A new trend is on the block! You may have seen it across your social platforms recently. Sea Moss. According to Pinterest, traffic has increased 380 per cent from 2018 until 2019 as people are desperate to know Sea Moss’s benefits. Even celebrities are getting involved and posting their own Sea Moss recipes. Sea Moss Gel smoothie, anyone?
What is Sea Moss?
Sea Moss or Irish Moss is a species of Red Algae native to the Atlantic shorelines of North America, Europe and the Caribbean. Used to create something called Carrageenan, which is a thickening agent used as vegan gelatin. It has been reported that a possible side effect of Sea Moss is increased inflammation. Still, there hasn’t been a lot of research done, which would identify a link.
Mainly found in warmer waters where red is generally the primary colour, Sea Moss can vary. Being a rainbow of yellows, browns, blacks, greens and even purples. The best thing? Sea Moss provides many benefits and adds an added punch to your daily diet.
What is Sea Moss Gel?
Sea Moss Gel is Sea Moss, soaked overnight in water, rinsed, blended with fresh water, then put in the fridge overnight to form into a Gel.
Does Sea Moss have any Nutrients?
Red seaweeds are packed full of minerals and vitamins. Sea Moss is no different. Sea Moss is naturally low in calories (10 per 20g), zero sugar and zero fat. Along with this, Sea Moss is packed full of:
- Magnesium
- Calcium
- Vitamin B12 and B2
- Vitamin C
- Zinc
- Iron
- Iodine
- Fibre
- Copper
- Phosphorus
If this wasn’t enough, Sea Moss is full of antioxidants, which help protect your body’s cells from being damaged by oxidation.
A food source packed full of nutrients and low in calories? That makes Sea Moss a valuable addition to your diet. 
What are the Benefits?
There are even more benefits than just being full of goodness. Yeah, it really is becoming a superfood. Many people use Sea Moss for its benefits, though these reports have mainly been anecdotal and lack scientific study. So, before you go and buy all of the Sea Moss you can get your hands on, let us see what has been reported. Hopefully, science in the future can swoop in and either back up or debunk what people have been saying.
Improved Thyroid Health
Iodine is vital for Thyroid health, and with Sea Moss being full of it, it just makes sense that a benefit of Sea Moss Gel is it shows your thyroid some love.
Improved Immunity
It has been found by studying Salmon that a benefit of Sea Moss Gel is that it improved the Salmon’s immune modulation and immune response. Hopefully, a study in humans will be conducted to see whether Sea moss provides the same benefit to humans.
Improved Gut Health
Our guts require a lot of fibre and the help of good bacteria. Sea Moss provides this benefit as, like yoghurt, it supports a healthy microbiome! Yay for your friendly bacteria.
Improved Weight loss
Providing extra fibre in our diet, Sea Moss can help with weight loss by making us feel fuller for longer, so reduced the chance of overeating. Bonus! A healthy snack that is super nutritious, what more could you ask for?
Improved Heart Health
There have been some studies that have even shown a decrease in bad cholesterol in patients with Sea Moss Gel in their diet. It also acts to thin your blood, meaning a decreased risk of heart disease.
Improved blood sugar management
Sea Moss contains a compound called Fucoxanthin, which reduces high blood sugar within patients; Sea Moss also contains Alginate, which prevents spikes in blood sugar. Though the studies were conducted on pigs, there is still more work needed in discovering its effects on humans.
Improved Fertility?
Yes, reported to even improve things in the bedroom. However, this is purely anecdotal and has no scientific backing what so ever. Scientists will need to explore further to discover if this is a benefit of Sea Moss or not.
Are there any side effects?
The big problem with Sea Moss is we just don’t know. Hardly any research has been conducted into its benefits or side effects. Its nutritional value and can vary greatly. This makes it difficult to accurately understand what Sea Moss contains or what benefits Sea Moss can give us. With all plants, it greatly depends on the area it was grown and harvested. This makes the benefits of Sea Moss distorted and may even lead to health problems down the line.
As we have seen before, a benefit of Sea Moss Gel is it contains Iodine. This is great; however, the varying amounts of Iodine in Sea Moss could lead to over consumption which can be very problematic.
Too much Iodine leads to Hypothyroidism. To put it simply, your thyroid doesn’t produce enough hormones, which can lead to heart problems, Goitre, where your thyroid swells and even pregnancy complications. At its worst, it can cause a life-threatening condition known as a Myxoedema Coma.
Another potential side effect of Sea Moss is that it may contain a lot of heavy metals. As many seaweeds absorb these metals from their environment. Now some metals are beneficial for us. Iron being one, but we don’t want to consume too many. Otherwise, we probably would be robots.
What can we take away from this?
Sea Moss or Irish Moss can provide many benefits to people who consume them. Sea Moss a good source of many nutrients. They are high in minerals and antioxidants, giving a vast array of benefits and increasing overall health.
However, with an inconsistent and vastly unknown quantity of these minerals and vitamins, overconsumption can be a real problem, especially when taking a vast amount of Sea Moss.
We need more studies and more research into Sea Moss to confidently say the benefits and side effects of Sea Moss Gel. Although there have been some studies, we need to really see its impact on humans rather than animals
Consume in moderation and if you feel any side effects or any adverse symptoms. Stop using Sea Moss and consult your doctor. That way, we can stay safe and healthy. Hopefully, we can enjoy the benefits of Sea Moss safely in the future, with science on our side.
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