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Florence asks:

You recently featured the fucoPROTEIN bar that has Fucoxanthin. What exactly is Fucoxanthin and why may it be beneficial?

HSG Answers:

Fucoxanthin is a carotenoid (like lutein and lycopene), a powerful antioxidant that protects cells from free-radical damage. It is the pigment that gives brown seaweed its characteristic color and also participates in photosynthesis (the conversion of light into energy). It is found in several different types of brown seaweed. Marine vegetables (edible seaweed) have long been considered among the most nutritious vegetation on Earth, and have been included in the diets of various Asian cultures since ancient times.

Recent research suggests that natural compounds in marine vegetables can significantly affect fat metabolism and that fucoxanthin is one of the key ingredients that, along with diet and exercise, may have helped to minimize health and weight issues among Asian populations where it is consumed the most.

However, as far as we know no large scale human studies on fucoxanthin have been published as it relates to weight loss, so it remains to be seen whether it is of any value in human obesity. Fucoxanthin has not been evaluated by the FDA.

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