Brown Seaweed contains a chemical compound called Fucoxathin that shows promise to be effective in assisting people to burn fat.

In animal studies of Fucoxathin, it has been shown to effectively produce a 5 to 10 percent weight loss in rats. The studies suggest that Fucoxathin up-regulates the expression of a UCP1, also known as uncoupling protein, in the white fat tissue. This protein causes the fat to burn itself more effectively, In essence it changes the fat from a storage area for unused calories to a more metabolically active tissue that actually burns its own energy. Additionally, supplementation with fish oil has been shown to produce a greater effect than Fucoxathin alone.

Unfortunately the concentrations of Fucoxathin in Brown Seaweed are so small that adequate amounts can not be obtained through diet alone. The results of all of these studies were based on direct supplementation of Fucoxathin to the animals.

Fucoxathin supplements are widely available on the Internet and in health food stores. As of now, Fucoxathin does show promise as a weight loss aid, but due to the lack of human studies of effectiveness and safety these supplements should be used with extreme caution. It will be interesting to see where future research determines in regard to this supplement in humans. There have been several studies lately that have highlighted the passive state of white fat tissue. This tissue, although not completely inactive, is thought to be metabolically inactive. Our goal is to burn as much as this tissue as possible. Supplements such as Fucoxathin shows promise to make our inactive white fat tissue active so that it more efficiently burns itself.