In this article, I want to discuss Fucoidan benefits and Aspirin-cause gastrointestinal ulcers in this blog.

Stomach ulcers are very common issue, worldwide, and are not addressed properly. These stomach ulcers are caused when the balance between stomach acid and mucosa secretion protecting stomach acid is collapsed. Thus it makes the digestive acids eat away at the stomach’s lining tissue which leads to a burning sensation and even pain. Stomach ulcers are one of the major side effects caused due to painkillers such as aspirin. People are also concerned about cardiovascular diseases caused by the painkillers.

As the awareness is growing about the side effects from aspirin and painkillers, people are taking Low-dose aspirin (LDA) protection of cardiovascular disease. According to one of the studies by Byron Cryer and Kenneth Mahaffery, “Gastrointestinal ulcers, the role of aspirin, and clinical outcome: pathobiology diagnose, and treatment,” Low-dose aspirin (LDA) prescriptions are on the rise, especially for cardiac protection.

However, I think the current problem is the lack of understanding of the link between aspirin use and the formation of asymptomatic ulcers. Unfortunately, aspirin therapy’s gastrointestinal side effects remain a significant complication in both symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. While cardiovascular disease is well recognized as a leading cause of death in the United States and many developing countries, gastrointestinal issues are rarely acknowledged. While the benefits of using LDA for protecting the heart are clear, GI’s side effects result in significant health issues too, both symptomatic and asymptomatic on patients. Gastric, duodenal ulcer, and erosion are observed in about one-third of asymptomatic patients taking LDA and GI agents’ protection. (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3970722/)

As per the study by Jongil Choi et al., “Effect of Fucoidan on aspirin-induced stomach ulceration in rats,” Fucoidan effects on aspirin-induced ulcers in rats were evaluated: both biochemical and immunological parameters were considered.

Aspirin-treated rats were pretreated with fucoidan for two weeks. After 48 hours of fasting, rats were administered aspirin to examine changes in aspartate aminotransferase (GOT) and alanine aminotransferase (GPT) in the blood, which are indicators of organ inflammation. As a result, fucoidan suppressed the indicator of inflammation. (Fig. 1)

Also, they examined inflammatory cytokines (the protein that causes inflammation and exacerbates inflammatory symptoms), we found that fucoidan also suppressed pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6) (Fig. 2a). It increased anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10) (Fig. 2b). These results suggest that fucoidan intake will have a protective effect on gastric mucosal ulcers by suppressing GOT, GPT, and IL.