Can Seaweed Help You Lose Weight?

There may not be a lot of seaweed on the dinner plate in Western dining rooms. But seaweed is popular in Asia, and it has been a central ingredient in the diets of coastal people since prehistoric times. A new study points to helping you to achieve a healthy weight as another of the many benefits of eating seaweed.

Seaweed is a rich source of many nutrients, including nutrients that could help with weight loss.

Seaweeds come in three types: green, red and brown. Common brown seaweeds include kelp and sargassum.

A recent systematic review and meta-analysis has found that dietary brown seaweed can help you lose weight.

The meta-analysis included 11 controlled studies of overweight or obese people. It found that eating brown seaweed significantly lowers body mass index and percentage of fat mass when consumed for at least 8 weeks.

Brown seaweed also significantly improved total cholesterol and the heart harmful LDL cholesterol.

The study concluded that edible seaweed supplementation can help manage obesity and cholesterol.

Nutr Rev. 2024 May 15:nuae042.

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