Brown seaweed preparations: biological properties, potential for using in medicine and dietetics
As has been shown, having high contents of dietetic fibers, minerals and vitamins, along with low fat levels, the brown alga Fucus vesiculosus contains a special combination of macro- and trace elements. The chemical composition of this seaweed contains polysaccharides fucoidan and laminarin, algic acid and its salts, over 20 various trace and macro-elements, vitamins, polyphenols, pigments, lipids, amino acids, carbohydrates, and fats. As is noted, fucoidans reduce the severity of oxidative stress and inflammatory reaction - basic pathophysiological processes underlying a great number of diseases. Their antitumour, antiviral and antibacterial activities, the antihyperglycaemic and antihypercholesterolemic effects of algic acid have been demonstrated, that are indicative of the possibility of using alginates or alginate-rich products for prevention and/or treatment of obesity, diabetes mellitus type 2, cardiovascular diseases and metabolic syndrome. As is pointed out, despite the nutritional value and potential of using seaweed components in medicine and dietetics, sufficiently well investigated by now, the traditional ways of their use as nutritional supplements considerably decrease their biological effectiveness for humans. The maximal bioavailability of seaweed components might be ensured by destroying algal cell walls and converting the initial substances of seaweed cell cytoplasm to the colloid (gel-like) form with preservation of all BAS in the native form.