TALKING ALL THINGS SEA MOSS
A hot topic in my clinic is the addition of sea moss as part of a balanced diet, so let’s take a look at what it is and how it could be beneficial for you!
Firstly, what is sea moss?
Sea moss is essentially a type of seaweed which is particularly high in beneficial nutrients, including essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids (proteins). These are all nutrients we cannot make in the body and therefore need to be sourced from food. It also contains high amounts of omega 3, powerful plant compounds and prebiotic fibres.
When people refer to ‘sea moss’, it’s important to note that it’s a bit of a blanket term, there are different types partly dependent on where they are sourced. The sea moss I am referring to is specifically eucheuma cottonii which is found off the coast of St Lucia, you will see how this particular type has specific health benefits. This is one of the reasons I am collaborating with Pardasa, as well as their emphasis on sourcing quality evidence-based natural products to support your health.
You know how I feel about science, the studies have to be there to support any nutritional recommendations I make, and Pardasa’s range of products does not fall short of this.
What are the health benefits of sea moss?
Chances are you are deficient in some (if not many) of the nutrients that sea moss provides. For example, mineral deficiency is common due to poor dietary intake, heavy menstrual cycles, high stress levels and poor absorption from the digestive tract.
Of these minerals, sea moss provides iodine, zinc and selenium, three key minerals for supporting thyroid health and associated symptoms. I have lots of recent content on thyroid health for you to delve into.
Sea moss also contains most of your essential amino acids (1), a nice way to boost these alongside your other protein sources (you’re not going to get enough from sea moss alone, this isn’t an invitation to swerve your protein from meat/fish/eggs/other plants). These proteins are key for many bodily processes such as production of hormones and neurotransmitters, they help to break down our food, aid in growth of body tissues including muscles, skin, hair, nails etc.
Sea moss also contains a high amount of EPA (Eicosapentaenoic acid) which is an omega 3 fatty acid key for reducing inflammation, improving cognitive function and reducing the risk of heart disease (1).
When taken in gel form, sea moss also provides us with mucilage (a soluble prebiotic fibre which swells up when it comes into contact with water), this comes with a host of benefits such as preventing constipation and mild diarrhoea. It also boosts your good gut bacteria and decreases the not so friendly microbes (2).
This boost in beneficial bacteria, along with the vitamin C that sea moss provides can be a great boost for your immune system. These microbes also increase production of short chain fatty acids (SCFA’s) which are the main source of fuel for the cells of your colon (we want to keep these healthy to prevent leaky gut) (2).
SCFAs also play a role in supporting your metabolic health, promoting healthy weight loss, balanced blood sugar levels and healthy lipids (3), you know I’m a huge fan of preventing insulin resistance!
The blood sugar benefits are also boosted by the fact that when added to shakes/smoothies, the mucilage will also delay the absorption of any glucose (sugar) you might have added in the form of fruit/agave/maple syrup etc, so you are less likely to experience a rapid blood sugar spike.
Furthermore, and this is where it gets really exciting, a study specifically on eucheuma cottonii found it contains phytochemicals such as flavonoids and triterpenoids which have been shown to have both antioxidant and antidiabetic properties when mixed with water. This means a reduction in allergies, inflammation and again reduced blood sugar spikes after meals (4).
It’s fair to say there’s a fair few benefits to adding sea moss to your diet.
Is sea moss for everyone?
Let’s be real, nothing in the nutrition world is for ‘everyone’, there are times when increasing minerals such as iodine may not be appropriate, particularly if you are already supplementing with it. Just as I would not recommend you megadose with supplements, the same applies to food sources that are high in nutrients so stick to the recommended doses.
I would also recommend caution for those with a known imbalance of gut bacteria where prebiotic fibre may exacerbate bacterial overgrowths. I take this caution with adding in any form of prebiotic or probiotic food sources. Start low and slow with sea moss gel eg ½ a tablespoon a day. For some people, the sea moss capsule may be a better option, you can read more about the capsule option here.
So apart from the potential of too much of a good thing, hopefully you can see why I’m excited about the benefits of sea moss and I’ll be keeping a beady eye on the research in this field.
As always, get in touch if you have any questions!
Harri
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The content in this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your health.
REFERENCES:
Matajun P, et al. ‘Nutrient content of tropical edible seaweeds, Eucheuma cottomii, Cauler palentillifera and Sargassum polycystum.’ Journal of Applied Phycology. 2009 February; 21 (1):75-80 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227242987_Nutrient_content_of_tropical_edible_seaweeds_Eucheuma_cottomi_Cauler_palentillifera_and_Sargassum_polycystum
Cherry P, et al. ‘Prebiotics from seaweeds: An Ocean of Opportunity?’ Marine Drugs. 2019 Jun; 17(6), 327. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6627129/
McNabney SM, et al. ‘Short Chain Fatty Acids in the Colon and Peripheral Tissues: A Focus on Butyrate, Colon Cancer, Obesity and Insulin Resistance. Nutrients. 2017; 9(12):1348. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/9/12/1348/htm
Prasasty V, et al. ‘Evaluation of Antioxidant and Antidiabetic Activities from Red Seaweed (Eucheuma cottonii). Systematic Reviews in Pharmacy. 2019; 10. 276-288 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339882337_Evaluation_of_Antioxidant_and_Antidiabetic_Activities_from_Red_Seaweed_Eucheuma_cottoni