Tag: healthy heart

Fight Viruses Naturally with Seaweed

Post author By Lea Sterling
Post date February 29, 2020

Fight viruses naturally with seaweed, as the latest pandemic spread across the entire world. There has never been a better time to boost your immune system. You can fight viruses with seaweed because seaweed is packed with phytonutrients and prebiotics that boost your immunity quickly. But Seaweed is also a powerful tool against the big guns of the virus world such as SARS and HIV/AIDS.

Not convinced?

Here are some of the reasons why seaweed should be your first choice in building your immune health before a virus hits your neighbourhood!

Fight Viruses Naturally

Back in 2004, it was noticed there were higher rates of HIV/AIDS infection in Africa than in South East Asia. Rates in Asia were one-tenth of those in Africa so there must have been something other than sexual contact that was causing the difference. When scientists noticed lower HIV/AIDS rates in pockets of Africa where spirulina was eaten, they decided it was marine algae or seaweed that made the difference. [1]

In 2006, New Scientist[8] reported that a seaweed compound blocks cervical cancer known to be caused by the human papillomavirus [9]. Lead researcher Schiller (USA Bethesda Cancer Institute) said “we were floored by how much better it worked than anything else we tested”. Same mode of action – stopped the virus getting into the cells. But someone needed to take the product through the approval process. And no one did. A popular vaccine came out at the same time, so further research was shelved.

Research in 2008 [6] showed human rhinoviruses (HRVs) are a predominant cause of common cold and implicated in the worsening of COPD and asthma, as well as the loss of lung transplants. Despite significant efforts, no anti-viral agent is approved for the prevention or treatment of HRV-infection. They suggested spraying the nasal passages with carregeenan. But no one has developed such a product.

We now know it is the sulfated polysaccharides in the cell walls of the seaweed that stop the viruses in their tracks. The seaweed stops the virus from entering cells, so it cant hijack our immune system and make us ill. [2]

RED SEAWEED REDUCES VIRUS LOAD

Fight viruses with seaweed — Carrageenan inhibited cold viruses in cell culture. (See reference [6])

RED SEAWEED COLD VIRUS

Fight Viruses Naturally with Seaweed and High Zinc Levels

Seaweed has 7 times more zinc than oranges. Zinc is involved in all cellular processes, but it is especially important to immunity.

Increased zinc prevents viruses from binding to RNA in cells, so the virus cannot multiply and increase infection in its host. Studies in SARS virus have shown that zinc causes a 3-4 fold reduction in the percentage of the virus binding to RNA. [3]. It is entirely probable that the same mechanism holds for the most recent virus.

Check out our label for the minerals and vitamins in Pacific Seamoss or Kappaphycus alvarezii. This demonstrates that you can fight viruses with seaweed

Seaweed is high in antioxidants

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are broken molecules also called free radicals. They appear in cells during infections to kill the invaders but also do damage to the host cell.
Antioxidants in seaweed show excellent scavenging ability. [4]
Antioxidants roam the cells scavenging excess ROS and prevent damage to the underlying cells and tissues.

This is especially important when the infection is in the lungs as is the case with the latest virus. [5] This shows you can fight viruses with seaweed.

ANTIOXIDANTS REDUCE LUNG INFECTION

Fight viruses with seaweed. Effect on lung capacity — Look in graph B to a 25% reduction. Reference Snelgrove 2006 [5]

ZINC REDUCES VIRAL LOAD

Conclusion

For more than 16 years, science has shown you can fight viruses with seaweed. The current SARs like virus is almost at the pandemic stage globally.

What do you have to lose?

References

[1] J. Teas, J. R. Hebert, J. H. Fitton, and P. V. Zimba, “Algae–a poor man’s HAART?,” Medical Hypotheses, vol. 62, no. 4, pp. 507-510, 2004. (Science Direct)

[2] E. M. Brown et al., “Seaweed and human health,” Nutrition reviews, vol. 72, no. 3, pp. 205-216, 2014.

