PureSea®: Beneficial effects for healthy weight management

PureSea® ingredients have been used in multiple studies to gain a better understanding of how its enzyme-inhibiting agents can be valuable for blood sugar and healthy weight management.

Studies carried out by Newcastle University Medical School and Aelius Biotech used a world-leading human gut model system to investigate the effects of the polyphenols found in PureSea® on alpha-glucosidase enzymes – the enzymes responsible for the digestion of carbohydrates. Previous research has demonstrated that seaweed’s ability to inhibit these enzymes can result in a more sustained release of glucose, resulting in less spikes in blood sugar and a potential increased feeling of satiety.¹

This effect is demonstrated in a published study, which shows that glucose was released at a significantly lower rate when bread was consumed with PureSea®, compared to bread consumed alone.² Furthermore, PureSea® enriched bread was found to reduce the incremental area under the curve (the glycaemic index of the bread) compared to the control bread.

PureSea® vs White Kidney Bean Extract

The effects demonstrated by PureSea® in the model gut system formed the basis of an independent analysis, aiming to establish whether PureSea® was more effective at inhibiting amylase activity than other leading ingredients in the market. Previous studies have shown that White Kidney Bean Extract (WKBE) can be effective at reducing amylase activity,³ and it now has a strong presence within the ‘carbohydrate-blocker’ market.

A comparison of WKBE and PureSea® in an amylase activity assay found the rate of amylase inhibition by PureSea® to be over 5 times higher than that of WKBE. Furthermore, dose response data demonstrated that PureSea® was significantly more effective at reducing amylase activity than WKBE from concentrations of 1.25mg/ml to 10.0mg/ml.

These findings indicate that PureSea® could be a more effective choice than its well-known counterpart at inhibiting carbohydrate breakdown and reducing the rate at which sugar is released into the blood.

PureSea® for Metabolism

The natural iodine levels in PureSea® also have beneficial effects for energy-yielding metabolism, with a small inclusion allowing an EU approved health claim surrounding this.

Iodine has an integral role in the production of thyroid hormones, which have a major role in the regulation of metabolism. It is well established that thyroid hormone status correlates with body weight and energy expenditure,⁴ with one of the most common side effects of thyroid dysfunction being weight gain. PureSea® provides a safe and standardised source of iodine, which can help to tackle the symptoms of deficiency, including a decreased metabolism and difficulty losing weight.

Why PureSea®?

The PureSea® range of seaweed ingredients are based around one specific seaweed species, sustainably harvested from the pristine waters of the Scottish Outer Hebrides using proprietary technologies. Every batch is independently tested for safe and consistent iodine levels and other aspects of safety, nutrition and quality.

^References

^{(1) Sharifuddin, Y., Chin, Y-X., Lim, P-E. and Phang, S-M. (2015) Potential Bioactive Compounds from Seaweed for Diabetes Management. Marine Drugs, 13(8) pp. 5447-5491.}

^{(2) Wilcox, M., Cherry, P., Chater, P., Yang, X., Zulali, M., Okello, E., Seal, C. and Pearson, J. (2021) The effect of seaweed enriched bread on carbohydrate digestion and the release of glucose from food. Journal of Functional Foods, 87, p.104747.}

^{(3)Vinson, J.A., Kharrat, H.A. and Shuta, D. (2009) Investigation of an amylase inhibitor on human glucose absorption after starch consumption. The Open Nutraceuticals Journal.}

^{(4) Mullur, R., Liu, Y-Y. and Brent, G.A. (2014) Thyroid Hormone Regulation of Metabolism. Physiological Reviews, 94(2) pp. 355-382.}