Fucoxanthin Guide
Fucoxanthin is an increasingly popular dietary supplement ingredient. This all-natural ingredient comes from seaweed and is being touted as a fat burner. Is it really all it’s made out to be? Find out more about Fucoxanthin with the Elite Health Blends supplement guide. Inside you’ll find more about the ingredient and how it works, its claimed benefits, how our company feels about it, opinions from medical professionals, and the real clinical research to support it.
The information on this site and the statements made about the products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA ). This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. You should consult with a medical professional before purchasing or using the product, before starting any exercise regime, or starting any weight loss program, especially if you take any medication, have high blood pressure, or have any significant medical problems. The amount of weight loss is unique depending on the individual so results may vary.
You can download a PDF of this guide here.
Background
Fucoxanthin is a chemical found in types of seaweed. Though it can be found in red and green seaweeds, it is most abundant in brown. There are anywhere from 1,500 to 2,000 types of brown seaweed. Fucoxanthin is found in only a small number of these species, and depending on the type may be found in different concentrations.
Many types of brown seaweed serve as a food source for Asian cuisine, as it is the most largely consumed seaweed. Edible forms of brown seaweed are found in Asian markets, available in both hydrated and dehydrated forms. It is most commonly used as an ingredient in soup or stir-fry. Most of the time is it used as a replacement for noodles or rice. The most nutritional benefit will come from eating the ingredient raw, but cooked forms also provide a great deal of nutrition. [1]
Claimed Benefits
Fucoxanthin supplements claim to have two primary benefits.
Weight Loss
Diabetes Treatment
Clinical studies, referenced below, cite dosage amounts of fucoxanthin at 2.4mg to 8mg per day to produce weight loss. While you can get fucoxanthin from eating brown seaweed, it is important to recognize that you cannot eat the necessary amount of brown seaweed to get the fucoxanthin you need, without risking or causing iodine poisoning. Since it grows in the ocean, the natural iodine content in the actual seaweed is high. Supplement forms remove the iodine, only extracting the fucoxanthin.
More research needs to be conducted to support these claims, but early research indicates fucoxanthin may be a beneficial option for the cancer treatment.
According to Colin J. Barrow and Fereidoon Shahidi, authors of Marine Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods, fucoxanthin is the extract that shows the most bearing in terms of anti-tumor effects in a test-tube study on seafood extracts on tumors. The study was conducted using prostate cancer cells. Out of all the carotenoids tested, fucoxanthin presented the best results in preventing the growth of cancerous cells. Further research must be conducted to determine fucoxanthin’s effectiveness on other forms of cancer.[1]
Our Stance
Elite Health Blends believes there is substantial evidence to support fucoxanthin supplement weight loss claims.* While the diabetes treatment and cancer treatment studies look promising, further research needs to be conducted to determine how well fucoxanthin will work for these purposes in humans.* Until we see human clinical trials with positive results to substantiate these claims, we will not support them.
Professional Opinions
James Barber, M.D.
Fucoxanthin, a natural substance found in brown seaweed has been used widely for many years in Asian cuisine. It is thought to produce weight loss by producing the protein UCP-1, which stimulates the metabolic rate. Its beneficial effects are also believed to be due to the increased production of the well-known cardiac health promoting omega-3 fatty acids found in such fish as salmon.
In human studies, the beneficial effects have been a decrease in blood pressure levels and liver fat amounts, and a decrease in overall weight and a decrease in triglycerides. These studies indicate that the fucoxanthin supplement may be a beneficial weight loss product.
Pamela B. Smith, R.N.
Fucoxanthin comes from Brown Seaweed, something the Asians have included in their cuisine for years. As a general rule, people living this culture are healthy people, and I believe fucoxanthin could be one of the reasons why. It shows promise as a weight loss supplement for its ability to boost metabolism and mimic brown fat in the body. For best results, however, it should be included as part of a nutritionally balanced diet and regular exercise routine.
Clinical Research
Human Trials
According to a double blind study conducted by Russian medical professionals: Abidov M, Ramazanov Z, Seifulla R, Grachev S. at the Institute of Immunopathology at Russian Academy of Natural Sciences in Moscow, Russia, Fucoxanthin has been shown to:
decrease blood pressure levels
decrease c-reactive protein
decrease liver fat
increase metabolism
decrease weight
decrease triglycerides
The 16-week study focused on a group of 151 pre-menopausal non-diabetic obese women who had normal liver fat, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Every day, participants were given either a placebo medication, or a Xanthigen supplement. Xanthigen features 300mg Pomegranate seed oil and 300mg seaweed extract, which provides 2.4mg fucoxanthin.
The study administered fucoxanthin at varying doses and demonstrated a decrease in blood pressure levels from 138/91mmHG to 119/79mmHG in women with a fatty liver. In women with normal liver fat, it demonstrated a decrease from 128/93mmHG to 112/77mmHG.
