Most of us have heard about the benefits of eating certain kinds of seaweed. But recently, scientists have discovered a type of carotenoid called Fucoxanthin that is being haled as the new miracle food. It’s an antioxidant that experts believe promotes weight loss, and can even help to treat diabetes and cancer.

Fucoxanthin is found in wakame and hijiki, two kinds of brown seaweed, as well as some forms of red and green seaweed. This is the same seaweed that consumers find wrapped around most of their sushi rolls. At one billion years old, wakame is one of the oldest types of ocean plants ever discovered that still exist today. Asians have been consuming it for thousands of years and visibly benefit from it.

Some animal testing in labs has determined that Fucoxanthin will help treat diabetes in the near future. The supplement can diminish insulin and blood glucose levels by promoting the development of DHA in the body. DHA, otherwise known as omega-3, has proven to decrease bad cholesterol, balance insulin production and improve metabolism.

The improvement of triglycerides, and thus metabolism, instigated studies at the Hokkaido University in Sapporo, Japan to find out if Fucoxanthin can be used as a weight loss tool. It turns out that Fucoxanthin promotes fat burning by escalating the use of thermogenin. This stimulates a protein called UCP1, which turns energy to heat by oxidizing body fat.

The process of metabolic thermogenin is when the body burns fat for use as energy. This is the same process that is used by bears to stay warm in the winter when they hibernate. In other words, a person could stay perfectly still for a long time, and still burn fat while taking Fucoxanthin as directed. It also seems to have a positive effect on the kind of fat that attaches itself to the heart, abdomen and other organs thus reducing heart disease and helping to control diabetes. In studies, rodents lost about 10% of their body fat when given Fucoxanthin as 2% of their diet.

The other use found for Fucoxanthin is quite astonishing. There has been some test-tube evidence that Fucoxanthin may help fight tumors. This particular use is inconclusive, but more research is being done to find out if Fucoxanthin can be used to help fight tumors in cancer patients along with other medical treatments.

Rich in vitamin C, beta-carotene, riboflavin, vitamin B12 and B6, among others, wakame is a very wholesome food. Although it’s tempting to go to your local sushi bar and load up on sushi and sea weed salad, it is important to know that sea weed actually contains fairly large amounts of iodine as well. Consuming large portions of it can lead to iodine poisoning which can harm the thyroids.

While this does not mean that eating seaweed is unsafe, it is much safer to get Fucoxanthin in the form of a pill or supplement rather than gorge yourself on Japanese food. There seems to be no known negative side effect of taking Fucoxanthin as a dietary supplement.

Susan Chadwick writes for Global Health News, covering topics in all areas of health, from weight loss to internal cleansing.

Fucoxanthin is sold under the brand name Fuco Prime and can be found at www.FucoPrime.com or Fuco Prime by Nature’s Biology

There’s nothing like summer sunshine to make us think about donning those swimsuits and enjoying basking in the sun. Usually our next thought is our waistline. If you’re feeling the weight of excess winter pounds or more and looking for a way to shift them rapidly, you can be sure you’re not alone in that.

Worldwide struggle

Winning the war against weight gain is not a one man battle by any means. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the obesity roller coaster shows no signs of losing momentum. They estimate that in seven years time, over 700 million people globally will come under the ‘obese’ classification with an additional 2.3 billion more in the overweight category.

If you have no desire to be part of those WHO statistics and to start taking the first steps to a more healthy body and lifestyle, you’ll be interested in fucoxanthin. Harvested from brown seaweed, the properties of fucoxanthin have stirred the interest of both scientific communities as well as the weight loss ones.

The science part

Rodent testing carried out by a Japanese university in Hokkaido revealed that the presence of increased fucoxanthin levels can help accelerate the process of thermogenesis, our body’s way of melting away those fat cells.

They noted during their studies that the most common place where this occurred was in the abdomen’s white adipose tissue. Here’s where the majority of UCP1, the protein responsible for how much fat storage we accumulate, lays down fat. Blame UCP1 for all those “spare tires” we see gathering around our waistlines, especially as we drift towards middle age and beyond.

The interaction of the raised levels of fucoxanthin with the UCP1 protein demonstrated the true potential of fucoxanthin. As an effective weapon in the fight against obesity faced every day all over the world, fucoxanthin’s stepping up to the plate.The findings of this research is without doubt an exciting development that has weight loss circles abuzz.

Where does it come from?

Fucoxanthin isn’t a substance that occurs naturally in the body in large quantities. While it’s true that fucoxanthin is present in certain edible brown seaweeds, there’s simply no way you could consume enough of it in one sitting to gain the equivalent benefit of taking a supplement. Even if you’re a big fan of kale, one of the more recognizable sources of fucoxanthin, you’d have a hard time managing to pile your plate high enough for it to have any effect.

