Does Seaweed Make You Lose Weight?

Seaweed can be green, red or brown in color. Aside from its potential weight loss effects, seaweed is also a great source of iodine (which the body needs for the normal metabolism of cells). People in Asia eat lots of seaweed, some almost on a daily basis. Seaweed could be one of the contributing factors to the overall slim figures (and longevity) of Asian people.

Does seaweed make you lose weight?

In a study using rats, brown seaweed was shown to be effective in reducing weight. Good examples of brown seaweed that you can eat are kelp and wakame. The key weight loss compound in seaweed appears to be fucoxanthin. Fucoxanthin was shown to increase the production of a protein that burns fat.

Should I eat seaweed?

Seaweed is extremely low-calorie and rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It is a great source of iodine and can even help with weight loss. So yes, you should definitely try it out!

Where do I buy seaweed?

You can buy them at health food stores, Asian supermarkets, or probably the easiest way is online. At online stores, you can check out the reviews which are always helpful.

Which seaweed should I buy?

Kelp and wakame are probably the easiest forms of brown seaweed to buy and eat.

How do I cook seaweed?

For wakame, the easiest way to start eating them is to buy dried wakame and put them directly in soups, or make Asian-style salads. For kelp, the easiest way to eat them is to toast them in the oven, and eat them like chips. Note that some people may not stomach these kelp chips well. You may want to avoid getting wakame or kelp from Japan for the time being, since they may be contaminated with radiation.

If you are into cooking, you can experiment different ways of incorporating seaweed into your dishes.

Kelp supplements

If you are extremely busy like many people, you can also buy kelp supplements. The benefit of supplements is that you can consume sufficient amounts of seaweed without actually eating a whole bunch of them, which can be difficult sometimes.

Comments:

Some metabolic and nutritional studies carried out on rats and mice at Hokkaido University indicate that fucoxanthin promotes fat burning within fat cells in white adipose tissue by increasing the expression of thermogenin.^[1] A subsequent double-blind placebo-controlled human study of females with liver disease using supplementation with seaweed extract containing fucoxanthin in combination with pomegranate seed oil ^[2] showed in an average 4.9 kg (11 lb) weight loss in obese women over a 16-week period.^[2]

1. 1)^ Maeda, H; Hosokawa, M; Sashima, T; Funayama, K; Miyashita, K (2005). "Fucoxanthin from edible seaweed, Undaria pinnatifida, shows antiobesity effect through UCP1 expression in white adipose tissues". Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 332 (2): 392–7. doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2005.05.002. PMID 15896707.
2. 2)^ Abidov, M.; Ramazanov, Z.; Seifulla, R.; Grachev, S. (2010). "The effects of Xanthigen in the weight management of obese premenopausal women with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and normal liver fat". Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism 12: 72.doi:10.1111/j.1463-1326.2009.01132.x.