Fucoxanthin for Weight Loss, Can Seaweed Help you Lose Weight?

Fucoxanthin is an antioxidant that is extracted from a particular kind of seaweed called Undaria pinnatifida, more commonly known as wakame, which many of you might have tried in sushi restaurants as the green chewy salad that is served as ‘seaweed salad’. Fucoxanthin is a bright orange pigmented carotenoid, which is in the same class of antioxidant as that of carrots. Some carotenoids, like beta carotene, are also ‘precursors’ to Vitamin A, however fucoxanthin is not. Fucoxanthin may be an interesting substance, however, in that in at least one study has shown that it has a higher amount of free radical quenching ability than beta carotene and other carotenoid-based antioxidants (1). These ‘free radicals’, also called ‘reactive oxygen species’ are substances formed from oxygen that cause the damage to cells that we think of as aging. We literally ‘rust’ or ‘oxidize’, hence the need for ‘anti-oxidants’ to protect us from oxidation from oxygen. Cancer Studies As with many carotenoids and other antioxidants, they often show cancer preventing or cancer treating abilities in studies, and fucoxanthin is no different. Several studies have shown the ability of this phytonutrient to prevent and ever reverse several different types of cancer in laboratory studies. Colon cancer(2), prostate cancer(3), and even in leukemia cells(4). However, caution should be exercised in thinking that these studies might translate to reduced cancer incidences in huma...
Source: Immune Health Blog - Category: Alternative Medicine Practitioners Authors: Tags: Food and Nutrition Reviews Supplements fucoxanthin fucoxanthin for weight loss weight loss supplements Source Type: blogs