Many studies highlight seaweed’s rich supply of biologically active metabolites with promising therapeutic applications, such as anti-cancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-diabetic treatments. The West’s adoption of modern lifestyles has resulted in less physical activity and diets high in calories and saturated fat. This has led to an increasing number of reported chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Recently, NCDs have replaced infectious diseases as the number one cause of human death. Current NCD treatments are mainly dependent on drugs, leaving the ocean as an untapped resource to be explored. In this blog post, I share a detailed examination of the research paper, “Looking Beyond the Terrestrial: The Potential of Seaweed-Derived Bioactives to Treat Non-Communicable Diseases,” by Kenneth G. Collins et al., which focuses on the therapeutic potential of bioactive compounds extracted from seaweed, specifically polysaccharides, antioxidants, and fatty acids, in addressing a range of chronic non-communicable diseases, such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes.
This blog will begin by focusing on the therapeutic potential of seaweed components in reducing cardiovascular disease, and this introductory blog will be followed by two subsequent blogs focusing on the topics of “Diabetes and Obesity” and “Polysaccharides and Prebiotics.”
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a diverse group of diseases that affect the circulatory system, including heart disease and stroke. CVD is the leading cause of death worldwide. There are many recognized risk factors for CVD, the most important of which are hypertension, hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, and abdominal obesity.
Controlling high blood pressure is crucial in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, as it’s the most significant modifiable risk factor. Risk factors that contribute to the development of hypertension include differences in sodium and potassium concentrations in the body, obesity, insulin resistance, high alcohol intake, inadequate calcium intake, stress, and aging. High blood pressure currently affects 25% of the world’s adult population; this is expected to increase to 60% by 2025. The prevalence of hypertension increases with age.
Potassium alginate is the major polysaccharide found in brown algae. It is known that alginate binds with sodium, potassium, and calcium ions, and has the effect of lowering blood pressure by reducing sodium absorption in the intestine. It was also shown to have a protective effect on vascular endothelial cells in stressed rats. Low molecular weight alginate extracted from L. japonica was shown to reduce systolic blood pressure in hypertensive rats.
Wakame powder from U. pinnatifida (5% w/w in the diet) significantly delayed signs of stroke and survival in salt-fed spontaneously hypertensive stroke-prone (SHRSP) rats.
A seaweed preparation, formulated to increase potassium and decrease sodium through ion exchange and sodium adsorption, was administered to a group of middle-aged, mildly hypertensive patients in a study on dietary changes. After 4 weeks of dietary intervention, mean blood pressure was significantly reduced in patients consuming 12 and 24 g of the preparation per day.
Although hypertension is primarily associated with adults, many studies have tracked blood pressure from childhood to adulthood, showing that the process of atherosclerosis begins in childhood. Therefore, monitoring blood pressure from early childhood and providing appropriate interventions is important to prevent the development of CVD in later life. A study conducted on Japanese preschool children investigated the effect of seaweed intake on blood pressure levels. The study revealed a significant inverse relationship between seaweed intake and blood pressure in children, with systolic pressure reduction observed in girls and diastolic in boys, suggesting beneficial effects of seaweed in the diet.
Hyperlipidemia leads to persistent endothelial dysfunction and vascular inflammation, which are the main causes of CVD. Feeding rats a reconstituted pork diet enriched with Himanthalia elongata reduced plasma cholesterol levels in subjects supplemented with dietary cholesterol.
Myocardial infarction, or heart attack, is the leading cause of death worldwide for both genders. Fucoidan from C. okamuranus was evaluated in rats with myocardial infarction induced by isoproterenol, a synthetic catecholamine known to cause severe stress on the myocardium. Fucoidan reduced the induced myocardial damage, improved the antioxidant defense system, and reduced oxidative stress. Similarly, pretreatment of rats with isoproterenol-induced myocardial injury with fucoidan from T. conoides significantly normalized the endogenous and exogenous antioxidant defense systems. Fucoidan, a compound derived from algae, exhibits anticoagulant properties and has been suggested as an alternative therapeutic agent.
Hydrogen gas intake is a successful remedy for ischemia-reperfusion injury. It has been demonstrated that gut bacteria can produce hydrogen gas and that its production is increased when mannitol (a diuretic) is orally administered to humans and animals. Seaweed is an excellent source of mannitol, which has protective effects when consumed. Seaweed is also a great natural source of conjugated fatty acids (CFAs), which are isomers of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) containing double bonds. Dietary CFAs, such as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), have been reported to prevent the development of essential hypertension in non-obese hypertensive rats by regulating the production of bioactive adipocytokines, such as adiponectin, leptin, and angiotensinogen.
The findings presented in this study strongly suggest that fucoidan could potentially serve as a foundational element in the development of highly effective future treatments for various forms of cardiovascular disease.
Source: Mar Drugs. 2016 Mar; 14(3): 60. doi: 10.3390/md14030060