[3] A. J. Te Velthuis, S. H. van den Worm, A. C. Sims, R. S. Baric, E. J. Snijder, and M. J. van Hemert, “Zn2+ inhibits virus and arterivirus RNA polymerase activity in vitro and zinc ionophores block the replication of these viruses in cell culture,” PLoS pathogens, vol. 6, no. 11, 2010. (PLOS)

[4] K. S. Kumar, K. Ganesan, and P. S. Rao, “Antioxidant potential of solvent extracts of Kappaphycus alvarezii (Doty) Doty–An edible seaweed,” Food chemistry, vol. 107, no. 1, pp. 289-295, 2008.(Link Here)

[5] R. J. Snelgrove, L. Edwards, A. J. Rae, and T. Hussell, “An absence of reactive oxygen species improves the resolution of lung influenza infection,” European journal of immunology, vol. 36, no. 6, pp. 1364-1373, 2006. (PLOS)

[6] Grassauer A, Weinmuellner R, Meier C, Pretsch A, Prieschl-Grassauer E, Unger H. Iota-Carrageenan is a potent inhibitor of rhinovirus infection. Virol J. 2008;5:107. Published 2008 Sep 26. doi:10.1186/1743-422X-5-107 (PubMed)

[7] Koenighofer, M., Lion, T., Bodenteich, A. et al. Carrageenan nasal spray in virus confirmed common cold: individual patient data analysis of two randomized controlled trials. Multidiscip Respir Med 9, 57 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1186/2049-6958-9-57 (SpringerLink)

[8] Khamsi, R 2006 Seaweed compound blocks cervical cancer virus New Scientist

[9] Buck CB, Thompson CD, Roberts JN, Müller M, Lowy DR, et al. (2006) Carrageenan Is a Potent Inhibitor of Papillomavirus Infection. PLOS Pathogens 2(7): e69. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.0020069

Tags anti inflammatory, health benefits of seaweed, healthy heart

Biosea Health Heart Health Reviews

Blood Pressure Control with Seaweed

Post author By Hugh Butler
Post date February 20, 2020

Blood Pressure Control with Seaweed Dietary Supplement

Hi, I’m Dr Hugh Butler Co-founder. Over the past 8 years my blood pressure had slowly risen by 15 mmHg from 120 to 135. I had not realised this until I dug out the data. Was it just that I had aged 8 years? It was not a lifestyle disease as I have been doing upper body exercises and trying to do the moving more. I started eating Pacific Seamoss seaweed in October. The research for blood pressure control with seaweed dietary supplement was in the science literature when we started down this road. To my surprise, my blood pressure fell 15mm over 3 weeks. While 15mm may not seem much, it moves me from a Hazard Ratio from 1 down to 0.8. That’s a risk reduction of a heart event by 30%. (The hazard ratio is logarithmic).[1]

Blood pressure control is very important for reduction of risks — Hazard ratio of cardiac event. Note the increase from 120 to 140mmHg increases the Hazard ratio by nearly 15%

Blood Pressure Control with Seaweed 2007

Associate Professor Jane Teas [2] published 13 years ago blood pressure could be reduced if people took a seaweed dietary supplement. She published this information in a number of journals and articles but to our surprise, no one seemed to take any notice.

Method

She used a good trial design of a double blind crossover clinical trial using 2 groups. One had lower levels of seaweed, with a placebo group and 4g, and another group ate medium (4g) or higher rate of seaweed (6g).
The brown seaweed Undaria pinnatifida (Japanese wakame) was the seaweed supplement given.
Only the sporophylls of the seaweed were used. This area of seaweed is used for smoothies.
The blades and leaves were not used to avoid giving the patients high levels of iodine at the rates used..
The seaweed was provided in capsules and treatments were placebo, none, 4g or 6g per day. On the high rate patients needed 12 capsules!

The patients, all volunteers had at least one of the symptoms of metabolic syndrome. The criteria for metabolic syndrome includes at least three of the following four conditions

Waist circumference greater than 102 cm for men or greater than 88 cm for women;
Fasting triglycerides greater than ≥ 150 mg/dL, HDL cholesterol < 40 mg/dL (male), < 50 mg/dL (female);
Blood pressure greater than 130/85 mm Hg;
Fasting glucose greater than 110 mg/dL.

wakame parts — The brown seaweed Undaria pinnatifida (Japanese wakame) was harvested, and only the sporophyll part used as the leaf has too much iodine

All the participants had a large waist and 2 of the other symptoms. None of the participants were taking medication.

SEAWEED REDUCED BLOOD PRESSURE AND DECREASED WAIST

blood pressure control with seaweed dietary supplements after 8 weeks of eating seaweed — From Jane Teas 2007. After 8 weeks of consuming seaweed, blood pressure was reduced 14 mmHg, and waist was reduced 6 cm for females in the study.

Results

The results are really clear and blood pressure control with seaweed dietary supplement is unequivocal. Seaweed reduced both blood pressure and weight:

Seaweed reduced blood pressure by a about 12 to 16mmHg.
There was a dose response. More seaweed reduced blood pressure more.
There was no effect when the blood pressure was normal.
Some participants (females only) lost over 6 cm of waist and lost weight as well(statistical)

As the trial was restricted to just 8 weeks then some changes may require longer consumption of the seaweed. Pressure Control with Seaweed

Prof Lindsay Brown (Wanyonyi et al 2017 [3]) from the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) has been studying functional foods for over 15 years. Functional foods are foods that are eaten in normal daily quantity that are just food, but they have a drug like additional effect. The experiment on blood pressure control with seaweed dietary supplement with Kappaphycus alvarezii was done as a prevention trial.

ANIMALS 2017 – BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL WITH SEAWEED

blood pressure control with seaweed dietary supplement also stopped weight gain — From Wanyonyi 2017. Addition of seaweed prevented weight gain in rats on a junk food diet.

blood pressure control with dietary seaweed supplement in 2017 — From Wanyonyi 2017. Seaweed brought down the blood pressure to the same as the standard food diet. Junk food caused hypertension in the animals

Design of Experiment of Dietary Supplement

One group of rats were fed normal rat chow.
Second group were given a high fat, high sucrose diet (just like junk food)
A third group had the junk food along with the seaweed at 5% w/w added to the seaweed. This amount of seaweed was designed to equate to the amount of seaweed humans are thought to consume daily.

Human: Queen Garnet Plum Trials

Prof Lindsay Brown has published over 174 articles over the past 15 years on “functional foods” and used rat obesity models. For most of these studies, blood pressure was reduced. In work with Queen Garnet Plums, rats showed a remarkable reduction in blood pressure. The animal study was followed by a human study in 2016 with 24 participants showed reduction in blood pressure but no cognitive improvement. [5]. It would not be unreasonable to assume other functional foods all provide reduction in hypertension in humans.

Conclusion: Results Are Hard to Believe!

The logical conclusion is actually very hard to accept. One can eat junk food with impunity! Remember, this study is with rats not humans. But the thought that one can eat junk food and instead of becoming obese, its as though you ate a standard diet.

In this animal trial, seaweed protected against

Weight gain
Increased blood pressure
Reduced fatty liver
Decreased glucose response
Improved inflammatory diseases.
Changes in microbiome.

Check out the publication for some of the big changes in inflammation in the heart and stomach.

Why?

The gut microbiome changed markedly. The figure below shows the very large effects on just 4 genera of bacteria. With Bacteriodes, you can see that the junk food diet reduced numbers. Seaweed reversed that and numbers are even higher than the standard diet. With a negative genera such as Clostridiacea bacteria, the levels with the junk food were 3 times higher, and the seaweed reduced the levels right back down to the standard diet.

blood glucose control with seaweed dietary supplement — From Wanyonyi 2017. Blood glucose controlled with seaweed provided as a dietary supplement.

gut microbiome changes are the likely reason that blood pressure control with seaweed dietary supplments worked. — Figure from Waynonyi 2017. The microbiome was radically changed with the introduction of Kappaphycus alvarezii to the diets of the junk food animals.

