Pigment in Brown Seaweed: Fucoxanthin, Potential Anti-Obesity Agent

Filed in archive Studies on September 17, 2006

Presented by Japanese researchers from Hokkaido University at the 232nd national meeting of the American Chemical Society in San Francisco, the new research finding that a compound found in brown seaweed has reduced the weight of obese rodents by 5-10% and that it could be developed as a natural extract to help fight obesity in humans.

The compound called fucoxanthin, a brownish pigment not found in significant quantities in green or red seaweed but is abundant in the brown type (Undaria pinnatifida, a type of kelp also known as wakame) was reported to stimulate a protein found in the fat that surrounds internal organs (white adipose tissue), called UCP1.

The UCP1 protein causes fat oxidation and conversion of energy to heat.

According to Professor Kazuo Miyashita, leader of the said study funded by the Japanese government:

Since the abdominal area contains abundant adipose tissue, the compound might be particularly effective at shrinking oversized guts. This is the first time that a natural food component has been shown to reduce fat by targeting the UCP1 protein.

Whether such effects are reproducible in humans remains to be seen. BUT if the results are positive, it may take three to five years before the anti-obesity pills are on the market. I hope that our study [points to a way to] help reduce obesity in the U.S. and elsewhere. Until then, people should continue to eat a well-balanced diet and get plenty of exercise.

In this particular study, fucoxanthin also stimulated the liver to produce the omega-3 fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) at levels comparable to fish oil supplementation. Which is really amazing because it has been found in previous studies that DHA can reduce the levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol that contribute to obesity and heart disease.

Fucoxanthin was found to have no adverse side effects in the rats and mice used in this study.

Source: NutraIngredients

[Photo Credit: puritan.com]