How seaweed can help in the fight against heart disease

How would you like some seaweed in that pizza, hot dog or pasta? Just a small addition of the algae to food could reduce cardiovascular disease, according to a new article published last week in the scientific journal Phycologia.

Ole G. Mouritsen, a professor of biophysics at the University of Southern Denmark, and colleagues reviewed existing knowledge on the health effects of 35 different seaweed species. In the article, they offer suggestions to how both individual consumers and the food industry can use seaweed to make everyday meals healthier.

For example, dried and granulated seaweed can replace some of the flour when producing food such as dry pasta, bread, pizza and snack bars – with as little as a 5 per cent replacement needed.

“We know that many people have difficulty distinguishing between healthy and unhealthy food. By adding seaweed to processed foods we can make food healthier. In many cases we also get tastier food, and it may also help reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases,” the researchers say.

Seaweed covers a wide range of marine macroalgae which can be classified into three groups: brown algae (Phaeophyceae), green algae (Chlorophyta) and red algae (Rhodophyta).

Many seaweed species have a variety of health benefits. They contain, among other things, beneficial proteins, antioxidants, minerals, trace elements, dietary fibre and polyunsaturated fatty acids.