Animal Studies 2020 – Seaweed

Professor Lindsay Brown and his team from USQ (du Preez et al 2020 [4]) repeated this experiment in 2019. Professor Nicholas Paul from University of the Sunshine Coast grew the seaweed in tanks at Bribie Island. The experiment is a repeat of many of Professor Brown’s trials with functional food, in that this trial design is an intervention trial. An intervention trial feeds rats over 6 to 8 weeks with a junk food diet. At this stage the rats are obese and have symptoms just like 65% of Australians or 80% of Americans have. (Like the human patients in Professor Teas trial as above. I.e. hypertension, visceral fat, glucose intolerance etc)

They used a Southern Queensland red seaweed called Sarconema filiforme.
Trial design was an intervention trial.
Rats are fed either a standard or a high fat/sugar diet for 8 weeks. The junk diet has induced obesity in the rats.
Treatment was then the introduction of red seaweed at 5% w/w for both standard and junk diets
Animals were then measured over the next 8 weeks.

Blood pressure control with seaweed dietary supplement reduces liver inflammatory cells — From du Preez 2020. Seaweed markedly reduces liver inflammatory cells in less than 8 weeks. The damage is completely mitigated by the seaweed.

Conclusive Results: Blood Pressure Control with Seaweed

Key findings are much the same as in their previous seaweed prevention trial, the multiple trials with other functional food or even Professor Teas trials from 15 years previously.

Seaweed started to reverse the weight gain from junk food.
Seaweed decreased abdominal and liver fat.
Junk food massively increased inflamed fatty liver cells
Seaweed completely reversed the number of fatty liver cells by 100%. So while weight may not have returned to normal, inflammation from the junk diet disappeared.
Total plasma cholesterol concentrations fell.
Blood pressure increase by junk food was completely reversed by eating seaweed.

Blood pressure control with dietary seaweed supplement mmHg — Figure from du Preez et al 2020. Data shows significant reduction. Seaweed reduced blood pressure back to normal

From du Preez 2020. Sarconema seaweed reduced plasma total cholesterol significantly. See publication for other metabolic variables

Microbiome are Key to Understanding

Like the previous 2017 paper gut microbiome changed. The correlation (Figure 12 of du Preez) is shown below.

Furthermore the authors were able to correlate between the bacterial community structure and the physiological parameters.

gut microbiome correlelates with blood pressure control with seaweed dietary supplements — Figure du Preez et al 2020. The correlation between gut microbiome genera and physiological outcomes.

Conclusions – Unbelievable!

If you must eat eat junk food, eat seaweed. Seaweed reduces blood pressure ( hypertension); seaweed eliminates fatty liver; reduces inflammation; eliminates glucose intolerant; reduces high cholesterol, and reduces weight.

References

[1] Wu, C.-Y. et al. High Blood Pressure and All-Cause and Cardiovascular Disease Mortalities in Community-Dwelling Older Adults. Medicine (Baltimore) 94, (2015).

[2] Teas, J. et al. Could dietary seaweed reverse the metabolic syndrome? 145–157 http://apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/APJCN/18/2/145.pdf (2009).

[3] Wanyonyi, S., du Preez, R., Brown, L., Paul, N. A. & Panchal, S. K. Kappaphycus alvarezii as a Food Supplement Prevents Diet-Induced Metabolic Syndrome in Rats. Nutrients 9, 2 (2017).

[4] du Preez, R. et al. Carrageenans from the Red Seaweed Sarconema filiforme Attenuate Symptoms of Diet-Induced Metabolic Syndrome in Rats. Mar. Drugs 18, 97 (2020).

[5] E.O. Igwe, K.E. Charlton, S. Roodenrys, K. Kent, K. Fanning, M.E. Netzel 2017. Anthocyanin-rich plum juice reduces ambulatory blood pressure but not acute cognitive function in younger and older adults: a pilot crossover dose-timing study. Nutrition Research 47 28-43 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nutres.2017.08.00

Tags health benefits of seaweed, healthy heart, hypertension

Biosea Health Heart Health

Nothing says I love you more than seaweed

Post author By Lea Sterling
Post date February 13, 2020

Say I love you with seaweed Pacific Sea Moss for Health

The fairy tale has come true. You have found that special someone who will be beside you for the rest of your life. You are living the happily ever after.
Building a life together, raising a family, weathering life’s storms all make the bonds of love grow deeper and stronger. But as we age, we see other couples who have lost partners early because of cancer or heart disease. And we realize the fragility of life and the importance of your own relationship and the health of your partner.

Valentines Day Gift

This Valentine’s Day give your loved one the gift of health and longevity with seaweed.
Japan, particularly the island of Okinawa, is known for its high numbers of people living healthily well into their 90s and beyond. A daily intake of seaweed is one of the main reasons why health outcomes are so good in the Okinawan population. Sadly, studies have shown that switching the traditional seaweed-based diet to the typical western diet reverses all the positive effects and disease revert to the same as those in western countries.

Nothing says I love you more with Seaweed. Why?

Seaweed has a strong impact on health.

1. Seaweed is a potent prebiotic

Seaweed feeds the healthy bacteria in the gut. Healthy gut bacteria produce bioactive metabolites that cross into the blood stream for delivery to all the cells in the body. These metabolites have wide ranging effects including reducing inflammation, improving liver and heart function, and improving immunity. If you give seaweed, improving gut health. Nothing says I love you more than seaweed!

2. Seaweed Novel Compounts

Seaweed is full of novel compounds not found in terrestrial plants. These compounds, such as sulphated galactans, have powerful effects on cellular processes. These drive the immune and healing mechanisms in the body to produce anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-diabetic properties.

3. Seaweed high in potassium

Potassium is essential for a healthy heart. It also relaxes the muscles built into arterial wall, reducing blood pressure. This makes the heart less burdened, but it also protects the very small blood vessels in the brain, important for dementia prevention.

Seaweed is the gift for a lifetime.

Seaweed – the smart organic medicinal food for boosting your immunity

Tags healthy heart, improve heart health, Valentines

Arthritis Biosea Health Gut Microbiome Heart Health Weight loss

5 Reasons to Feel Better with Seaweed

Post author By Lea Sterling
Post date February 11, 2020

Adding seaweed to our diet provides 5 reasons to feel better with seaweed. Our customers tell us they have more energy and enthusiasm for life. There is no question that adding seaweed to our diet makes us feel better. There is sound scientific reason for the health and wellbeing improvements that happen when you take seaweed every day. Here are just 5 reasons to feel better with seaweed and their main benefits according to published peer-reviewed science.

1 of 5 Reasons to feel better with Seaweed is your Liver is Cleansed

The liver is a manufacturing and storage plant for all the nutrients, enzymes and proteins our body uses every day. It is also the major filtration system for removal of toxins and metabolic wastes. Unfortunately, the western diet causes the liver to become clogged with lobules of fat and then inflammation sets in. This interferes with the liver’s ability to do its job. Toxins begin to build up and vital molecules fail to reach the cells where they are needed. Seaweed removes the fatty build and halts the inflammatory response, so the liver begins to function properly again. [1]. In Professor Brown’s work, the inflammation of the liver is the first sign they see in their rats on a seaweed diet.

2. Inflammation is reduced

Inflammation is a cascade of biochemical and cellular responses designed to protect the body in case of injury or infection. Our modern lifestyle and diet mean we face infectious agents, pollutants and minor injury daily. When you add stress into the mix the process of inflammation becomes chronic leading to disease in the body. Seaweed reduces inflammation in two major ways. Sulphated polygalactan in seaweed works like aspirin to stop the inflammation process [2]. The prebiotic activity of seaweed promotes good gut bacteria that release a variety of anti-inflammatory molecules into the body[3]. So out joints are more free and overall inflammation is reduced. Reduced inflammation also means less energy is diverted to the immune system. Hence, we feel less tired.

