, including breast, colorectal, skin and prostate cancers, lung cancer is the deadliest with about 9,000 people dying each year in Australia and about 12,000 new diagnoses each year. [4]

The following figure shows that most people are not diagnosed until they are at stage IV, and the 5-year survival rates are terrifyingly close to zero at 3.2%. If diagnosed early as few are, then survival is about 65%.[4]

The 10 most common cancers are shown in the Table below.

From AIHW: Cancer in Australia 2019.

Seaweed Protects Against Lung Cancer – What We Recommend

The ratio of good to bad microorganisms in the colon changes when we change our diet. This study showed that daily consumption of prebiotic soluble fibre will reduce lung cancer risk, and this effect will be greater if a probiotic is also consumed.

We recommend a daily intake of the functional food capsules of Pacific Seamoss because seaweed protects against lung cancer and therefore while it has maximum prebiotic benefits, it also has high nutrient and nutraceutical content. Add your favourite low sugar yoghurt to your diet and not only are you enjoying your food, you are doing something positive for your long term health.

Both your gut and your family will love you for it.

References

[1] J. J. Yang et al., “Association of Dietary Fiber and Yogurt Consumption With Lung Cancer Risk: A Pooled Analysis,” JAMA oncology, 2019. (Abstract here)
[2] J. P. McAleer and J. K. Kolls, “Contributions of the intestinal microbiome in lung immunity,” European journal of immunology, vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 39-49, 2018. (Publication here)
[3] H. Kan, J. Stevens, G. Heiss, K. M. Rose, and S. J. London, “Dietary fiber, lung function, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the atherosclerosis risk in communities study,” American journal of epidemiology, vol. 167, no. 5, pp. 570-578, 2008. (Publication Here)
[4] A. I. o. Health and Welfare, “Cancer data in Australia,” AIHW, Canberra2019, Available: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/cancer/cancer-data-in-australia.

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Biosea Health Cancer Health Benefits

Cancer Fighting Properties of Seaweed

Cancer fighting properties of seaweed eat Pacific Seamoss

Cancer Fighting Properties of Seaweed

Seaweed has been known for millennia to have anti-cancer properties. The Egyptians used seaweed to treat breast cancer as early as 2640 BC, while both Traditional Chinese Medicine and Japanese Folk medicine use seaweed to treat tumors.   Modern science is now recognizing how important seaweed can be for cancer prevention, with studies showing that a diet rich in seaweed can dramatically reduce blood markers linked to breast cancer.

The growth of abnormal cells characterizes cancer, and there are more than 100 cancerous diseases with an enormous health burden worldwide. Carotenoids are a class of biological pigment which are known to have beneficial effects for cancer prevention. Carotenoids, including fucoxanthin, are in many seaweed species and considered by researchers to have incredible potential cancer-fighting properties with promising applications in other areas of human health. Fucoxanthin is one of the most readily available carotenoids that is the subject of research. It is known to stop the growth cycle of cancer cells leading to programmed cell death dramatically slowing cancer growth. Currently, most of the research studies on the anti-cancer effects of  Fucoxanthin are focused on animal subjects. Scientists are excited by the prospect of developing cancer-fighting medications from seaweeds for humans.

Fresh seaweedMuch of this work is with brown seaweeds that have high levels of fucoxanthin. There is accumulating evidence that shows fucoxanthin may have reduction anti-cancer effects on several cancer cells such as lung, breast, colon, prostate, and bladder cancer.

Fucoxanthin has significantly inhibited the growth of prostate cancer by destroying prostate cancer cells. Fucoxanthin has also been identified to substantially reduce the growth of urinary bladder cancer cells by acting as a cancer-inhibiting agent. In a study on mice with skin tumors, the mice were fed fucoxanthin, which led to the suppression of skin tumors resulting in a reduced number of tumors. Studies on human lung cancer cells treated with fucoxanthin also showed a decrease in the number of human lung cancer cells.

The effect of fucoxanthin does not stop at cancer cell reduction. There have been many reports indicating fucoxanthin has a protective effect against the dangerous side effects of drugs. Because fucoxanthin is a natural compound, it is effective without being toxic to the body. It reduces cancer cells plus decreases side effects of conventional cancer treatments leading to improved quality of life cancer patients.

