Research & Development
Vesta Nutra has conducted extensive research on fucoidan, a compound found in seaweed known for its numerous health benefits. Fucoidan is rich in antioxidants, which help protect the body from damage caused by free radicals. This compound supports immunity and has shown promising potential in cancer treatment, exhibiting strong anti-cancer properties.
In addition to our own research, there are multiple global leading research institutions that are conducting human clinical trials. The research aims to further understand and validate the health benefits of fucoidan.
Research on Health Benefits of UltraFucoidan™
Immunity Support and Anti-Oxidant Support
Fucoidan has many antioxidants, which help protect your body from damage. It contains chemicals called polyphenols found in seaweed. A special kind of polyphenol called phlorotannins is only found in brown seaweeds.
Free radicals are unstable molecules that can harm your cells, and they are a normal part of life. Oxygen, which we need to live, can create these free radicals. They are also produced when we have active lifestyles, like playing sports and exercising. Other factors like smoking, drinking alcohol, and inflammation can also create free radicals. We can’t avoid them, and the more we live, the more we encounter them (Health supplements from antioxidant-rich seaweed | Research and Innovation (europa.eu)).
Antioxidants help recycle glutathione and reactivate used antioxidants. Fucoidan helps remove free radicals and reduce oxidative damage, making it a great antioxidant. It is also rich in essential amino acids, vegetable protein, vitamins (especially vitamin B-12), minerals, and antioxidants, which are all good for your health (Seaweed provides vitamins, minerals and antioxidants – San Diego Union-Tribune (sandiegouniontribune.com)).
Laboratory Research
Many animal and lab studies show that seaweed might have great health benefits. For example, lab studies found that fucoidans, a type of sugar found in seaweed, have antiviral properties and can kill human colon cancer cells (Jin et al., 2021). This means they might help fight off viruses and prevent cancer.
In addition to this, human studies have shown that fucoidans can slow down how quickly our bodies absorb sugar after eating. This could help manage blood sugar levels and prevent spikes after meals (Lu & Chen, 2022). These findings suggest that seaweed could be a very healthy addition to our diet.
Cancer Research
Fucoidan has been studied a lot in cancer research. Many studies have shown that fucoidan has properties that can help stop the growth of blood vessels in tumors (anti-angiogenic) and reduce tumor growth (anti-tumorigenic). Fucoidan’s high sulfate content supports these anti-cancer properties. The anti-angiogenic effect means it can stop tumors from developing new blood vessels, which is due to a decrease in NFκB expression, an important factor for VEGF expression. Fucoidan also inhibits AKT, which is involved in ERK phosphorylation and ERBB signaling in melanoma (Thakur et al., 2017).
In melanoma, which relies on ERBB signaling, tumor growth was reduced by 85% when fucoidan from New Zealand U. pinnatifida was used with lapatinib treatment. Fucoidan not only stops tumor growth but also reduces the side effects of prolonged lapatinib treatment and doubles its cell-killing ability. This is linked to the decrease in AKT and NFκB signaling, crucial for melanoma cell survival. Fucoidan enhances the effects of lapatinib by inhibiting ERBB3, a key receptor in melanoma, making it a potent addition to melanoma treatment (Thakur et al., 2017).
The strong anti-angiogenic activity of fucoidan comes from its diverse composition, including fucose, xylose, galactose, mannose, glucuronic acid, and sulfate. The activity increases when sulfate groups attach to these sugars. Fucoidan also boosts antioxidant defense, protecting cells and reducing aging-related stress (Cong et al., 2016).
Fucoidan protects liver cells from bile acid-induced damage and inhibits the invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The photos in Figure 1 show injured liver cells on the left and healthy, fucoidan-protected cells on the right (Cho et al., 2015). It also helps treat metastatic HCC by down-regulating ID-1, which decreases the invasion of HCC cells significantly (Cho et al., 2016).
Targeting calcium signaling with fucoidan might also help fight tumors. Fucoidan affects Ca2+ responses and might inhibit different G-protein coupled receptors linked with Ca2+ function (Wu et al., 2018). By blocking Ca2+ influx into cells and T-type calcium channels, fucoidan can affect cell cycle progression and cell proliferation, inhibiting human cancer cell growth. Fucoidan and calcium channel blockers are potential treatments for tumors that depend on T-type calcium channels to grow (Wu et al., 2018).
