A few days ago, a recent study has demonstrated that the dietary fibre in seaweed can reduce fat absorption by about 75%. Could this hold the key to fighting Obesity?!Researchers at the University of Newcastle used an artificial gut to test the effectiveness of more than 60 different natural fibres. This was performed by measuring the amount of fat that was digested and absorbed. Alginate, which is a natural fibre found in sea kelp, was found to stop fat absorbtion. The next step after these findings is to investigate whether these results can be replicated in real people. Researchers will add the seaweed fibre to products such as breads, biscuits & yoghurts for consumption.
Here is a little snippet on Seaweed –
Seaweed is a type of algae that grows in salt water & depends on sunlight to thrive. There are thousands of varieties of seaweed, many of which are good to eat such as Nori (the sushi wrap), Kombu, Wakame, Sea lettuce and Sea grass.
*Nutritional Content:
Seaweed contains many minerals such as Calcium, Sodium, Iron & Iodine. Levels vary according to type. Vitamins that could also be found include vitamins A, C, E & B12. The fibres found in seaweed include alginates, carrageenan and agar, which are not digested in the gut to a great extent & could help provide that feeling of fullness.
A lot of research still needs to be done in order to prove this finding in humans.Until then…fancy a little seaweed in your diet?! You could give it a try in a number of Japanese dishes. Just keep a look out for it on the menu!
Dolphin Solutions
Great info…Thanks for posting it