3. Thyroid Function is Better

Iodine and tyrosine are the key molecules needed to produce thyroid hormones. Thyroid hormones control metabolism at the cellular level and are necessary for proper functioning of all systems in the body. When iodine and tyrosine are in short supply thyroid hormones aren’t produced and metabolism is sluggish. This is experienced as weight gain, lack of energy and feeling cold all the time. Seaweed has healthy levels of bioavailable iodine and tyrosine for optimal hormone production and thyroid function.

4 of 5 Reasons to feel better with Seaweed is Sodium Potassium Balance Improvement

Sodium and potassium are related elements that are vital to life. The western diet tends to be high in sodium but low in potassium, so over 98% of American adults are potassium deficient. Signs of low potassium include fatigue, muscle weakness or cramps and constipation. Diets low in potassium are also known to cause hypertension. Seaweed is high in potassium but low in sodium (4 to 1 ratio) thus can correct the sodium potassium balance. When balanced, potassium makes muscle contraction easier, including the muscles in the arteries, so less effort is required, and fatigue is reduced.

5 of 5 Reasons to Feel Better with Seaweed: Brain function improvement

Seaweed contains many different neurotrophic factors that increase neural connections and generate new cells in the brain. Plant sterols in seaweed create an enriched environment for increased cell connections resulting in improved memory and quicker cognition. [4] Seaweed is also rich in the ancient molecule taurine that helps generate new brain cells. [5] Tyrosine increases dopamine and noradrenaline in the brain, creating feelings of motivation, reward and decreased fatigue, and this has been linked to enhanced performance.[6]

References

[1] S. Wanyonyi, R. Du Preez, L. Brown, N. A. Paul, and S. K. Panchal, “Kappaphycus alvarezii as a food supplement prevents diet-induced metabolic syndrome in rats,” Nutrients, vol. 9, no. 11, p. 1261, 2017. (Open Access)

[2] F. Makkar and K. Chakraborty, “Antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory potential of sulphated polygalactans from red seaweeds Kappaphycus alvarezii and Gracilaria opuntia,” International Journal of Food Properties, vol. 20, no. 6, pp. 1326-1337, 2017. (Food Online)

[3] I. Sekirov, S. L. Russell, L. C. M. Antunes, and B. B. Finlay, “Gut microbiota in health and disease,” Physiological reviews, vol. 90, no. 3, pp. 859-904, 2010.

[4] G. Tirtawijaya et al., “Spinogenesis and Synaptogenesis Effects of the Red Seaweed Kappaphycus alvarezii and Its Isolated Cholesterol on Hippocampal Neuron Cultures,” Preventive Nutrition and Food Science, vol. 24, no. 4, p. 418, 2019. (pubmed)

[5] M. L. Cornish, A. T. Critchley, and O. G. Mouritsen, “Consumption of seaweeds and the human brain,” Journal of Applied Phycology, vol. 29, no. 5, pp. 2377-2398, 2017. (SpringerLink)

[6] P. Watson, “Tyrosine Supplementation: Can This Amino Acid Boost Brain Dopamine and Improve Physical and Mental Performance?,” Sports Sci. Exch, vol. 28, no. 157, pp. 1-6, 2016. Reference

Tags anti inflammatory, brain function, health benefits of seaweed, healthy heart, iodine, potassium, thyroid

Arthritis Biosea Health Gut Microbiome Health Benefits

Seaweed reduces obesity? Will it save Queensland’s Fattest City?

Post author By Hugh Butler
Post date November 26, 2019

seaweed reduces obesity Eat Pacific Sea Moss

USQ scientists set to break the obesity cycle with leading edge findings. Are functional foods better than dieting and exercise…..

Toowoomba takes out the unenviable title of the fattest city in Queensland according to researchers at the Mitchell Institute. Over 83% of the Toowoomba population is overweight or obese, posing major disease risk and a potential public health crisis in the region. But all is not lost for the Garden City with one of its locals possibly holding the key to ending the city’s obesity problem. Professor Lindsay Brown of University of Southern Queensland at Toowoomba has spent more than a decade investigating functional foods and their affect on lifestyle diseases such as obesity, high blood pressure and cancer. Professor Brown says that seaweed is showing exceptional effectiveness in reversing obesity related health problems in animal studies and would like to see them in human studies.

Prof Brown and his team of researchers fed rats a junk food diet. The rats, just like humans, gained weight especially around the belly, and also developed fatty liver disease, high blood pressure, pre-type 2 diabetes, arthritis and inflammation of the gut.

But eating as little as 5 gm of seaweed per day completely reversed all of these symptoms. Blood pressure returned to normal and cell damage to the heart and liver was reversed. Fatty deposits in liver and blood vessels disappeared. The body’s response to sugar reverted back to the healthy functioning and diabetes risk was eliminated. Inflammation throughout the body was minimised so joint and heart health was much improved. Professor Brown says the results are highly impressive and somewhat unexpected. He anticipated an improvement in symptoms but not a complete reversal, and a result better than if the patient was taking multiple medicines.

Professor Brown now wants to get the message out to the residents of his home town to help change Toowoomba’s frightening health reputation. He openly provides all the science so residents can judge the effectiveness for themselves. However the media and medical industry have been slow to realise the potential of functional foods.

Tags cancer, diabetes, glucose intolerance, health benefits of seaweed, healthy heart, improve heart health, obesity

Biosea Health Health Benefits

Many Uses of Seaweed

Post author By Hugh Butler
Post date September 4, 2019

There are many uses of seaweed. Most recognise food, but since ancient times are important to humanity for many other reasons.

In South America, Australasia, The Middle East and of course Japan, China and Korea Seaweed has long been an important source of nutrition. Presently, however, due to the unique properties of seaweeds, they are increasingly being used for a variety of advanced applications globally.

Nutritional components of seaweeds

Seaweeds are rich sources of vitamins and minerals and widely used as health supplements.

Potassium. 98% of Americans are deficient in K.
Calcium
Iron
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Magnesium
Phosphorous
Iodine plays an important role in the functioning of the thyroid and helps in the prevention of goitre.
Low in calories
High in dietary fibers that are highly beneficial for the human gut system by promoting the growth of beneficial intestinal bacteria.
Contain several beneficial compounds such as fucoxanthin, antioxidants, and polysaccharides. These are being studied for their potential as antibiotics, anti-tumour, laxatives, anticoagulants, anti-cancerous drugs, and medication.

One of the many uses of seaweed is health

Polysaccharides from seaweeds can be used to reduce or replace added fats in foods in order to manufacture foods with reduced total fat content such as low-fat versions of meat-based and vegetable-based products. Additionally, fucoxanthin found in seaweeds has been found to help in the burning of fatty tissue and thus aiding in weight management. Some biologically active compounds found in seaweeds such as carotenoids and peptides have been shown to play a significant role in preventing chronic degenerative diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, cancer, and arthritis. Other seaweed extracts can be used to improve the skin moisture retention properties of cosmetic products.

Improve the quality of food products

The addition of seaweeds extracts to some food products helps in eliminating or reducing the needs of artificial chemical preservatives. The bioactive compounds found in seaweeds are often referred to as functional ingredients due to their many beneficial health properties and prospective uses from food processing to and formulation of meat products. Due to the thickening properties of some polysaccharides found in seaweeds, they are used to thicken commercial foods such as sweets, sauces, and condiments. Other seaweed polysaccharides are used in the food industry to modify the texture of foods due to their gelling properties.

Seaweed extracts used as food additives

Seaweeds have for years been used in Asian countries as additives in salads and soups. The extracts from seaweeds have been used in Japan to prepare and preserve fish and meat. Powdered seaweed can be used to improve the human digestion of beans and as a flavour-enhancer since it is a natural source of glutamic acid. Other water-soluble polysaccharides from seaweeds have been used to stabilize some food products such as ice cream where they help the ice cream maintain a smooth texture by inhibiting the formation of large ice crystals.

