Scientists at Newcastle University have identified
the seaweeds which are most effective at preventing the absorption of
fat. The table produced by them includes alginates, which are natural
dietary fibres found in sea kelp.
They are among the largest commercially-used seaweeds in the world. They have been found to reduce the amount of fat available for absorption by the body by approximately 75 per cent.
Alginates have been used as stabilisers in jam and to maintain the foamy head on a pint of beer, but the scientists explored their potential as a food supplement that prevents fat absorption.
Prof Jeff Pearson, of Newcastle University’s Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, said, “We have already added alginates to bread, and the initial taste tests have been extremely encouraging.”
“Now, the next step would be to carry out clinical trials to find out how effective they are when eaten as a constituent of one’s normal diet,” he added. Alginates are made up of long chains of sugars, gulutonate and mannuronate.
Tested in an inhibition assay, using olive oil as a substrate, scientists identified that alginates that contained more guluronate were more effective at preventing the digestion of fat.
“What we have shown is that the seaweeds that have a high level of guluronate stop the body breaking down and absorbing the fat,” stated Newcastle University’s Matthew Wilcox.
“As they have already been used in the food industry in small amounts, we are looking at increasing the levels in foods which could reduce the amount of fat that we get, which could help in weight management,” he added.
The seaweeds containing the right alginate were listed in the descending order of their effectiveness at preventing the digestion of fat. Tangle or Cuvie was found to be the most effective.
The others on the list were Laminarea hyperborea (a brown sea kelp); Bladderwrack; Lessonia nigrescens (a giant grey weed) and bull kelp [Durvillea potatororum (a brown algae)].
The next steps for the research team are to test the different seaweeds in a model gut and recruit volunteers to study whether the effects they have modelled in the lab could be reproduced in real people, and whether such foods were truly acceptable in a normal diet.
The research, which was funded by the United Kingdom-based Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), was published in the journal Food Chemistry.
They are among the largest commercially-used seaweeds in the world. They have been found to reduce the amount of fat available for absorption by the body by approximately 75 per cent.
Alginates have been used as stabilisers in jam and to maintain the foamy head on a pint of beer, but the scientists explored their potential as a food supplement that prevents fat absorption.
Prof Jeff Pearson, of Newcastle University’s Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, said, “We have already added alginates to bread, and the initial taste tests have been extremely encouraging.”
“Now, the next step would be to carry out clinical trials to find out how effective they are when eaten as a constituent of one’s normal diet,” he added. Alginates are made up of long chains of sugars, gulutonate and mannuronate.
Tested in an inhibition assay, using olive oil as a substrate, scientists identified that alginates that contained more guluronate were more effective at preventing the digestion of fat.
“What we have shown is that the seaweeds that have a high level of guluronate stop the body breaking down and absorbing the fat,” stated Newcastle University’s Matthew Wilcox.
“As they have already been used in the food industry in small amounts, we are looking at increasing the levels in foods which could reduce the amount of fat that we get, which could help in weight management,” he added.
The seaweeds containing the right alginate were listed in the descending order of their effectiveness at preventing the digestion of fat. Tangle or Cuvie was found to be the most effective.
The others on the list were Laminarea hyperborea (a brown sea kelp); Bladderwrack; Lessonia nigrescens (a giant grey weed) and bull kelp [Durvillea potatororum (a brown algae)].
The next steps for the research team are to test the different seaweeds in a model gut and recruit volunteers to study whether the effects they have modelled in the lab could be reproduced in real people, and whether such foods were truly acceptable in a normal diet.
The research, which was funded by the United Kingdom-based Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), was published in the journal Food Chemistry.
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