Natures Latest Secret; Fucoxanthin

Besides these photosynthetic functions, fucoxanthin has also been studied as a metabolic and nutritional supplement. Researchers from the Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences at Hokkaido University in Japan, led by Kazuo Miyashita, Ph.D., did an in depth study on the benefits of this ingredient on lab mice, which was completed in 2006. In these studies, some rats and mice that had too much body fat were fed food that contained fucoxanthin that had been isolated from the seaweed, while others were fed a normal diet. The mice that were fed the seaweed had between 5% and 10% of a decrease in body fat. This has led to further studies into the potential benefits of fucoxanthin as a dietary supplement.

The study found that in the mice that were fed fucoxanthin, the protein UCP1 was stimulated, whereas the UCP1 in those mice that were not fed the carotenoid saw no change. UCP1 is the protein that is found in the fat that surrounds the vital internal organs. Stimulating the UCP1 in these rodents appeared to cause the fat to oxidize and turn to heat energy. Also, when the livers of the rodents in the test were tested, there appeared to be a rise in the levels of DHA, an important omega-3 fatty acid, when the fucoxanthin was combined with soybean oil. The results of the study were presented by the researchers at the 232nd National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in 2006.

Fucoxanthin is found in several different types of brown seaweed that have been a part of the natural diet of people in the Orient for many years. People in these countries are traditionally healthier than Americans, which is part of what sparked research into the potential health benefits of seaweed. Fucoxanthin is the pigment that turns the seaweed brown, and is found in high levels in kelp in particular. The kelp used in the study with mice was wakame, a seaweed commonly consumed in salads and soups in Japan. Red and green seaweeds do not have any fucoxanthin.

Fucoxanthin can be eaten in its natural form, or it can be processed to be included in a supplement. Processing the ingredient involves harvesting some of the brown marine seaweeds and plants and then cultivating them using biotechnological methods that create a higher concentration of fucoxanthin in the seaweed than what is found in wild plants. This artificially cultivated seaweed is the best source of the carotenoid, as less of the seaweed must be eaten in order to consume sufficient amounts of the carotenoid to see any potential benefits from the ingredient.

Current research into the use of fucoxanthin in human diets is focused on using the artificially cultivated seaweed to create a supplement that can be taken as a pill or a liquid. Also, it is essential to find a way to extract the ingredient from the proteins in the seaweed to help it to be absorbed into the body. These are the two things that are the focus of current research into fucoxanthin.

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