It is not just brown seaweed with anti-cancer activity. Other seaweeds also have anti-cancer activity, but the mode of action is less well understood.

Cancer Research on Pacific Seamoss

One particular seaweed, Pacific Sea Moss©, a red seaweed, containing fucoxanthin in smaller amounts, has been researched on its anti-carcinogenic effects. In Asian cultures such as Korea, Japan, and parts of China, the red seaweed found in Pacific Sea Moss© has long been part of the diets where its consumption is associated with reduced prevalence of breast cancer. Seaweed is also used to treat tumors in traditional Chinese medicine.

Scientists have undertaken several tests on rats induced with a human breast tumor. Once the rats started eating the red seaweed found in Pacific Sea Moss© (Euchemia denticularum “spinosum”), the breast tumors began to decrease in size and number. The mechanism is complicated, but it seems that the seaweed changes the gut microbiome, which reduces the levels of estrogen, which decreases cancer prevalence. The results highlight the importance of marine dietary fiber as a food supplement.

Tests undertaken on human colon cancer cells have showcased the anti-carcinogenic effects of Euchemia spinosum, whereby the human colon cells have died after being administered with the red seaweed found in Pacific Sea Moss©.

Verifiable evidence shows that adding seaweed in our diet may increase the capacity of our bodies to fight against different forms of cancer such as liver, bladder, breast, colon, and prostate cancer. Therefore, these results suggest that the intake of Pacific Sea Moss© has the potential of reducing the risk of several types of cancer.

We make no medical claims.  But we all understand seaweed is healthy. Biosea Health provides seaweed in an easy to consume way with Pacific Sea Moss©  Simply good healthy food.

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Biosea Health Gut Microbiome Heart Health Seaweed for Humanity

Experience backed by Science

Experience is backed by science - eat Pacific Seamoss for health

Is consumer experience backed by science?  What we are looking for is that science provides validation for personal experiences. Seaweed improves health. Scientists know why your blood pressure improves by 15mm Hg. Long term science backs up personal  health improvement. However, one cannot make any health claim. Because the regulatory industry was established for artificial drugs and medicines, and functional foods struggle for registration and have to be tested in human and animal clinical trials.

There are some clinical trials on humans. There are thousands of peer reviewed publications on the health improvements in vitro, in animals and for limited studies, humans. Google Search for “seaweed functional food” returns 3.5 million hits.

Is Experience Backed By Science?

Discussion and peer reviewed publications with

  • Professor Lindsay Brown University of Southern Queensland (been doing research for 20 years on superfoods)
  • Professor Jane Teas Southern Carolina University
  • Dr Jan Villasend – Aarhus University Hospital in clinical research arthritis in Denmark
  • Dr Monique Mulder Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Our “Pacific Seamoss” red seaweed is 35% sulfated polysaccharide and is pretty indigestible, and passes through the stomach into the intestines. The microbiome get busy on it and composition changes and protects the lining. As well as the extra fibre, and normalisation of the bacteria, some of the other 1000 compounds in the seaweed get absorbed. Some of the compounds have been identified and implicated in the beneficial effects. (eg fucoidan) but there are many unknowns on the mechanism.

Some brown seaweeds (Kelp, Dulce) have an issue with iodine levels too high so you cannot eat the 5+ grams per day of seaweed. The five grams is a daily serve of veges.
Is there a major difference between seaweeds. Possibly if you refine them. But if you have them whole there may not be due to the very complicated interactions.

Metabolic Syndrome Clinical Trial with Humans – 2013

Prof Jane Teas. Did a human double blind clinical trial on 40 overweight volunteers who were already on blood pressure tablets and statins. They all had metabolic syndrome so they all had 2 of those symptoms – Hypertension, weight, high cholesterol and sugar intolerance. They were given 5gm of seaweed, between 4 and 8 gm depending on the treatments.

Significant Outcome. Blood pressure was down 10mm Hg. Patients lost on average 3 kg. There was a reduction in type 2 diabetes. Their cholesterol went down by 2 whole points.  The attached paper has more details.

Animal Studies Obesity Fats Rats made Thin 2017

Professor Lindsay Brown from University of Southern Queensland / UQ has been doing functional food research for 15 years on animals. They did do some human trials on Queen Garnet Plums through Univ Victoria with Nutrafruit.com.au. Over his research spanning 2 decades and multiple products, including purple fruits (with anthrocyanin), purple carrots, purple plums, purple corn and also on linseed, and more recently on seaweed with various species the results are the same.

