Health & Wellness -- Fucoidan

What do you think of when you hear the terms, “Health and Wellness”?  Does the gym and exercise come to mind? Do you think of special diets? Or do vitamins and herbal supplements jump out at you?  Well, the terms are so broad that it actually encompasses all of these items.  From time to time, I get the opportunity to speak with folks who want to improve their health and they take some pretty radical steps in order to do so.  Many doctors will say that in order to maintain proper health, there needs to be a balance of all of the items above.   

Recently, I have been speaking to people about Fucoidan, which is a brown seaweed extract, primarily found in Japan and other coastal regions.  When I first mention the word “Fucoidan”, people are immediately thrown for a loop and their faces crinkle at the brow simply because this is typically the first time they have ever heard of Fucoidan.  Truth of the matter is, Fucoidan has been used throughout Japan and many other Asian countries for various dietary and health reasons.  So, for our readers, I will start from ground zero here:

Q: What is Fucoidan?

A: Fucoidan is a sulfated polysaccharide found mainly in various species of brown algae and brown seaweed such as mozuku, kombu, bladderwrack, wakame, and hijiki. Fucoidan is used as an ingredient in some dietary supplement products.

Now that you know what it is, you are probably asking… “What is it used for?”  Well, according to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, the purported uses are as follows:

Purported Uses	Consumer	Healthcare Professionals
Allergies	X	X
Anticancer	X
Bacterial Infections	X	X
High Cholesterol	X
Hypertension / High Blood Pressure	X	X
Immunostimulation / Boost Immune System	X	X
Improved Skin Health	X
Inflammation	X	X
Inhibit Blood Clotting / Anticoagulant	X
Viral Infections	X	X
Weight / Appetite Control	X

Currently, there are over 950 articles that have been published about Fucoidan on the US National Library of Medicine – National Institutes of Health. With all these articles, you could easily fill up your entire day browsing through these publishings.  Since nobody really has that much time, I’d like to highlight some of the more prominent articles:

1.       Fucoidan present in brown algae induces apoptosis of human colon cancer cells.

2.       Fucoidan from Undaria pinnatifida Induces Apoptosis in A549 Human Lung Carcinoma Cells.

3.       Fucoidan induces apoptosis through activation of caspase-8 on human breast cancer MCF-7 cells.

4.       Anti-tumor activity of fucoidan is mediated by nitric oxide released from macrophages.

5.       Protective effects of fucoidan against γ-radiation-induced damage of blood cells.

6.       Radioprotective effects of fucoidan on bone marrow cells: improvement of the cell survival and immunoreactivity.

7.       A sulfated polysaccharide, fucoidan, enhances the immunomodulatory effects of lactic acid bacteria.

8.       Therapeutic potential of fucoidan in myocardial ischemia.

9.       Suppression by fucoidan of liver fibrogenesis via the TGF-β/Smad pathway in protecting against oxidative stress.

10.   Fucoidan from marine brown algae inhibits lipid accumulation.

11.   Fucoidan promotes mechanosensory hair cell regeneration following amino glycoside-induced cell death.

As you can see, there are many health benefits associated with Fucoidan.  It’s no wonder why Japan consistently holds the record for having the longest life expectancy in the world, as reported in this article.

Are you ready to start reaping the health benefits from Fucoidan? 

Visit us at - www.Fucoidan-HealthWatch.com

-H.Vuong
Owner of "Fucoidan-HealthWatch"
hvuong@fucoidan-healthwatch.com


Website - www.Fucoidan-HealthWatch.com
Twitter - @FucoidanHW