Besides being good for the body sea vegetables are also good for the brain!  Seaweed is rich in iodine, an essential nutrient for proper brain development in fetuses and infants.  Iodine deficiency in pregnant and lactating woman is regarded as the world’s leading cause of mental deficiency in children; a problem with long-term consequences.  The US National Institutes of Health advises that pregnant women get 220mcg per day of iodine and lactating women up to 290mcg.  Modest amounts of seaweed included in the diet are a great way to get more iodine, but it’s important not to overdo it.  Pregnant and lactating women should always consult a health care professional before supplementing their diet with iodine!
In adults, eating seaweed may benefit the brain through its positive effects on another important organ – our gut!  In 2019 Chinese researchers got approval for a new Alzheimer’s treatment developed from a seaweed polysaccharide.  The polysaccharide – sodium oligomannate – was found to suppress intestinal dysbiosis and the resulting accumulation of phenylalanine/isoleucine, with reduced neuroinflammation and a measurable improvement in cognitive abilities. This finding adds further evidence that diet affects mental health through the gut brain axis (1).  The complex sulfated polysaccharides found only in seaweed are believed to exert a profound positive effect on the composition of our gut microbiota, as described in our FAQ Intestinal Health.  Another recent study showed that a seaweed extract eaten before lunch helped healthy volunteers perform better on cognitive tests after lunch (2).   Read our blog post “Seaweed and the Brain” to learn more about these exciting developments.
References
#1 Luna & Foster. “Gut brain axis: diet microbiota interactions and implications for modulation of anxiety and depression”. Current Opinion in Biotechnology (2015) 32:35-41.
#2 Haskell-Ramsay et al, "Acute Post-Prandial Cognitive Effects of Brown seaweed Extract in Humans" Nutrients (2018) 10, 85; doi 10.3390/nu10010085