Impact of Seaweed Intake on Health

Overview

Journal Eur J Clin Nutr

Specialty Nutritional Sciences

Date 2020 Sep 10

PMID 32908248

Citations 21

Authors

Utako Murai

Kazumasa Yamagishi

Rie Kishida

Hiroyasu Iso

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Seaweeds contain minerals, vitamins, soluble dietary fibers, and flavonoids, which are regarded as preventive agents against lifestyle-related diseases. Seaweeds are consumed commonly in East Asian countries including Japan. Thus, intake of seaweeds might contribute to Japanese longevity via prevention of lifestyle-related diseases. Recently, two large Japanese cohort studies have reported the association of seaweed intake with reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases. On the other hand, seaweeds also contain iodine and heavy metals such as arsenic species, which are considered to have adverse effects on health. We here reviewed studies of the association between seaweed intake and mortality from or incidence of cancer and cardiovascular diseases, and their risk factors such as blood pressure or serum lipids. We also summarized the adverse effects of iodine and arsenic species in seaweeds. Although seaweeds have not been widely consumed in Western countries, dietary diversification and an increased proportion of immigrants from East Asia may increase seaweed consumption in those countries. Further epidemiological studies including observational and interventional studies are necessary to clarify the effects of seaweeds on disease and health.

Citing Articles

An Investigation of the Status of Commercial Meat Analogs and Their Ingredients: Worldwide and South Korea.

Lee D, Kim J, Park J, Han D, Choi Y, Park J Food Sci Anim Resour. 2025; 45(1):31-61.

PMID: 39840252 PMC: 11743835. DOI: 10.5851/kosfa.2024.e106.

Quantitative NMR Analysis of Marine Macroalgae for AGE Inhibition by Methylglyoxal Scavenging.

Hanna G, Findlay V, Turner D, Hamann M J Agric Food Chem. 2024; 72(39):21905-21911.

PMID: 39298668 PMC: 11653393. DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.4c04367.

Innovative strategies for protein content determination in dried laver ( spp.): Evaluation of preprocessing methods and machine learning algorithms through short-wave infrared imaging.

Kim E, Park J, Lee G, Cho J, Park S, Yun D Food Chem X. 2024; 23:101763.

PMID: 39286041 PMC: 11403402. DOI: 10.1016/j.fochx.2024.101763.

Exposure to iodine, essential and non-essential trace element through seaweed consumption in humans.

Barandiaran L, Taylor V, Karagas M Sci Rep. 2024; 14(1):13698.

PMID: 38871780 PMC: 11176391. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64556-w.

Green () and Brown () Macroalgae Similarly Modulate Inflammatory Signaling by Activating NF-B and Dampening IRF in Human Macrophage-Like Cells.

Mildenberger J, Rebours C J Immunol Res. 2024; 2024:8121284.

PMID: 38799117 PMC: 11126347. DOI: 10.1155/2024/8121284.

References

Cardoso S, Pereira O, Seca A, Pinto D, Silva A . Seaweeds as Preventive Agents for Cardiovascular Diseases: From Nutrients to Functional Foods. Mar Drugs. 2015; 13(11):6838-65. PMC: 4663556. DOI: 10.3390/md13116838. View

MacArtain P, Gill C, Brooks M, Campbell R, Rowland I . Nutritional value of edible seaweeds. Nutr Rev. 2008; 65(12 Pt 1):535-43. DOI: 10.1301/nr.2007.dec.535-543. View

Suetsuna K, Maekawa K, Chen J . Antihypertensive effects of Undaria pinnatifida (wakame) peptide on blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats. J Nutr Biochem. 2004; 15(5):267-72. DOI: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2003.11.004. View

Yamori Y, Nara Y, Tsubouchi T, Sogawa Y, Ikeda K, Horie R . Dietary prevention of stroke and its mechanisms in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats--preventive effect of dietary fibre and palmitoleic acid. J Hypertens Suppl. 1986; 4(3):S449-52. View

Ikeda K, Kitamura A, Machida H, Watanabe M, Negishi H, Hiraoka J . Effect of Undaria pinnatifida (Wakame) on the development of cerebrovascular diseases in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 2003; 30(1-2):44-8. DOI: 10.1046/j.1440-1681.2003.03786.x. View

