Consumption of Fucoxanthin, How to Eat

While fucoxanthin is found in many brown algae and seaweeds, it is found in the highest concentration in kelp. These seaweeds, particularly one known as wakame, have been used for centuries as a dietary supplement in Asian countries, particularly to flavor soups and salads. Because the residents of this part of the world are traditionally quite healthy, many studies have been done on the things that they eat. Some of these studies have focused on seaweed and on fucoxanthin in particular.

In 2006 the results of one of these studies were presented at the 232nd National Meeting of the American Chemical Society. This study was conducted by Kazuo Miyashita, Ph.D., and his associates at the Graduate School of Fisheries Sciences at Japan's Hokkaido University. The researchers took 200 overweight laboratory mice and rodents and divided them into two groups, a control group that was fed a normal diet, and an experimental group that was fed fucoxanthin as part of their regular diet. The goal was to see if the fucoxanthin had any effect on the rodents' health.

The rats that were fed fucoxanthin showed a 5% to 10% decrease in bodily fat. This decrease seemed to be from the affect that the fucoxanthin had on the UCP1 protein in the mice. This protein is part of the fat that surrounds the organs in the abdomen. When the mice were fed the seaweed, the UCP1 protein was stimulated. This appeared to cause the fat cells to oxidize and change into heat energy. As more fat cells turned into heat energy, the rodents saw a significant decrease in this dangerous fat.

When the fucoxanthin was combined with soybean oil as another part of the study, the rodents showed an increase in the levels of DHA in their livers as well. DHA is an essential omega-3 fatty acid. These positive results have sparked continued research into the potential uses of this ingredient as a dietary supplement.

There are basically two ways a human can consume fucoxanthin, either through eating pure seaweed or through a dietary supplement. When eating pure seaweed, some of the fucoxanthin is not absorbed well by the body because the carotenoid remains bonded to the proteins of the seaweed. This means that humans would have to consume huge amounts of seaweed to see substantial benefit from the ingredient. As a result, the current lines of research into the use of fucoxanthin are focusing on the ways to best isolate the ingredient to use it in capsules or liquid supplements. Along these same lines, some researchers are working on ways to make wild brown marine seaweed produce more of the carotenoid through artificial cultivation methods. This will allow people to eat less of the seaweed to add fucoxanthin to their diets. It will also provide more of the carotenoid for supplements

<<   Back to Fucoxathin Clinical Studies

We are strictly a bulk supplier to manufacturers – we do not sell to re-sellers or individuals. Our minimum order size is approximately 25 kilos. We are one of only a few suppliers that carry $5 million product liability insurance for our customers. AHD International LLC is classified as a importer, exporter, manufacturer, distributor of nutritional ingredients depending on the ingredient specified. AHD has 5 warehouse locations across North America and sales agents in over 10 countries. We are the only ingredient company to be awarded the Dun and Bradstreet's fastest growing company in America twice in 1999 and 2002.

For quotes please click here

*"These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease."