Your thyroid gland produces hormones that assist manage your body's development, energy generation, reproduction, and cell repair. Iodine is required by your thyroid to produce hormones. Without adequate iodine, you may develop symptoms such as weight loss, exhaustion, or neck swelling over time. Seaweed has an extraordinary capacity to absorb concentrated levels of iodine from the ocean.

Its iodine concentration varies substantially according to the variety, location of cultivation, and processing method. One dried sheet of seaweed can really contain 11-1,989 percent of the RDI. Kelp is an excellent supplier of iodine. One teaspoon (3.5 grams) of dried kelp may contain up to 59 times the RDI. Seaweed also includes tyrosine, an amino acid that, combined with iodine, is required to produce two important hormones that help the thyroid gland function correctly.

Each variety of seaweed contains a distinct collection of nutrients. Sprinkling dried seaweed over your food not only adds taste, texture, and flavor to your meal, but it's also a simple method to increase your vitamin and mineral intake. In addition, seaweed includes trace levels of vitamins A, C, E, and K, as well as folate, zinc, salt, calcium, and magnesium. While it may only provide a tiny fraction of some of the RDIs listed above, using it as a spice once or twice per week can be a simple method to supplement your diet with extra nutrients. Some seaweed proteins, such as spirulina and chlorella, contain all of the necessary amino acids. This implies that seaweed can help you acquire a complete variety of amino acids.

Seaweed is also high in omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12. In fact, dried green and purple seaweed appear to contain significant levels of vitamin B12. In one research, 4 grams of nori seaweed had 2.4 mcg of vitamin B12 or 100 percent of the RDI. However, whether your body can absorb and utilize vitamin B12 from seaweed is still being debated.

Antioxidants can make free radicals, which are unstable molecules in your body, less reactive. As a result, they are less likely to harm your cells. Furthermore, excessive free radical generation is thought to be a root cause of various ailments, including heart disease and diabetes. Seaweed contains a range of useful plant chemicals, including flavonoids and carotenoids, in addition to the antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E. These have been demonstrated to protect cells in your body from free radical damage.

A lot of studies have been done on a carotenoid called fucoxanthin. It is the primary carotenoid present in brown algae like wakame and has 13.5 times the antioxidant activity of vitamin E. Fucoxanthin has been found to be more effective than vitamin A at protecting cell membranes. While the body may not always absorb fucoxanthin efficiently, ingesting it alongside fat may boost absorption. Nonetheless, seaweed includes a wide range of plant components that, when combined, have powerful antioxidant properties.

Gut microbes are extremely important to your health. It is thought that your body has more bacteria cells than human cells. An imbalance between these "good" and "bad" gut microorganisms can cause illness and disease. Seaweed is high in fiber, which is believed to improve intestinal health.

It can account for 25-75 percent of the dry weight of seaweed. This is more fiber than most fruits and vegetables have. Instead of being digested, fiber can be utilized as a food source by bacteria in your large intestine. Furthermore, sulfated polysaccharides, which are abundant in seaweed, have been demonstrated to promote the growth of "good" gut flora. These polysaccharides can also boost the synthesis of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), which nourish and sustain the cells lining your stomach.

Seaweed has high fiber content and has no calories. Seaweed's fiber content may also impede stomach emptying. This keeps you feeling fuller for longer and might help you avoid hunger pains. Seaweed is also thought to have anti-obesity properties. Several animal studies show that fucoxanthin, a chemical found in seaweed, may help decrease body fat. One animal research discovered that rats fed fucoxanthin lost weight but rats fed a control diet did not.

Fucoxanthin enhanced the expression of a protein that metabolizes the fat in rats, according to the findings. Other animal experiments yielded comparable outcomes. Fucoxanthin, for example, has been proven to drastically lower blood sugar levels in rats, assisting in weight loss. Although the outcomes of animal research appear to be encouraging, human studies are needed to confirm these findings.

The main cause of mortality globally is heart disease. High cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking, and being physically sedentary or overweight are all risk factors. Surprisingly, seaweed may help lower blood cholesterol levels. In one eight-week trial, rats with elevated cholesterol were fed a high-fat diet supplemented with 10% freeze-dried seaweed. It was discovered that the rats had 40% lower total cholesterol, 36% lower LDL cholesterol, and 31% lower triglyceride levels.

Excessive blood clotting can potentially cause heart disease. Fucans are sugars found in seaweed that may help reduce blood clotting. In fact, one animal research discovered that fucans derived from seaweed were as efficient as an anti-clotting medicine at preventing blood clotting. Peptides in seaweed are also being studied by researchers. Animal studies suggest that these protein-like molecules may inhibit a process in your body that raises blood pressure. Large-scale human investigations, however, are necessary to corroborate these findings.

Diabetes is a serious health issue. It happens when your body is unable to maintain proper blood sugar levels over time. 642 million people worldwide are estimated to develop type 1 or type 2 diabetes by 2040. Surprisingly, seaweed has been a focus of study for novel approaches to help those at risk of diabetes. Fucoxanthin, a chemical found in brown seaweed, may assist improve blood sugar management, according to an eight-week study of 60 Japanese participants.

Participants were given either 0 mg, 1 mg, or 2 mg of fucoxanthin in a local seaweed oil. The study discovered that those who got 2 mg of fucoxanthin had lower blood sugar levels than those who received 0 mg. The study also discovered significant improvements in blood sugar levels among those who have a genetic predisposition to insulin resistance, which is commonly associated with type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, alginate, a seaweed compound, inhibited blood sugar rises in mice after they were administered a high-sugar diet. Alginate is supposed to limit the absorption of sugar into circulation.