Improving the shelf-life of Food

Seaweeds contains natural antioxidants that have been found to inhibit the lipid oxidation of fatty acids, which is a major problem in quality preservation of foods and can otherwise cause unpleasant smells in food products. In conducted studies, seaweeds have been identified to improve the shelf-life of bread by two days. Seaweed extracts have replaced chemical preservatives in the preservation of tilapia fish with no change of odour or taste of the tilapia. More importantly, the fish remained preserved with the same quality standard used for the chemical preservatives.

Improve Heart Health with Seaweed

Post author By Alana Rauert
Post date August 5, 2019

Improve Heart Health with Seaweed

You can improve heart health with a diet of seaweed because it reduces blood pressure – an essential part of heart health. It improves gut microbiome, is full of essential nutrients, amino acids, lipids, and over 1,000 biologically active compounds. Research globally is chasing some of the compounds. The compounds have anti-microbial, fungicidal, anti-cancer, weight loss, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, and memory function properties. There are some novel compounds in the research phase. Whole seaweed may be as effective as the compounds, but food cannot make health claims.

According to the World Health Organization, more than 1.13 billion people suffer from high blood pressure (hypertension), with only 20% of them having the condition under control. Globally, high blood pressure is estimated to result in the death of about 7.5 million. Hypertension forces the cardiovascular system to work harder, creating pressure within the heart and arteries that can reach dangerous levels. Hypertension is considered to be the most common chronic disease and a significant risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.

Blood Pressure – The Silent Killer

One of the main challenges relating to high blood pressure is that an affected person may not know that you have hypertension. About a third of people affected by high blood pressure do not know it. The surest way to see if you have high blood pressure is through regular checkups by a medical professional because the symptoms of high blood pressure can be easily ignored. It is commonly referred to as “the silent killer,” and some common symptoms include dizziness, headaches, nose bleeds, vision changes, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting, depending on the severity of the condition. If left uncontrolled, hypertension can lead to strokes, seizures, heart attacks, irregular heart rhythm, kidney damage, and blocked arteries, all of which can result in death.

Seaweed Reduces Blood Pressure

improve heart health Seaweed has become a popular diet due to the association of its intake to longer life expectancy and lower incidence of cardiovascular diseases to improve heart health. In eastern Asia, increased consumption of seaweed has been linked to the reduced rates of high blood pressure. In a study among Japanese preschool children, seaweed has been suggested to have beneficial effects on blood pressure. Seaweed contains several essential minerals, including potassium, copper, calcium, zinc, magnesium, and sodium. These minerals, as part of a healthy diet, can help to lower the risk of both high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. Other anti-hypertensive compounds found in seaweed include peptides and fucoxanthin, which have promising anti-hypertensive properties and act by counteracting the main mechanisms of high blood pressure. The ingestion of seaweed has been shown to improve the physical structure of the heart in rats.

Improve Heart Health With Potassium

Seaweed has high levels of potassium. Potassium especially has been recommended as an essential element in helping to improve heart health. A diet that includes increased intake of potassium may help in the prevention and control of hypertension and a decrease in deaths associated with cardiovascular diseases. Consumption of potassium has also been found to help in reducing high blood pressure in adults, which in turn reduces the risk of coronary heart diseases. Potassium helps the heart by relieving tension on the walls of the blood vessels, and this helps to lower blood pressure and reduces the risk of a stroke. A diet with sufficient potassium also helps to remove sodium from the body. There are many ways to ingest the necessary amounts of potassium; however, 18g of dried seaweed contains approximately the same amount of potassium as 700 g of spinach. The World Health Organization guidelines recommend a daily intake (RDI) of potassium of at least 3,510 mg of potassium per day, and this is sufficiently provided by the regular addition of seaweed to your diet.

References

[1] How too little potassium may contribute to cardiovascular disease 2017 National Institure of Health (Link)

[2] Increasing potassium intake to reduce blood pressure and risk of cardiovascular diseases in adults WHO (Link)

Tags blood pressure, blood pressure maintenance, healthy heart, hypertension, improve heart health, Improved Heart Health

RED SEAWEED REDUCES VIRUS LOAD

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ANTIOXIDANTS REDUCE LUNG INFECTION

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