Skip the Sea Kelp Dietary supplements (2024)

For those who’re on HealthTok, you might have observed a buzz round sea moss, sea kelp, or brown seaweed, which has develop into the most recent “superfood” to seize the eye of wellness lovers. Traditionally, seaweed has been utilized in indigenous medication for quite a lot of illnesses; immediately, you should buy it in capsules, powders, and teas.

There is some science to again up bladderwrack’s extra hyperbolic well being claims. Nonetheless, given a number of the dangers related to consuming unregulated algae-derived merchandise, you’ll in all probability be higher off enhancing your food regimen on the whole. We break it down for you right here. Excited about extra wellness analysis? Do not forget to take a look at our recommendation for residing perpetually in Silicon Valley and whether or not it is best to apply snail mucus to your face (you in all probability ought to).

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What Is Bladderwrack?

{Photograph}: Brook Science Photograph Library/Getty Pictures

“Bladderwrack is a brown seaweed within the genus Fucus that grows within the intertidal areas of temperate areas,” says Loretta Roberson, an affiliate scientist on the College of Chicago’s Marine Organic Laboratory. “You’ll find it right here in the US and in Europe—Eire to England—and most locations on that very same latitude.” The title comes from the air-filled sacs, or “bladders,” on the seaweed’s thallus. These teeny bladders assist the plant float and keep nearer to daylight for photosynthesis.

Bladderwrack’s medicinal use dates again for hundreds of years. “There was really a big seaweed business [in North America] the place individuals would acquire massive wagonfuls of seaweed, and they’d use it for a bunch of various functions,” Roberson says. Indigenous peoples used it for poultices and teas, and by the early 1800s, it gained a popularity as a treatment for goiter—a swelling brought on by thyroid points. By the 1860s, it was promoted as a metabolism booster and remedy for weight problems. Right this moment, bladderwrack is on the market in varied varieties, from dried and powdered to capsule dietary supplements and teas.

Why Would You Take Bladderwrack?

Bladderwrack dietary supplements make daring claims: weight reduction, glowing pores and skin, thyroid help, and extra. Among the commonest explanation why individuals take bladderwrack embrace:

• It could assist alleviate gastroesophageal reflux illness (GERD) signs. Bladderwrack comprises alginic acid, which, when mixed with magnesium carbonate, might relieve signs of GERD. This mixture varieties a barrier that protects the abdomen lining from irritants, probably decreasing irritation and heartburn.
• It could relieve constipation and diarrhea. Alginic acid additionally promotes smoother digestion.
• It could assist soothe digestive irritation. The mucilage in bladderwrack—a gel-like substance—can profit people with gastritis or indigestion by coating irritated mucous membranes alongside the digestive tract.

What Does the Science Say?

Bethany Marie Doerfler, a gastrointestinal specialist at Northwestern Drugs, says the touted well being advantages are tied to bladderwrack’s antioxidant properties, however there have been only a few research evaluating its efficacy or security in people.

Like many seaweeds, bladderwrack is full of antioxidants, together with phenolics, phlorotannins, fucoxanthin, alginic acid, fucoidans, and small quantities of nutritional vitamins A and C. Doerfler factors to alginic acid—present in over-the-counter merchandise like Gaviscon Advance—as a compound with confirmed effectiveness.

“These derivatives are studied and thought of secure, in contrast to bladderwrack dietary supplements, which stay largely unregulated and untested,” Doerfler explains. “Individuals typically leap from figuring out wholesome elements to assuming well being outcomes, however [bladderwrack supplements] aren’t backed by analysis.”

Are Bladderwrack Dietary supplements Protected?

Regardless of the “pure” label typically connected to those sorts of dietary supplements, they arrive with dangers. Algae-derived merchandise can accumulate heavy metals like arsenic and mercury from polluted waters, and even low concentrations over time can result in critical well being issues equivalent to nerve harm or kidney dysfunction.

One other concern is the excessive iodine content material in bladderwrack, which might intervene with thyroid operate. In keeping with Roberson, in some nations, there are laws attributable to excessive iodine ranges, which might have an effect on thyroid well being. There are not any clear pointers within the US on how a lot iodine is secure to eat, and the dangers related to extra iodine stay misunderstood. “We don’t know thresholds, doses, or potential interactions with different medicines as a result of absence of analysis,” Doerfler says.