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Wakame Health Benefits, Uses And Its Side Effects

Last Updated: Sep 15, 2020

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Wakame seaweed has a number of beneficial effects on our health due to high content of essential vitamins and minerals. It takes care of health of infants, protects your heart, prevents cancer and even helps to increase body energy levels. It further aids to lower cholesterol, lose weight, improve skin health, maintain hormonal balance and even helps to make your bones stronger.

Wakame

Wakame is a sea-weed that has been part of Japanese cuisine for a very long time. It is actually brown or deep-green seaweed that is part of the diet of many Japanese and has a briny and salty taste with slight sweetness. It has a number of beneficial effects on our health.

Normally miso soup and seaweed salad are two delicacies that are prepared with wakame. Because of its numerous health benefits, wakame seaweed has been gaining in popularity in recent times.

Nutritional Value of Wakame

Wakame is low in calories but high in vitamins and minerals. It contains essential minerals like calcium, iron, iodine and magnesium which provide a host of health benefits. Wakame seaweed also has traces of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K and Vitamin B complex. This seaweed also contains lignans and fucoxanthin.

Nutritional facts Per 100 Grams

45
Calories
0.6 g
Total Fat
872 mg
Sodium
50 mg
Potassium
9 g
Total Carbohydrate
3 g
Protein

Vitamins and Minerals

7 %
Vitamin A
0.15
Calcium
5 %
Vitamin C
12 %
Iron
26 %
Magnesium

Health Benefits of Wakame

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Add Wakame seaweed in your diet to get a good amount of vitamins, minerals, and essential nutrients required by the body for proper functioning. You can consume Wakame seaweed to control the cholesterol level and blood sugar level in the body.

If you are following any weight loss plan, then include highly nutritious Wakame seaweed to get quick benefits. For small children and infants, this sea vegetable improves their digestion and boost their energy level and strengthen bone helath.

Mentioned below are the best health benefits of Wakame Seaweed, you can read out and also check out the adverse effects of wakame on while consuming in different health conditions.

Wakame for Lowers Cholesterol Levels

Wakame contains fucoxanthin that reduces accumulation of fats and also stimulates the production of DHA. DHA is a fatty acid that lowers the levels of bad cholesterol in your system. This reduces the risks of atherosclerosis and heart diseases.

Boosts Body Energy By Adding Wakame Seaweed in Diet

Consumption of wakame helps to increase body energy due to the presence of magnesium and iron. Magnesium improves metabolism, regulates enzyme production and even balances body hormones. Iron helps in the production of red blood cells and hemoglobin and hence helps to increase energy levels.

Wakame Seaweed for Cancer Prevention

Wakame contains iodine which helps to reduce chances of breast cancer. Lignans are also present in this sea vegetable that helps to fight symptoms of breast cancer. People in Japan have experienced the benefits of consuming this sea-weed for long.

Use for Wakame Boost Your Bone Health

Ailments like osteoporosis and osteopenia can be avoided by including wakame seaweed in your diet. This is due to the presence of good amounts of calcium in this sea-weed. Calcium helps your bones to grow and even aids in their repair and thus ensures that you lead a healthy life.

Maintains Thyroid Health

Wakame seaweed contains iodine which is instrumental in the production of the thyroid hormone. This hormone is responsible for regulating a number of processes in our body and also helps in the production of energy. Lack of iodine can cause the thyroid gland to malfunction and thereby create a lot of problems.

Health Benefits of Wakame in Your Child's Diet

Wakame contains good amounts of folate that is very beneficial for pregnant women. It reduces the chances of neural tube defects in infants and ensures that they are healthy and strong. Folates also help to copy and synthesize DNA, produce new cells and even support nerve and immune function.

Improves Blood Circulation

Wakame seaweed is rich in iron which facilitates the production of red blood cells. This helps to improve blood circulation and ensures that oxygenated blood reaches all the essential parts of the body.

This in turn increases body energy, speeds the healing process of tissues and organs and even improves skin health.

Wakame Extract Weight Loss

Wakame seaweed contains a compound called fucoxanthin that prevents the accumulation of fats and also facilitates fat oxidation. Moreover this sea-weed is very low on fats, carbohydrates and calories and hence help to control obesity.

Wakame Seaweed Rich in Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Wakame seaweed is rich in omega-3 fatty acids which are beneficial to us in a number of ways. Omega-3 fatty acids help to fight depression, reduce anxiety, lower cholesterol, reduce inflammation and even brings relief from arthritis. They also help you to lose weight, ensure a healthy pregnancy, thicken hair and nails and facilitate athletic recovery.

Wakame Seaweed Lowers High Blood Pressure

Wakame contains a number of beneficial compounds and nutrients that help to reduce high blood pressure. Thus it helps to prevent or delay various cardiovascular illnesses.

Uses of Wakame

Wakame is often used in seaweed salad and soup filling. It is also used for its beneficial effects on your skin. Including this seaweed in your diet will help you to get healthy, glowing skin. Wakame can be used as a supplement in almost any dish to enhance its flavor.

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Side-Effects & Allergies of Wakame

Consuming too much wakame can be harmful for your health. This is because this seaweed contains considerable amount of sodium that can act against potassium to lower blood pressure levels. Therefore, people with blood pressure problems would have to be a bit careful when incorporating wakame in their diet.

Cultivation of Wakame

Wakame is an edible sea-weed or sea vegetable that has been cultivated and eaten in Japan since ancient times. Wakame residue has been found in clay pottery that was made in around 3000 B.C. Japanese law even imposed taxes on this sea-weed and for this reason it was consumed in courts and shrines while the surplus was sold to the markets. This seaweed has definitely influenced Japanese food culture and has been a part of their cuisine for a really long time.

Wakame is a sea-weed that grows naturally. However, due to increasing demand for this sea-vegetable, many countries have started industrial production of wakame from the middle of the 20th century. In Japan, wakame has been commercially cultivated since the mid-1960s. In the 1970s the cultivation method shifted from hanging method to the horizontal longline method and this increased production substantially. Other countries like Korea, China and even New Zealand cultivate wakame.

References

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    Written ByDrx Hina FirdousPhD (Pharmacology) Pursuing, M.Pharma (Pharmacology), B.Pharma - Certificate in Nutrition and Child CarePharmacology
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    Reviewed ByDt. Ms. Shilpa MarwahB.Sc (Home Science), Post Graduation Diploma in Dietetics and Public Health NutritionDietitian/Nutritionist
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