Astaxanthin shows benefits for obese health

Posted On: May 6, 2011

Daily supplements containing astaxanthin, the pink pigment that gives salmon its color, may boost the body’s antioxidants defenses in obese people, says a new study from South Korea.

Researchers from Seoul National University report that daily doses of 5 or 20 milligrams of astaxanthin for three weeks were associated with increases in levels of the body’s own antioxidant defenses, as well as decreases in levels of oxidative species.

“Although these data show that astaxanthin is protective against obesity‐induced oxidative stress, a longer term study with a larger sample size should be conducted to establish whether astaxanthin supplementation can consistently and permanently reduce oxidative stress levels,” wrote the researchers in Phytotherapy Research.

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From Issue 14 • Categories: Tags: algae, Aquapreneur, astaxanthin, marine extract, marine ingredient, marine ingredients, microalgae, obesity, oxidative stress, seafood byproducts • No Comments

Clinical Study Details Available: Efficacy of Fucoxanthin on the Prevention of Obesity

Posted On: May 6, 2011

Carotenoids have been shown to have beneficial health effects such as pro-vitamin A activity, immune response modulation and anti carcinogenic activity.  People consuming diets rich in carotenoids from natural foods, such as fruits and vegetables, are healthier and have lower mortality from a number of chronic illnesses. (cite: Functional food science and defence against reactive oxidative species, British Journal of Nutrition 1998, 80, Suppl. 1, S77–S112).

Fucoxanthin is a major marine carotenoid found in edible seaweeds such as Undaria pinnatifida, commonly known as Wakame. Fucoxanthin also has anti-carcinogenic effects, apoptotic effects in cancer cells, anti-inflammatory effects and radical scavenging activity.

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From Issue 14 • Categories: Tags: algae, Aquapreneur, fucoidans, fucoxanthin, functional ingredients, marine biotechnology, marine ingredients, obesity • No Comments

Seaweed fiber and weight loss

Posted On: April 27, 2011

A study conducted by researchers at the University Research & Development in Vlaardingen, Netherlands, has revealed that seaweed reduces the appetite and makes one slim. According to the study, adding seaweed extract alginate to a chocolate milkshake reduces hunger among people by nearly 30 per cent. The details of the study have been published in the journal Obesity.

The researchers, for the study recruited a group of 23 healthy volunteers. These volunteers consumed drink containing various levels of alginate in place of a meal. They reported that their levels of hunger reduced and over the next five hours they felt fullness. Moreover, the alginate didn’t alter the flavor of the shake. The participants said that it was just as pleasant as the real thing.

According to the researchers, alginate turns into a gel in the acidic environment of the stomach, and the calcium adds to the gel’s thickness which creates a feeling of fullness, as well as holds food in the stomach for longer.

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From Issue 14 • Categories: Tags: algae, alginate, Aquapreneur, brown seaweed, fucoidans, functional ingredients, marine biotechnology, nutraceutical, obesity, seafood byproducts, seaweed • No Comments

Seaweed to Tackle Rising Tide of Obesity

Posted On: March 23, 2010

Seaweed could hold the key to tackling obesity after it was found it reduces fat uptake by more than 75 per cent, new research has shown. Now the team at Newcastle University are adding seaweed fibre to bread to see if they can develop foods that help you lose weight while you eat them.

A team of scientists led by Dr Iain Brownlee and Prof Jeff Pearson have found that dietary fibre in one of the world’s largest commercially-used seaweed could reduce the amount of fat absorbed by the body by around 75 per cent.

The Newcastle University team found that Alginate a natural fibre found in sea kelp stops the body from absorbing fat better than most anti-obesity treatments currently available over the counter.

Using an artificial gut, they tested the effectiveness of more than 60 different natural fibres by measuring the amount of fat that was digested and absorbed with each treatment.

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From Issue 9 • Categories: Tags: obesity, seafood byproducts, seaweed • No Comments