Consumers are beginning to catch onto the number of health benefits offered by seaweed and sea vegetables.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the ocean covers 71 percent of the Earth’s surface and contains 97 percent of the planet’s water. Additionally, the ocean supports the life of nearly 50 percent of all species on Earth and helps sustain that life providing 20 percent of the animal protein and five percent of the total protein in the human diet. As the oldest plant family, sea vegetables offer a plethora of nutrients.

“Seaweed has long been a staple in the human diet—and not only in Asia,” explained Steve Siegel, vice president of New Jersey-based Ecuadorian Rainforest,LLC. “In fact, one of the oldest meals uncovered by archaeologists—remnants from a 14,000-year-old camp in Chile— includes nine different species of seaweeds. And many of these seaweeds were also used as medicine. Throughout the Americas, indigenous people harvested seaweed as an important part of their diet.” 

While sea vegetables have remained a staple in the Asian diet, Americans are now coming around to embrace them.“Nowadays, people put more attention on health than before … fucoidan and other elements contained in seaweed and sea vegetables can help keep people healthier,” said Carol Cheow, general manager of Cactus Botanics, located in California and China.

In fact, according to Packaged Facts’ Generational Comfort Food Culinary Trend Report published in 2009, comfort food has been redefined. Packaged Facts reported that for many members of Generation Y, seaweed-wrapped sushi takes a top place in comfort food status.The authors attributed this not only to the more diverse culinary environment, but also to the culture of health that many of this generation have grown up in. Cravings revolve around healthful as well as comforting eating.

While Americans are seeing the benefits of seaweed and sea vegetables, it was an unfortunate event that put them and some of their benefits into the spotlight.In March 2011, Japan suffered an 8. 9-scale earthquake and tsunami that caused the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster. This sent fearful consumers in the U.S. on a search for radiation- fighting supplements, leaving natural food stores in many states sold out of supplements such as iodine and green foods products such as kelp.

“Obviously, the possibility of radiation fallout/poisoning from the Fukushima power plant’s near-meltdown event created a huge spike in natural products high in iodine, especially seaweed products,” said David Pihlcrantz, technical director of California based GCI Nutrients, Inc. “Seaweed products with high levels of iodine help prevent radiation damage to the body, and many of those same seaweed products also contain materials that help detox the body.” 

Seaweed and sea vegetables are rich in iodine, which is needed for production of the thyroid hormone. The body does not produce iodine on its own and lowsalt diets that many Americans follow have caused iodine deficiency. “In a country where salt is routinely iodized, iodine deficiency is rarely discussed,” said Siegel. “However, iodine is essential for health. The master regulator, the thyroid gland, requires iodine in order to manufacture its hormones. And iodine deficiency is also associated with brain damage and retardation. Some scientists attribute seaweed’s ability to protect against radiation and abnormal cell growth to its iodine content.” 

Added Benefits 

In addition to being a source of iodine, seaweed and other sea vegetables, such as algae and kelp, can be utilized in dietary supplements (in a number of delivery options such as powder mixes, capsules, tablets, drinks, etc.), personal care products, as well as the feed industry, according to Cheow. “Researchers are discovering that seaweeds can provide some of the most bioavailable, concentrated forms of calcium and iron,” added Siegel. “Seaweeds are rich in magnesium, potassium, sodium and trace minerals boron, copper, manganese as well. Relatively high in protein and fiber and low in fat, seaweeds have been linked to weight loss and overall health.” 

Among its many healthful attributes, fucoidan, which is found in seaweed and sea vegetables, can help maintain the immune system, support the circulatory system and help induce the process of eliminating harmful cells. According to Cheow, substantial research has been done on brown seaweed, the major active components in them have been identified: the F-fucoidan and U-fucoidan.

“Those studies have pointed out that fucoidans have several potential clinical uses,” she explained. “Both Japanese and French scientists have indicated that F-fucoidan can induce apoptosis in human cells, which indicated the potential role of fucoidan in anti-cancer and anti-aging. The research done in Australia showed fucoidan can increase the activity in the human immune system.” 

FucoSure™ is a GCI branded brown seaweed powder extract from Laminaria japonica with no less than 45 percent fucoidan and 25 percent alginates, while Cactus Botanics’ most successful seaweed ingredient is Fucoidan 85%.

Fucoxanthin is a type of carotenoid found in brown seaweed that has weight management benefits through its thermogenic effect (increasing caloric expenditure).“Researchers reported at the American Chemical Society’s 232nd National Meeting in San Francisco, their findings that the antioxidant fucoxanthin can cause rodents to lose significant amounts of weight in a short time,” said GCI’s Pihlcrantz. “The researchers determined that fucoxanthin appears to increase the synthesis of a key protein involved in fat metabolism, resulting in a melting away of fat in obese rodents.” 

Setbacks 

While the demand for seaweed and sea vegetable products are on the rise, there are a number of roadblocks that might stunt the category’s growth. “We see demand increasing swiftly for seaweed extracts, and meanwhile we see raw material limits and increasing costs,” said Cactus Botanics’ Cheow.“We can estimate a price increase about related products in the near future,” she said, adding that Cactus Botanics is working on this by stocking raw materials as much as possible to slow down the cost increases.

Ecuadorian Rainforest’s Siegel noted that while seaweed and sea vegetables are very beneficial to the body, there is the possibility of harmful substances if not extracted correctly. “Seaweed can also bring some unsavory ingredients as well—heavy metals, toxins and more,” he said. “In fact, aquaculture researchers have delved into seaweeds’ ability to pull toxins out of the water and clean it.” 

And according to GCI Nutrients’ Pihlcrantz, the effects of the Fukushima disaster are ongoing. “The radiation from the Fukushima power plant continues to leak into the Pacific Ocean waters, eventually blending with the waters of oceans throughout the world,” he said.“Seaweed can become contaminated.” 

Obstacles aside, as seaweed and sea vegetable products grow in demand, it can be expected that the extracts appear in more products as researchers find even more health benefits and applications.“It’s hard not to associate seaweed with good health,” concluded Siegel.

“Perhaps it’s the healthy reputation of seafood; perhaps it’s a long history of the seaside being a place to retreat and heal. But one seaweed harvester put it best: ‘Through seaweeds, the earth’s seablood strengthens our own sea-blood that we carry within us.’ Seaweed takes us back to the origins of life that still runs through our bodies.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

■ Cactus Botanics, 86-21-5169-6902
■ Ecuadorian Rainforest, LLC, (973) 759-2002
■ GCI Nutrients, Inc., (650) 697-4700