Sato M, Hosokawa T, Yamaguchi T, Nakano T, Muramoto K, Kahara T . Angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitory peptides derived from wakame (Undaria pinnatifida) and their antihypertensive effect in spontaneously hypertensive rats. J Agric Food Chem. 2002; 50(21):6245-52. DOI: 10.1021/jf020482t. View

Yokota T, Nomura K, Nagashima M, Kamimura N . Fucoidan alleviates high-fat diet-induced dyslipidemia and atherosclerosis in ApoE(shl) mice deficient in apolipoprotein E expression. J Nutr Biochem. 2016; 32:46-54. DOI: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2016.01.011. View

Maeda H, Hosokawa M, Sashima T, Miyashita K . Dietary combination of fucoxanthin and fish oil attenuates the weight gain of white adipose tissue and decreases blood glucose in obese/diabetic KK-Ay mice. J Agric Food Chem. 2007; 55(19):7701-6. DOI: 10.1021/jf071569n. View

Maeda H, Yamamoto R, Hirao K, Tochikubo O . Effects of agar (kanten) diet on obese patients with impaired glucose tolerance and type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2005; 7(1):40-6. DOI: 10.1111/j.1463-1326.2004.00370.x. View

10.

Paxman J, Richardson J, Dettmar P, Corfe B . Daily ingestion of alginate reduces energy intake in free-living subjects. Appetite. 2008; 51(3):713-9. DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2008.06.013. View

11.

Moon K, Oberoi S, Barchowsky A, Chen Y, Guallar E, Nachman K . A dose-response meta-analysis of chronic arsenic exposure and incident cardiovascular disease. Int J Epidemiol. 2017; 46(6):1924-1939. PMC: 5837344. DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyx202. View

12.

Wang W, Xie Z, Lin Y, Zhang D . Association of inorganic arsenic exposure with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a meta-analysis. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2013; 68(2):176-84. DOI: 10.1136/jech-2013-203114. View

13.

Iso H, Kubota Y . Nutrition and disease in the Japan Collaborative Cohort Study for Evaluation of Cancer (JACC). Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2008; 8 Suppl:35-80. View

14.

Nelson S, Gao Y, Nogueira L, Shen M, Wang B, Rashid A . Diet and biliary tract cancer risk in Shanghai, China. PLoS One. 2017; 12(3):e0173935. PMC: 5348031. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0173935. View

15.

Shigihara M, Obara T, Nagai M, Sugawara Y, Watanabe T, Kakizaki M . Consumption of fruits, vegetables, and seaweeds (sea vegetables) and pancreatic cancer risk: the Ohsaki Cohort Study. Cancer Epidemiol. 2014; 38(2):129-36. DOI: 10.1016/j.canep.2014.01.001. View

16.

Key T, Sharp G, Appleby P, Beral V, Goodman M, Soda M . Soya foods and breast cancer risk: a prospective study in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. Br J Cancer. 1999; 81(7):1248-56. PMC: 2374337. DOI: 10.1038/sj.bjc.6690837. View

17.

Yang Y, Nam S, Kong G, Kim M . A case-control study on seaweed consumption and the risk of breast cancer. Br J Nutr. 2009; 103(9):1345-53. DOI: 10.1017/S0007114509993242. View

18.

Wada K, Nakamura K, Tamai Y, Tsuji M, Watanabe K, Ando K . Seaweed intake and urinary sex hormone levels in preschool Japanese children. Cancer Causes Control. 2011; 23(2):239-44. DOI: 10.1007/s10552-011-9871-z. View

19.

Severson R, Nomura A, Grove J, STEMMERMANN G . A prospective study of demographics, diet, and prostate cancer among men of Japanese ancestry in Hawaii. Cancer Res. 1989; 49(7):1857-60. View

20.

Allen N, Sauvaget C, Roddam A, Appleby P, Nagano J, Suzuki G . A prospective study of diet and prostate cancer in Japanese men. Cancer Causes Control. 2004; 15(9):911-20. DOI: 10.1007/s10552-004-1683-y. View