Fucoxanthin reduces abdominal fat accumulation

[eridani]

http://acswebapplications.acs.org/applications/ccs/application/index.cfm?pressreleaseid=2706&categoryid=1

Chemists in Japan have found that brown seaweed, a flavor component used in many Asian soups and salads, contains a compound that appears in animal studies to promote weight loss by reducing the accumulation of fat. Called fucoxanthin, the compound achieved a 5 percent to 10 percent weight reduction in test animals and could be developed into a natural extract or drug to help fight obesity, the researchers say.

The compound targets abdominal fat, in particular, and may help reduce oversized guts, the scientists say. Their study was presented today at the 232nd national meeting of the American Chemical Society.

Fucoxanthin is a brownish pigment that gives brown seaweed its characteristic color and also conducts photosynthesis (the conversion of light to energy). It is found at high levels in several different types of brown seaweed, including a type of kelp that is used in traditional Japanese miso soup. But fucoxanthin is not found in abundance in green and red seaweed, which also are used in many Asian foods, the researchers say.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. 2 large bottles please!!

just put it on my Visa... next day air.

[Deja Q]

2. So why not just eat more brown seaweed and kelp?

:D

[SmokingJacket]

3. I guess it just matters how MUCH seaweed... nt

[whistle]

4. Ship me 100 pounds ASAP....

...I will gladly let 50 pounds of abdominal fat go in exchange for photosynthesis induced fucoxanthin.

[Malikshah]

5. I know, I have a 7th grade sense of humor, but...c'mon! Is this name for

real?

Fucoxanthin...

[Radio_Lady]

6. Um, Malikshah, please report to the principal. You have to stay in

for recess for having a dirty mind!

I believe it's pronounced FEW-cocks-ann-thin, oops.............

.......but it is real. Goooogle it yourself...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fucoxanthin

Fucoxanthin is a carotenoid, with formula C40H60O6. It is found as an accessory pigment in the chloroplasts of brown algae and most other heterokonts, giving them a brown or olive-green color. Fucoxanthin absorbs light primarily in the blue-green to yellow-green part of the visible spectrum, peaking at around 510-525 nm by various estimates and absorbing significantly in the range of 450 to 540 nm. Some metabolic and nutritional studies carried at Hokkaido University have demonstrated that brown seaweed (rich in Fucoxanthin) promotes fat burning within fat cells surrounding internal organs. In addition, Fucoxanthin has strong anti-diabetes effects and, by a separate biological mechanism, it appears to kill prostate cancer cells in culture.