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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Brown seaweed could fight fat and weight gain. A pigment found in brown seaweed, called fucoxanthin, reduces dangerous abdominal fat and cholesterol, according to a new study funded by the Japanese government.
Over 200 lab rats were fed Undaria pinnatifida, a brown kelp commonly consumed in Japan. The seaweed contains the pigment fucoxanthin, which conducts photosynthesis and gives brown seaweed its color. Test animals experienced a 5- to 10-percent weight loss. Study leader Kazuo Miyashita, Ph.D., of Hokkaido University in Hokkaido, Japan, says the pigment appears to combat fat in two different ways.
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The compound stimulates a protein called UCP1 that causes fat oxidation and converts energy to heat. UCP1 is found in the fat surrounding internal organs. Extra fat around the internal organs elevates risk for diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.
Researchers say the compound also stimulates the liver to produce an Omega-3 fatty acid called DHA. High levels of DHA can reduce bad cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein, which is shown to contribute to heart disease and obesity.
Dr. Miyashita warns that eating lots of seaweed is not an efficient way to lose weight. Fucoxanthin is not easily absorbed from whole seaweed, so a person would need to consume large quantities of seaweed each day to lose weight. Researchers must determine how to extract fucoxanthin from seaweed for drug development. It could take three to five years to make such a drug available to consumers.
Human studies on the fat-fighting effects of fucoxanthin are planned.
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: 232nd national meeting of the American Chemical Society in San Francisco, Sept. 10-14, 2006
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