  • Improvement of gut microbiome
  • Reduction or elimination of fatty liver
  • Bone density increase
  • Blood pressure reduction
  • Weight loss reduction
  • Cartilage increase .

What is interesting that essentially fatty liver disease is gone, heart fibrous tissue gone, cholesterol down and good DNA data from the gut microbiome returning to normal.

Prof Brown’s conclusion is that there is no real difference between the whole food and if you try to split out the active compounds. They had done the work for the purple plum and the outcomes were the same for the whole food versus the identified other compounds.

Some of his work has been documented in the media.

Diabetes

Prof Brown’s work with rats over the past 15 years shows all of these conditions improve with the super food. Be it purple carrots, linseed, Purple Garnet Plums, Purple Corn, Achacha (Garcinia humalis) Mangostem, Seaweed. As consumers start to eat seaweed daily then it is clear that consumer experience backed by science, and the challenge is to undertake more science on humans that continue to do work on animal studies.

Fatty Liver and Kidney Disease

In the animal studies Lindsay showed reversal of metabolic syndrome and that fatty liver disappear and kidney function returns.

Breast Cancer – Humans 2013

A short single blind trial by Jane Teas in 2013. Only 16 people, all breast cancer survivors and only for 12 weeks. 4 weeks placebo, 4 weeks 5 gm Unadaria (a brown). The Creatinine levels halved. Creatinine is a marker of inflammation and more importantly implicated in breast cancer. . She was looking to explain why Japanese women have 1/10 breast cancer rates of those in USA

“uPAR is higher among postmenopausal women generally, and for BC patients, it is associated with unfavorable BC prognosis. By lowering uPAR, dietary seaweed may help explain lower BC incidence and mortality among postmenopausal women in Japan. “

There is other animal and invitro studies and it shows that in mice the oestrogen was stripped out. See this blog

Dementia 2019

Prof Brown says animal studies in dementia do not translate well into humans and that 1 drug out of 200 is the track record to date. But Dr Monique Mulder with Sargassum (brown) and others published in Nature in March 2019 that Dietary Sargassum fusiforme improves memory and reduces amyloid plaque load in an Alzheimer’s disease mouse model. The thing seems to be multi-modal in that it provides plant sterols to the brain crossing the blood brain barrier, and stops amyloid plaques and tangles. And reverses it in mice. They are moving from animals to humans in their trials.

Rheumatoid Arthritis and Bowel Inflammation

Dr Jan Villadsen got given some seaweed/rapeseed/fermented mix from FermBiotics.com from his University friend Dr Belinda Bjerre who is a Project Diretor on some of the EU seaweed research programs. The mix was to developed to eliminate use of zinc oxide and antibiotics in pig production. The pig studies show equivalence or better than conventional Zn+antibiotic treatments. Note: zinc is banned in EU animal feed from 2022. A long term rheumatic arthritis (RA) sufferer, Dr Villadsen’s C-Reactive Protein goes to zero in 17 days. Patent. Publications. He and colleagues at Aarhaus are now doing a clinical trial with 200 patients on IBS and RA .

Osteo Athritis

We don’t know exactly which of the 100 different types of arthritis seaweed will work on. There is consistent strong anecdotal evidence. There is in vitro studies. A Nature publication from Prof Xiao and Prof Brown [6] demonstrated when they took the rats from Browns metabolic studies and they identified collagen and connective growth recovery in the rats. This is similar to the osteoarthritis work with extracted fucoidan extracts from brown seaweed.

Conclusion

Functional foods can provide health benefits by reducing the risk of chronic diseases and enhancing the ability to manage chronic diseases, and improving the quality of life. This gives seaweed great potential as a supplement in functional food or for the extraction of compounds.

Our company has a challenge to accelerate the clinical trials and register the benefits to be able to make health claims. Pacific Seamoss is just food. But make your own judgement. No one is stopping you eat food. Even nail growth! We have people where their nails grow more and this is a prime experience backed by science over 11 years ago.