In fact, you need to be cautious about ingesting excessive amounts of seaweed due to their plant’s elevated iodine content. Heightened iodine levels in your system can be detrimental to your health as they play havoc with your thyroid gland. The role of the thyroid is to regulate your hormones and it’s certainly not something you want to interfere with indiscriminately.

Availability

The good news is there’s an easy solution to that particular challenge. The even better news is that it can sit right in your bathroom cabinet. You can obtain fucoxanthin in supplement form online and have it delivered straight to your door. It’s the simple, convenient and measured way of gaining all the benefits of this discovery with none of the inherent risks of excessive seaweed consumption.

So next time you’re thinking about your swimsuit and making the most of summer, think of fucoxanthin. Want that figure you’d like to be showing off sooner rather than later? Then remember, it’s never too late nor too early to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Losing excess weight is an excellent place to start and fucoxanthin can help you do just that.

Susan Chadwick writes for Global Health News, covering topics in all areas of health, from Diabetes to Alzheimer’s Disease.

Fucoxanthin is sold by Nature’s Biology under the brand name Fuco Prime and can be found at www.FucoPrime.com or Fuco Prime by Nature’s Biology

After years of grueling research and development, the scientific community has announced the discovery of an astounding compound that has been shown in rigorous clinical studies to accelerate and promote the loss of stubborn fat in the abdominal region. This amazing new compound is found in marine plant life and is called fucoxanthin.

Fucoxanthin is an all natural ingredient that is found in edible seaweed, most specifically in brown seaweed such as wakama (Undaria pinnatifida) and hijiki (Hijikia fusiformis), which are commonly used in Asian cuisine. There has been much epidemiological data from Japan (whose culture is infamous for their longevity, typically trim bodies, and vibrant health) that suggests that brown seaweed consumption yields spectacular health benefits. Fucoxanthin is actually an isolated carotenoid of brown seaweed (which protects cells and tissues from detrimental free radicals). Fucoxanthin is the force behind the brown color of the seaweed; its special pigmentation keeps the seaweed from being destroyed by the sun while it floats on the ocean’s surface.

Scientists believe that fucoxanthin works by regulating the protein UCP1 (uncoupling protein 1). UCP1 controls the amount of fat that is stored up in the body and also regulates the activity of a prominent gene that is responsible for sustaining the body’s temperature. UCP1 is found in white adipose tissue, (which is actually a repulsive yellowish colored fat), also called visceral fat. Visceral fat is usually a culprit of the dreaded “middle-age spread”, with its tell-tale fat surrounding the abdominal regions and encasing the body’s internal organs, which has been shown in a vast number of studies to aid in the development of both diabetes and heart disease. Unfortunately, visceral fat is inclined to attract toxins, leads to inflammation, and is extremely harmful to the overall hormonal well-being of the body.

Researchers believe that fucoxanthin possesses very powerful thermogenic (fat burning) elements. Thermogenesis can best be defined as a process by which the human body creates internal heat, which triggers an increase in the overall metabolic rate, thereby requiring the use of stores of energy in the way of fat reserves. Fucoxanthin-induced thermogenesis elevates the body’s temperature, making it a fat (and calorie) burning boiler room. The effect is like turning up the furnace, the more fuel you use, the emptier the tank becomes; in this instance, the faster the weight falls off! You can apply the same science to animals that hibernate in the winter, such as the bear. The bear has fat stores built up that its body relies on during the winter to stay alive, and to keep it from fatally freezing!

Another factor that makes fucoxanthin an important new development for weight loss is that the metabolic boost that is associated with this all-natural ingredient does not stimulate the delicate central nervous system ; a side effect of many popular weight loss formulations. Fucoxanthin has been found safe to use with no side effects, other than rapid weight loss.
Those who have used fucoxanthin in a weight loss formulation or supplement have reported losing as much as ten percent of their body weight. Those users also reported suppression in appetite and an increased level of energy while taking fucoxanthin.

In addition to its remarkable assistance in the battle of the belly bulge, fucoxanthin has also been found to decrease blood glucose and insulin levels. Scientists believe that this diabetes-inhibiting effect occurs because fucoxanthin promotes the replication of DHA, which is the same omega-3 fatty acid that is found in beneficial fish oil, and is thought to increase insulin sensitivity, improve levels of triglycerides, and reduce the bad cholesterol (LDL) in the body.
Furthermore, this powerful ingredient may have implications in the fight against cancer. Some studies have shown that fucoxanthin may have anti-tumor tendencies, which can slow down the growth of certain tumors.

Susan Chadwick writes for Global Health News, covering topics in all areas of health, from weight loss to internal cleansing.

Fucoxanthin is sold under the brand name Fuco Prime and can be found at www.FucoPrime.com or Fuco Prime by Nature’s Biology