Of course we knew this long ago, but seaweed is making headlines again as being a superfood. A team of researchers lead by Prof Jeff Pearson from Newcastle University found out that alginates (natural fibres) which are present in seaweed (especially Kombu) can reduce fat uptake by more than 75%. This of course helps fight obesity and weight loss.

Of course we already knew of seaweeds’ incredible health benefits, but seeing this underpinned by yet another study is great news!

“There are countless claims about miracle cures for weight loss but only a few cases offer any sound scientific evidence to back up these claims. Alginates not only have great potential for weight management – adding them to food also has the added advantage of boosting overall fibre content.” explains Dr Brownlee.

The cool thing is, we donated the scientists the seaweed to conduct this research!

Cooking with kelp or kombu is actually quite easy. We put some general cooking guidelines here so why not try a Kombu Pesto or make your own Kombu stock?!

 

The headlines:

Seaweed could be key to weight loss, study suggests. BBC News, March 1, 2014

Want to lose weight? Eat more SEAWEED. Daily Mirror, March 1 2014

Could seaweed stop the tide of obesity? Scientists creating supplement that blocks fat. The Independent, March 1 2014