Most people identify seaweed with sushi, those delectable rolls of rice,
vegetables, and seafood wrapped up in sheets of nori. Rich in calcium and
magnesium, this marine algae is capable of so much more, not only in the food
world, but in medicine, cosmetics and industrial products.
The latest and greatest use of seaweed is the fibrous alginate extracted from
sea kelp, which can be added to everyday products such as bread, and reduce fat
absorption in the body by 75 percent. The findings, which came out of Newcastle
University in the U.K., were presented this week at the American Chemical
Society’s spring meeting in San Francisco. The conference brings over 17,000
scientists and 12,000 reports on the latest in the fields of chemistry,
medicine, health and food.
Alginates are proving to be a boon to the weight management field. Research
leader Dr. Iain Brownlee said, “This suggests that if we can add the natural
fiber to products commonly eaten daily such as bread, biscuits and yogurts
up to three quarters of the fat contained in that meal could simply pass through
the body,” said team leader Dr. Iain Brownlee.
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