Seaweed: Lose Weight With a High-Fibre Seaweed Supplement That Supports Your Liver, Slows Digestion, and Makes You Feel Full

A new scientific study suggests that a centuries-old herbal treatment for those suffering from being overweight has been on the right lines all along.

A type of seaweed called bladderwrack used to be made into an infusion for drinking, by steeping it in water and sieving off the residue. Like dieting, this rather salty-tasting potion was not an easy option for helping people to get nearer to their optimum weight.

But a modern supplement called Boldex, incorporates a similar seaweed extract, in tablet form, making this alternative approach to weight control much more palatable.

Boldex contains ingredients that support your liver, a vital digestive organ

Boldex contains seaweed extract, along with other complementary ingredients. One of the benefits of the extract is that it contains iodine; this stimulates greater thyroid activity and thus an increase in metabolic rate. A result of this is that extra fat can be gently reduced by means of one of the bodys own processes. This effect is enhanced if the person taking the extract maintains this elevated metabolic rate by means of regular exercise.

The other ingredients in Boldex are boldo, dandelion and butternut bark. Boldo and dandelion are both herbs used to support the liver, a vital organ in the digestive process.1,2 Because of the environment in which we live, most of us take in an excess amount of foreign chemicals via food, drinks and air. All of these have to be detoxified from the body, so the liver is generally working overtime to try to do this. 

Liver stimulants such as those in Boldex gradually restore better liver function, and as a result, the body feels generally better and more energetic. This enhances both mental and physical wellbeing, so there is improved body function and a more positive frame of mind, both of which can help in the fight against excess weight aided by the seaweed extract.

Dandelion is also good for enhancing the action of the gallbladder and it is thought to combine synergistically with the other ingredients to give an effective liver-correcting action, although scientific tests to prove this observation have not yet been carried out.3

Butternut bark helps to stimulate the action of the gallbladder and has also been used traditionally to help with bowel movements.4 It is present in the Boldex formula to augment the liver stimulant action of boldo.

Seaweed, a good source of fibre, makes you feel full and helps decrease food absorption
 
A recent study conducted by Newcastle University confirmed that seaweed extract can be used as an effective anti-obesity treatment and it appears to have other health benefits as well.5

A small amount of seaweed can provide a high dose of fibre which helps with general bowel health; it also acts as a valuable tool in the fight against not only obesity, but also diabetes and heart problems.

Another property of seaweed is that it helps to give an impression of fullness in the stomach―which also plays a part in weight reduction, since it tends to reduce further food intake once it has been eaten. 

A vital factor in the seaweed extracts considered in the recent study and in the Boldex supplement is the presence of alginate, a carbohydrate compound. The study details alginate's many benefits to the body.

Alginate has been proved to strengthen mucus (the body's natural protection on the gut wall), can slow down digestion and the uptake of nutrients in the body. Moreover, alginate is high in fibre and has been proven to be palatable and safe, and as such is already used by some food manufacturers as a gelling agent.

An important part of weight loss, dietary fibre reduces food absorption

One of the good aspects of Boldex is that it is high in fibre, as mentioned above. Dietary fibre is generally accepted as being good for cardiovascular health as well as bowel health, says the study. Because dietary fibre reduces the amount of food being absorbed in the small intestine, this reduces the glycaemic load on the body and thus the level of insulin response necessary; this means a reduction in the likelihood of cardiovascular disease and the onset of type 2 diabetes.6 Fibre also helps to stop food lingering in the intestine - which means better bowel health7―and increases the bulk and water content of stools.8,9

Studies have shown that eating high-fibre diets can help reduce the incidence of diseases such as bowel cancer. One of the research team, Professor Jeff Pearson, of Newcastle University's Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, said: 'We're just not eating enough fibre, yet we need this to keep us healthy. The problem is that a lot of people don't enjoy many of the foods that are high in fibre, like fruit and vegetables, yet to consume the recommended daily amount of fibre they would have to eat a lot of these types of foods.

'We believe it's hard to change people's habits and that the most practical solution is to improve the food they do eat.' 

One of his suggestions is that burgers, for example, could be made without so much fat but with seaweed extract instead, thus producing a much healthier product that habitual burger-eaters would continue to consume.

An alternative, of course, would be regularly to consume a supplement containing seaweed extract, like Boldex. Please keep in mind that taking a supplement alone is not the complete answer to weight loss. A healthy diet and exercise are always essential for weight control.

Contradications: Boldex should not be given to children and is not recommended for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. There are no known side effects or interactions with medicines.

1. J Pharm. Sci 1968; 57: 1023
2. M Grieves, A Modern Herbal (Tiger Books), 1973
3. ibid.
4. British Herbal Pharmacopoeia, 1983
5. IA Brownlee, et. al., Alginate as a source of dietary fibre, University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 2005
6. Brit J Nutr 2000; 83: S157
7. Dig Dis Sci 1999: 44: 744
8. J R Soc Promo Health 2000; 120: 242
9. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr 2001; 10: 242