Kelp, sometimes called kombu, is a nutrient-rich type of brownish-green seaweed in the Laminaria species. People of Japan, Hawaii and Alaska have traditionally eaten raw or cooked kelp as part of their regular diet. Kelp also comes in other forms, including powder, capsules or tablets. Tablets are a great way to get the positive effects of kelp if you don't like to eat it as food. Consult your health care practitioner before taking any kind of kelp supplement.
Nutritional Benefits
Kelp tablets offer you concentrated amounts of various minerals, including magnesium, potassium, iron and calcium. Kelp supplements also contain folic acid, or vitamin B-9, which your body needs for proper cognitive functioning and to maintain your emotional and mental health. Kelp tablets are also a great source of iodine, an element your thyroid gland requires in order to make hormones and regulate cell metabolism.
Iodine Deficiencies
Kelp tablets might be an effective way to prevent and treat iodine deficiencies. Very low levels of iodine can cause goiter, thyroid autoimmune disease and a greater risk of thyroid cancer. They add that iodine deficiencies might also increase your risk of getting other kinds of cancers, including ovarian, breast and prostate cancers. Iodine deficiencies are uncommon in Western cultures because manufacturers often add iodine to salt. Taking too much iodine can cause your thyroid to dysfunction, so talk to your doctor before consuming kelp tablets.
Cancer Prevention
The compounds in kelp tablets might help to reduce your risk of breast cancer. Breast cancer is nine times lower in premenopausal Japanese females than in premonopausal women from the United States. In addition, Japanese women who do get breast cancer typically live longer than American females with this cancer. Japanese females also typically consume great amounts of seaweed in their daily diets. Kelp contains polysaccharides that seem to slow down the growth of various cancers in test tube studies, according to Drugs.com. Clinical studies are needed to prove that kelp can stop cancer cells from forming in humans.
Other Positive Effects
Drugs.com reports that seaweed supplements reduced blood pressure levels in study participants with mild hypertension. According to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, early research indicates that the active ingredients found in kelp might prevent various viral infections, including HIV, herpes simplex and influenza. In-depth clinical research is needed to validate these claims. Never use kelp tablets to treat specific health conditions without consulting your doctor first.
Negative Effects
The University of Michigan Health System cautions you not to consume over 2,000 mcg of kelp daily or you run the risk of iodine overload. High iodine levels can cause hypothyroidism, in which the thyroid produces too little thyroid hormone, or hyperthyroidism, which causes your thyroid to produce too much of its hormone. Consuming a lot of kelp might also cause or worsen acne.
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