References

[1] Wanyonyi, S; du Preez, R; Brown, L; Paul, N; Panchal, S  2017 Kappaphycus alvarezii as a Food Supplement Prevents Diet-Induced Metabolic Syndrome in Rats. Nutrients (9) 11 DOI:10.3390/nu9111261 (Click for Abstract) (Click to download full paper)

[2] Teas, J et al  2009 Could dietary seaweed reverse the metabolic syndrome? Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 18 (2) 145-157 (Click for Abstract) (Click to download full paper)

[3] Teas, J et al 2013 The consumption of seaweed as a protective factor in the etiology of breast cancer: proof of principle. J Appl Phycol 25 771-779  DOI:10.1007/s10811-012-9931-0 (Click for Abstract) (Click to download full paper)

[4] Bogie, J et al (Including Monique Mulder) 2019 Dietary Sargassum fusiforme improves memory and reduces amyloid plaque load in an Alzheimer’s disease mouse model. Scientific Reports 9 (1) DOI 10.1038/s41598-019-41399-4 (Click for Abstract) (Click to download full paper)

[5] Villasend J;  Silkeborg R 2019 Clinical trial: Investigation of macroalgae as a synbiotic adjuvant in chronic inflammatory diseases. Seagriculture19 Belgium presentation  (Click to download presentation)

[6] Sekar, S., Shafie, S., Prasadam, I. et al. Saturated fatty acids induce development of both metabolic syndrome and osteoarthritis in rats. Sci Rep 7, 46457 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep46457

Media

  • https://www.abc.net.au/local/archives/landline/content/2016/s4419411.htm
  • https://www.abc.net.au/local/archives/landline/content/2015/s4180101.htm
  • https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-15/sleeping-giant:-linseeds-health-properties-could/8711970
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Carrageenan Friend or Foe?

Carrageenan friend or foe

Two forms of carrageenan plus one that is entirely different. What are they and how are they unique?

Carrageenan is Safe and Healthy

Carrageenan is a polysaccharide that naturally occurs in edible red seaweed

Carrageenan extract is commonly used as a food additive or thickening agent in items such as ice-cream and cheese. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have approved the additive for use.

Polysaccharides are naturally occurring carbohydrates or sugars that are cheap, non-toxic and readily available. Carrageenan is mostly used in the food industry as a gelling or thickening agent as well as in the field of pharmaceuticals to test for anti-inflammatory agents. There are many studies that have been conducted on the health effects and the safety of carrageenan. Many of these studies are based what sometimes called “degraded carrageenan”, which is in fact an entirely different molecule called Poligeenan.

  1. Natural carrageenan is found in whole, unprocessed seaweed such as Pacific Sea Moss which has been termed a super food. Seaweed has been the food of our ancestors for millennia.
  2. Food grade carageenan such as that used in the thickening of ice cream is readily extracted from red seaweed, and is processed with alkaline substances. It is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration and also the European regulators.
  3. So-called denatured carrageenan is significantly altered at the molecular level with heat and acid. It is more accurately referred to as poligeenan. Poligeenan is not a food product, and only used in the lab. It is known to  present considerable health risks. 

Confusion between poligeenan and carrageenan

So called denatured carrageenan is in fact a different molecule which is correctly named poligeenan. Poligeenan has been extensively researched on animals and has been shown to cause ulcers and gut tumors, and even cause colon cancer in animals such as rats and mice. Few studies have been extended to humans due to these adverse effects. Poligeenan is not a food substance, it does not occur in nature, rather is is a potent chemical used in industry.

A detailed review of about 45 studies on carrageenan on animals revealed that most of these studies were based on poligeenan, which is derived from but not a form of carageenan. Poligeenan has been found to have harmful health effects. Therefore, it is important to distinguish between these different molecules.

Poligeenan is quite different to carrageenan From [1]

Naturally occurring Carrageenan is good for our health

Natural carrageenan is found in Pacific Sea Moss, which is whole seaweed food and is safe for human consumption. There have been several peer-reviewed studies that support statement. In a study on mice fed on carrageenan extracted from seaweeds, inhibitory activity of tumour growth in mice was detected. In another study on male rats, there was neither detected changes in their body weights nor any change in their health. Carrageenan extracted from red marine algae is a strong anti-inflammatory agent in rodents such as mice. In yet another study, carrageenan from marine algae has shown signs of inducing cells to detect and destroy pathogens found in the body of rats. Another peer-reviewed study used a set of five rats and fed them with carrageenan extracted from red seaweed. After 10 days of observation, there was similar weight gain and fecal excretion in all the rats that were studied. There was no carrageenan detected in the liver or intestines of these rats and the carrageenan excreted in the faeces had similar gel filtration distribution pattern as that of the carrageenan that had been administered.

