Seaweed Ups Weight Loss

FREDERIKSBERG, DenmarkSupplementing with seaweed fiber while reducing caloric intake for 12 weeks improved weight loss in obese subjects in a new study (Am J Clin Nutr. 2012 May 30).

The study was designed to investigate the effects alginate, a natural fiber found in sea kelp, in conjunction with energy restriction on loss of body weight and fat and, second, on metabolic risk markers in comparison with in a placebo group.

The parallel, double blind, placebo-controlled study, randomly assigned 96 obese subjects to either an energy-restricted diet (-300 kcal/d) plus a placebo preload supplement or an energy-restricted diet(-300 kcal/d) plus an alginate-based preload supplement (15 g fiber). The preload was administered as a beverage three times/d before main meals.

While researchers found no differences in loss of body weight and fat between groups, they found greater weight loss in subjects who took alginate (6.78 ± 3.67 kg) than those who took the placebo (5.04 ± 3.40 kg) (P=0.03) in subjects who completed the study. This weight loss was mainly attributed to a reduction in the percentage of body fat (P = 0.03).

In the overall group, the researchers found a larger decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure in the placebo group than in the alginate group (P<0.05). Plasma concentrations of glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, C-reactive protein, ghrelin and lipid metabolism did not differ between treatment groups.

In 2010, a study found alginate stops the body from absorbing fat better than most anti-obesity treatments currently available over-the-counter.