The impact of Xanthigen on liver fat was analyzed separately from its impact on weight loss. The women who were in the non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) group lost an average of 12.1 lbs. with a +/-3.1 lbs. range. The women who were in the normal liver fat (NLF) group lost an average of 10.8 lbs. with a +/-2.6 lbs. range. The women in the placebo group did not see a significant weight loss.
The impact of fucoxanthin on metabolism was also analyzed. Research showed a dose-dependent increase in metabolic rate. An 8mg dose was the highest amount tested, showing an increase in metabolic rate from 5.95kJ/min to 7.37kJ/min, the higher end of the scale correlating to an increase of 1915 ± 246 kJ/24 h relative to baseline.
The study also showed a dose of only 1.6mg of fucoxanthin was not clinically effective, and a minimum dose of 2.4mg of fucoxanthin is required to see any metabolic rate increase.
In the NLF group, studies showed a triglycerides decrease from 177mg/dl to 155mg/dl. The NALFD group showed a decrease from 195mg/dl to 158mg/dl.[6]
The research indicates this could be a promising supplement for obesity management.
Animal Studies
According to a study on mice conducted by Maeda H, Hosokawa M, Sashima T, Murakami-Funayama K, and Miyashita K. at Hirosaki University’s Faculty of Agriculture and Life Science in Aomori, Japan, fucoxanthin can produce anti-obesity and anti-diabetic results.
The study was conducted over a 10-week period, with two different groups of mice. One group was fed a high fat diet rich in wakame, while the other group was fed a normal fat diet rich in wakame. The study determined a decrease from 389.2+/-23.3mg/dl in diet-induced obese mice to 176.4+/-15.8mg/dl in just two weeks of supplementation. These findings were unique to diabetic mice. It suppressed weight gain and increased white fat tissue as a result of the high fat diet. [2]
Another mice study, conducted by Tsukui T, Konno K, Hosokawa M, Maeda H, Sashima T, and Miyashita K. at Hokkaido University’s Faculty of Fisheries Sciences and Creative Research Institute in Hakodate, Hokkaido, Japan, indicates fucoxanthin increases levels of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the liver, independent from supplementation. Mice in this study were fed either crude fucoxanthin or glyceroglycolipid for four weeks.
The mice receiving the diet high (.53%) in fucoxanthin showed an increase from 2.3% in control mice to 5.1% of fatty acid composition of total liver lipids. The mice receiving crude glyceroglycolipid, did not see a change in the portion of DHA composition of total liver lipids. [3]
A 2005 study conducted by the Laboratory of Biofunctional Material Chemistry, Division of Marine Bioscience in Japan using rats and mice indicates fucoxanthin produces the Mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1), which is typically only expressed by brown adipose tissue (BAT), better known as brown fat. Fucoxanthin appears to allow white fat to mimic brown fat. White fat is the fat stored on the body, where as brown fat is used for energy. This could be the reason for the metabolic increase seen in human studies. [4]
This research indicates fucoxanthin may be an effective option for diabetics and treating obesity.
Pomegranate seed oil, combined with fucoxanthin to create the patented ingredient Xanthigen, has not been studied for weight loss in humans in any other clinical trials besides the one below. It has however, been studied in rats to determine whether or not it helps protect against “diet induced weight gain” and insulin resistance in mice.
The study, conducted by Vroegrijk IO, van Diepen JA, van den Berg S, Westbroek I, Keizer H, Gambelli L, Hontecillas R, Bassaganya-Riera J, Zondag GC, Romijn JA, Havekes LM, and Voshol PJ at the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Leiden University Medical Center in Leiden, Netherlands, examined rats for 12 weeks.
Rats were fed either a high fat diet (HFD,) or a high fat diet with 1% Pomegranate seed oil for punicic acid (PUA) in order to promote obesity and insulin resistance. Body weight, body composition, and insulin sensitivity were recorded at the end of the 12 weeks.
The rats that took pomegranate seed oil resulted a lower body weight compared to those who were fed only a high fat diet, 30.5±2.9 vs. 33.8±3.2 g PSO vs. HFD respectively, without changing the food intake or energy expenditure. The lower body weight was completely explained by a reduction in body fat mass 3.3±2.3 vs. 6.7±2.7 g for PSO and HFD fed mice, respectively. Results indicate that pomegranate seed oil did not change liver insulin sensitivity, but did improve peripheral insulin sensitivity, 164±52% vs. 92±24% for PSO and HFD fed mice, respectively. [5]
This study indicates that the PUA found in pomegranate seed oil may help prevent diet induced obesity and insulin resistance in mice.
References
http://www.livestrong.com/article/279486-brown-seaweed-fucoxanthin-information/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21475918
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17536824
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15896707
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21440024
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19840063