These studies indicate that the native carrageenan extracted from Pacific Sea Moss is entirely safe and has no negative effects. They are not degraded in the gut and therefore are not toxic. Obviously, if the good carrageenan found in Pacific Sea Moss were to be degraded in the body, it would have been detected in the numerous studies and should have resulted in significant ulceration and tumor growth.

References

[1] Re‐evaluation of carrageenan (E 407) and processed Eucheuma seaweed (E 407a) as food additives European Food Safety Commission

“Seaweed is – all the weed you will ever need.”

You might like these articles:

  1. The Many Uses of Seaweed
  2. How Is Seaweed Linked to Weight loss
  3. Health Benefits of Seaweed. 8 Things You Should Know
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Biosea Health Health Benefits

Seaweed and Motor Neurone Disease

motor neurone disease may be improved with seaweed Pacific Sea Moss

Motor neuron disease has no cure. Seaweed slows progression, repairs brain damage, and reduces decline.

What is Motor Neurone Disease?

Motor neurone disease is also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Approximately 1400 people in Australia are living with this disease. MND typically affects people in their mid-50s and survival is approximately 2-5 years from the onset of symptoms. Although there is currently no cure for MND, an anti-glutamatergic medication is available and slows the progression of the disease.. It is a devastating neurogenerative disorder that affects and destroys the motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. Motor neurons are nerve cells that control essential voluntary muscle activities such as walking, speaking, swallowing, and breathing.

When motor neurons are destroyed, the messages they send out to the muscles start to stop reaching the tissues progressively. Muscles stiffen, weaken, and eventually waste away. As the disease progresses, the affected person starts to lose their ability to do necessary muscular activities such as talking, walking, breathing, and eating. 

Presently, there is no cure or standard treatment for motor neurone disease. People suffering from motor neurone disease are provided with supportive treatment to make them more comfortable while maintaining their quality of life. Other forms of treatment are symptomatic, whereby the therapy focuses on visible symptoms such as respiratory therapy to aid in breathing, and physical therapy to help in limb movement.

What causes motor neuron disease?

About 10 percent of all cases of motor neurone disease is inherited. In contrast, the remaining 90 percent of motor neurone disease cases are thought to be caused by toxic, environmental, viral, or genetic factors. 

What are the symptoms of motor neuron disease?

During the early stages of motor neuron disease, the symptoms of the disease may be similar to those of other conditions, which may complicate diagnosis. However, typical symptoms of this disease mostly start in the mouth, arms, and legs, as well as the respiratory system. Some of the identified symptoms include a weakened grip that makes it challenging for a person to pick up and hold things. Muscle cramps, muscle pains, and twitches, fatigue, trouble breathing, or shortness of breath may also be present. Slurred speech, difficulty swallowing add to the challenges — odd emotional responses like laughing or crying, and weight loss due to muscle wasting.

biosea health 300 tablets

What are the neuro-protective effects of seaweed?

There is significant evidence that oxidative stress has a considerable impact on the role in the progression of motor neurone disease. Oxidative stress is defined as the imbalance between the production of free radicals and the body’s ability to detoxify their harmful effects through neutralization by antioxidants. Oxidative stress is known to impair the architecture and function of cells, which may lead to various chronic neurodegenerative diseases such as motor neuron disease.

Seaweeds possess antioxidant polysaccharides. These have been found to slow down damage to the motor neurons, improve cognitive and motor functions, and reduce cognitive and motor decline in a range of neurodegenerative disorders. The polysaccharides found in seaweeds have been reported to have potent reducing power and can scavenge on the free radicals. Seaweeds also contain fucoxanthin, which is a carotenoid that is considered as a powerful antioxidant and is thought to play a significant role in brain injury. Research has shown that taking foods rich in antioxidant ingredients such as seaweeds has excellent potential in preventing conditions related to oxidative stress. 

