Seaweeds: Their health benefits (First of Two Parts)

Text and photos by Henrylito D. Tacio 
The Philippines, touted as Pearl of the Orient Seas, has a 36,289 kilometers of coastlines — almost twice that of the United States.
It is no wonder why the country has the second highest number of seagrasses in the world.  It has 18 species of seagrasses thriving along its coasts.  Only Western Australia, with 30 species, has more than that total.
Of the almost 700 coral species known in the world, 500 of them can be found in the Philippines, mostly in Palawan and Sulu Archipelago.
But what most Filipinos don’t know is that the Philippines is home to several seaweed species, of which 893 species have been identified so far.
“(The Philippines has) 197 species in 20 families for green algae, 153 species in 10 families for brown algae, and 543 species in 52 families for red algae,” bared Dr. Marco Nemesio Montaño, of the Marine Science Institute of the University of the Philippines-Diliman, during a seminar on Enhancing Marine and Agricultural Products through Biotechnology.
The good news is: seaweeds can help in having a voluptuous and healthy body — like that of 2016 Miss Universe Pia Alonzon Wurtzbach, according to Dr. Montaño.
How come?  It’s because seaweeds contain fucoxanthin, a pharmacologically active carotenoid commonly distributed in brown algae.  Currently, the bioactive product is being developed into a slimming supplement or a drug that targets harmful fat. 
During his lecture, Dr. Montaño said that in obese animals, the compound appeared to stimulate protein called UCP1 “which causes fat to be broken down.”  The pigment (in the form of fucoxanthinol), he further explained, also caused the liver to produce DHA, which can help cut levels of bad cholesterol associated with obesity and heart disease.
In a new human clinical trial, a patent-pending extract of fucoxanthin — called LipoxanThin — showed promising results for fat loss in humans.
“By stimulating the expression of UCP-1 gene in white adipose tissues, fucoxanthin promotes thermogenesis (fat burning) in white fat cells. No jitters, loss of sleep, or stimulation side effects since the thermogenic effect is achieved without stimulating the central nervous  system,”Dr. Montaño said.
Fucoxanthin also acts as an antioxidant and inhibits GOTO cells of neuroblastoma and colon cancer cells.  It has beneficial effects on chemoprevention of cancer and also inhibited the development of intestinal carcinogenesis in animal experiments.
“Fucoxanthin induced apoptosis of human leukemia HL-60 cells and reduces viability of prostate cancer by inducing apoptosis,” Dr. Montaño said.
Another bioactive product present in seaweeds is fucoidan, sulfated polysaccharide from brown algae known for its ability to act as an anti-contraceptive and reduce cholesterol levels.
Fucoidan also has anti-cancer and anti-thrombotic traits and can also be used as an ati-tumor agent and against the white spot syndrome virus.
According to studies, seaweed consumption reduces the risk of obesity by 43%, breast cancer by 58%, risk for type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes (34% for men and 20% for women), and cardiovascular mortality by 27%.
Based on research, feasting on seaweeds can also lessen the risk of osteoporosis by 78%, allergic rhinosinusitis among pregnant women by 49%.
As seaweed is recognized as having some “anti-oxidant” elements, some scientists are trying to validate whether seaweed-based carrageenan powder as a blending agent on processed foods can fight cancer and other ailments.
Carageenan is the most known bioactive product sourced from seaweeds.  It is a linear sulfated polysaccharide obtained from alkali extraction of red seaweeds like Kappaphycus spp., Eucheuma spp., and Halemynia sp.
To those unfamiliar with its many uses, carageenan is commonly used as thickener or stabilizer by the food industry and also used as a binding agent for domestic products such as toothpaste and shampoo and are found in selected pharmaceutical products.
In Davao del Sur, a report released by the Philippine News Agency (PNA) said that scientists from the Southern Philippines Agri-Business Marine and Aquatic School of Technology (SPAMAST) are working closely with members of the seaweed industry cluster in developing value-added products that use seaweed-based carrageenan powder on foods such as cakes, pastries and “cured meat products” like sausages, hotdogs and chorizos.
“We’re trying to make these products more nutritious by adding more vitamins – while blending them with carrageenan,” Dra. Jesebel Besas, a food scientist at SPAMAST, was quoted as saying.
One reason why they are focusing on seaweeds, it’s because of its medicinal properties.  “It’s a real possibility that we’ll try to verify and validate at our laboratories – that blending seaweed powder in processed foods can fight cancer. We still need to validate this,” Dra. Besas pointed out.
Nutrition-wise, what’s in seaweeds?  Food experts classified seaweed as one of the richest plant sources of calcium.  Its calcium content is typically about 4-7% of dry matter. At 7% calcium, one gram of dried seaweed provides 70 milligrams of calcium, compared to a daily dietary requirement of about 1,000 milligrams. Still, this is higher than a serving of most non-milk based foods.
Protein content in seaweed varies somewhat. It is low in brown algae at 5-11% of dry matter, but comparable in quantitative terms to legumes at 30-40% of dry matter in some species of red algae. Green algae also have significant protein content, that is, up to 20% of dry matter. Spirulina, a micro-alga, is well known for its very high content: 70% of dry matter.
Seaweed contains several vitamins. Red and brown algae are rich in carotenes and are used, in fact, as a source of natural mixed carotenes for dietary supplements. The content ranges from 20-170 parts per million. The vitamin C in red and brown algae is also notable, with contents ranging from 500-3000 parts per million. Other vitamins are also present, including B12, which is not found in most land plants.
Globally there are over 9,000 species of seaweed divided into three major types: green, brown and red. Red is the most species-rich group (6,000) followed by brown (2,000) and finally green (1,200). (To be concluded)