August 23, 2021

How Sea Moss Benefits the Brain & Alzheimer’s

We’re sure you’re familiar with the amazing health benefits of sea moss – immune protection, weight loss, glowing skin, and much more.

But did you know that sea moss can also play a very crucial role in our psychological wellbeing?

Today we’ll be highlighting how sea moss can be beneficial for your mind.

Seaweed as a Potential Treatment for Alzheimer's

It was somewhat recently reported that the Chinese are trying out a seaweed-based drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease. The drug contains oligomannate, a polysaccharide obtained from brown seaweeds.

Results show that the therapy improved some aspects of cognitive decline in mild to moderate cases. What’s remarkable is that this is the first novel Alzheimer’s treatment permitted by a regulatory agency in 17 years!

What’s surprising is that scientists say the mode of action of the therapy doesn’t directly involve the brain itself; rather it seems to act through the gut.

Let’s elaborate on this aspect further.

Sea Moss, Gut Microbiome and Mental Health

The gut microbiome which consists of all the microorganisms present in the gut to maintain its health and integrity is an exciting prospect for researchers.

And more importantly, research has revealed that the root cause of many diseases, some even psychological, lies in the gut.

This is because the gut microbiome produces many metabolic byproducts, some of which are harmful to our mental and physical wellbeing.

To maintain a healthy balance of gut microbiota, it is important to watch what we eat. The latter determines which bacteria prosper and which ones do not. When we consume an improper or unbalanced diet, especially one lacking complex carbohydrates, an imbalance of harmful bacteria occurs, known as intestinal dysbiosis.

Now, vegetables and whole grains are great sources of fiber. But there’s another really rich source of unique dietary fibers that can help restore the numbers of beneficial bacteria within our gut – sea vegetables such as sea moss!

So let’s go back to the beginning. Sodium oligomannate, discussed at the beginning of this article as a possible hope for Alzheimer’s patients, is a degradation product of seaweed alginate. It is found to subdue intestinal dysbiosis, resulting in reduced neuro-inflammation along with significant improvements in cognitive capabilities.

Bottom line: there is evidence that a polysaccharide derived from seaweed that was beneficial for the gut may also be good for the brain!

Seaweed to Improve Memory?

Another study relates how sea moss can be beneficial for memory improvement.

Healthy individuals were given extracts of brown seaweed half an hour before lunch. Results showed better performances with regards to memory and cognitive tests that were performed at breaks after lunch.

And again, the gut seems to be involved.

The seaweed extract seemed to slow down the digestion of carbohydrates and minimize the 'brain fog' most of us feel after eating as the body processes sugars.

Final Thoughts

Now we’re not saying that Alzheimer’s and memory problems can be prevented or even cured by simply adding seaweed to your diet.

But it has been shown that if seaweed is included in the standard treatment strategy involving a balanced, varied diet and consistent exercise, it can have potentially beneficial effects.

Interested to try top-quality wildcrafted seaweed products? Shop online today!

Sources:

Wang, X., Sun, G., Feng, T. et al. Sodium oligomannate therapeutically remodels gut microbiota and suppresses gut bacterial amino acids-shaped neuroinflammation to inhibit Alzheimer’s disease progression. Cell Res 29, 787–803 (2019).https://doi.org/10.1038/s41422-019-0216-x

Hills, R. D., Jr, Pontefract, B. A., Mishcon, H. R., Black, C. A., Sutton, S. C., &Theberge, C. R. (2019). Gut Microbiome: Profound Implications for Diet and Disease. Nutrients, 11(7), 1613.https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11071613

Haskell-Ramsay, C. F., Jackson, P. A., Dodd, F. L., Forster, J. S., Bérubé, J., Levinton, C., & Kennedy, D. O. (2018). Acute Post-Prandial Cognitive Effects of Brown Seaweed Extract in Humans. Nutrients, 10(1), 85.https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10010085