You might also like these articles:

1. Health Benefits of Seaweed. 8 Things You Should Know
2. Improve Heart Health
3.Cancer Fighting Properties in Seaweed

For more questions visit FAQ

References

  • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4026683
  • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28968365
  • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28003344
  • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28003344
  • https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25299277
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Biosea Health Cancer Health Benefits

Potential cancer fighting properties in seaweed

Seaweed Cancer Fighting Properties in Pacific Sea Moss

Potential cancer fighting properties in seaweed

Seaweed has been known for millennia to have anti-cancer properties. The Egyptians used seaweed to treat breast cancer as early as 2640 BC, while both Traditional Chinese Medicine and Japanese Folk medicine use seaweed to treat tumors.   Modern science is now recognizing how important seaweed can be for cancer prevention, with studies showing that a diet rich in seaweed can dramatically reduce blood markers linked to breast cancer.

The growth of abnormal cells characterizes cancer, and there are more than 100 cancerous diseases with an enormous health burden worldwide. Carotenoids are a class of biological pigment which are known to have beneficial effects for cancer prevention. Carotenoids, including fucoxanthin, are in many seaweed species and considered by researchers to have incredible potential cancer-fighting properties with promising applications in other areas of human health. Fucoxanthin is one of the most readily available carotenoids that is the subject of research. It is known to stop the growth cycle of cancer cells leading to programmed cell death dramatically slowing cancer growth. Currently, most of the research studies on the anti-cancer effects of  Fucoxanthin are focused on animal subjects. Scientists are excited by the prospect of developing cancer-fighting medications from seaweeds for humans.

Fresh seaweedMuch of this work is with brown seaweeds that have high levels of fucoxanthin. There is accumulating evidence that shows fucoxanthin may have reduction anti-cancer effects on several cancer cells such as lung, breast, colon, prostate, and bladder cancer.

Fucoxanthin has significantly inhibited the growth of prostate cancer by destroying prostate cancer cells. Fucoxanthin has also been identified to substantially reduce the growth of urinary bladder cancer cells by acting as a cancer-inhibiting agent. In a study on mice with skin tumors, the mice were fed fucoxanthin, which led to the suppression of skin tumors resulting in a reduced number of tumors. Studies on human lung cancer cells treated with fucoxanthin also showed a decrease in the number of human lung cancer cells.

The effect of fucoxanthin does not stop at cancer cell reduction. There have been many reports indicating fucoxanthin has a protective effect against the dangerous side effects of drugs. Because fucoxanthin is a natural compound, it is effective without being toxic to the body. It reduces cancer cells plus decreases side effects of conventional cancer treatments leading to improved quality of life cancer patients.

It is not just brown seaweed with anti-cancer activity. Other seaweeds also have anti-cancer activity, but the mode of action is less well understood.

Cancer Research on Pacific Seamoss

One particular seaweed, Pacific Sea Moss©, a red seaweed, containing fucoxanthin in smaller amounts, has been researched on its anti-carcinogenic effects. In Asian cultures such as Korea, Japan, and parts of China, the red seaweed found in Pacific Sea Moss© has long been part of the diets where its consumption is associated with reduced prevalence of breast cancer. Seaweed is also used to treat tumors in traditional Chinese medicine.

Scientists have undertaken several tests on rats induced with a human breast tumor. Once the rats started eating the red seaweed found in Pacific Sea Moss© (Euchemia denticularum “spinosum”), the breast tumors began to decrease in size and number. The mechanism is complicated, but it seems that the seaweed changes the gut microbiome, which reduces the levels of estrogen, which decreases cancer prevalence. The results highlight the importance of marine dietary fiber as a food supplement.

Tests undertaken on human colon cancer cells have showcased the anti-carcinogenic effects of Euchemia spinosum, whereby the human colon cells have died after being administered with the red seaweed found in Pacific Sea Moss©.

Verifiable evidence shows that adding seaweed in our diet may increase the capacity of our bodies to fight against different forms of cancer such as liver, bladder, breast, colon, and prostate cancer. Therefore, these results suggest that the intake of Pacific Sea Moss© has the potential of reducing the risk of several types of cancer.

We make no medical claims.  But we all understand seaweed is healthy. Biosea Health provides seaweed in an easy to consume way with Pacific Sea Moss©  Simply good healthy food.