Contraindication
Norwegian Kelp GP contains kelp (Ascophyllum nodosum), harvested from the pollution-free regions of Norwegian Sea. The product is standardized to 0.1% iodine and provides 100% of the recommended daily allowance.
The product has been manufactured using high quality pure raw materials and the technology that ensures all their beneficial properties intact, in strict compliance with GMP and TÜV regulations.
Norwegian Kelp GP contains kelp (Ascophyllum nodosum) - brown algae, growing in the cold waters of the North Atlantic ocean. Kelp is harvested from the pollution-free regions of Norwegian Sea.
Studies indicate that kelp contains more vitamins and minerals than any other foodstuff. The trace-mineral content (potassium, calcium, magnesium and iron) is among the highest of any known single source, but it's the iodine content in kelp that makes it especially good for your mental and physical health.
Kelp was traditionally used as a remedy for thyroid gland diseases, caused by iodine deficiency. It is noticed, that people living near the sea and consuming sea food, including kelp, are less likely to develop hypothyroidism.
Iodine is an essential element and participates in almost all vital processes in the human body. Iodine stimulates thyroid gland function, assists in making thyroid hormones, which are necessary for maintaining normal metabolism in all cells of the body, converting food to energy, maintaining body temperature. They regulate the function of cardiovascular system, and are important for the nervous system, for the body’s growth and fertility, for its resistance to the harmful environmental agents.
Brown algae help to detoxify the body, to get rid of different toxins, radioactive nuclides, salts of heavy metal; help to relieve nervous tension; are useful in reducing the symptoms of the premenstrual syndrome; help to normalize heart function; improve overall health.
Much of the mineral content in our soil today has been depleted due to aggressive farming techniques, which means the vegetables that grow in that soil may be lacking in nutrients. But the ocean is a reservoir of minerals and nutrients, and kelp contains many of the minerals needed for sustaining good health.
Kelp is an excellent source of iodine that is traditionally used as a dietary supplement.
But the content of iodine in Ascophyllum nodosum can vary considerably, depending on different factors. (1)
Dry brown algae powder cannot guarantee the essential quantity of iodine in every batch of product.
The improved Santegra®’s formula Norwegian Kelp GP has guaranteed iodine content. Each Norwegian Kelp GP tablet contains 150 mcg of iodine – the recommended daily amount of this important microelement.
The high content of iodine helps to normalize the thyroid gland function and the production of thyroid hormones, essential for the body’s vital activity.
Disorders of the thyroid gland are diagnosed more and more often nowadays. Iodine deficiency is the most common preventable cause of thyroid disease in the world.
Iodine deficiency can result in endemic goiter, hypothyroidism, thyroid neoplasms, and nervous system development disorders.
Iodine deficiency can lead to poor brain development. Iodine deficiency is the leading cause of preventable intellectual deficit worldwide.
Iodine is very important for the children. Iodine deficiency makes them apathetic, easily tired; they experience lack of appetite and have poor results at school.
Iodine deficiency in pregnant women causes miscarriages, stillbirths, and other complications. It also decreases child survival, and impairs growth and development.
Globally, 2.2 billion people (38% of the world's population) live in the areas with iodine deficiency and risk its complications.
The only effective way to prevent iodine deficiency is adequate everyday intake of iodine.
But food and drinking water in many areas do not contain enough iodine. In these areas soil and therefore crops and grazing animals do not provide sufficient dietary iodine. For example some parts of Continental Europe and Russia can be considered as areas of endemic iodine deficiency.
Symptoms of iodine deficiency are often subtle. They are not specific, which means they can mimic the symptoms of many other conditions. Common symptoms include: weakened immunity, apathy, fatigue, weight gain, decreased skin elasticity, hair loss, and nail fragility.
The iodine requirement depends on age and physiological state of the body, the recommended daily allowance for adults is 150 mcg.
Norwegian Kelp GP is an excellent product for iodine deficiency prevention; it contains Ascophylum nodosum with 150 mcg of iodine in one tablet, which guarantees its potency.
As a dietary supplement take 1 tablet daily with a glass of water.
Contraindication
Basic active ingredients of Ascophyllum nodosum are iodine, alginic acid, and fucoidan. Kelp is also a rich source of potassium, magnesium, calcium, iron, and vitamins A, B1, B2, C, D and E. And since vitamins and minerals in this plant are in natural organic form, they are easily assimilated.
Iodine is an essential part of thyroid gland’s hormones. Thyroid gland produces thyroxin (Т4), which contains four iodine atoms. In peripheral tissues thyroxin is converted into triiodothyronine (Т3), which contains three iodine atoms.
Iodine enters the body with food and water; it is easily picked up by thyroid gland from blood stream and used for hormone production. More than half of iodine that entered the body is removed with urine.
Thyroid gland is a very small organ that weights 15-20 grams; it is located on the anterior surface of the neck. Thyroid gland with the other glands constitutes the endocrine system that produces hormones. All endocrine glands are in close interaction with each other, and this explains why with a little insignificant shift in the function of one organ, that leads to changes in the whole body. In spite of the small size of thyroid gland, the hormones that are produced there are participating in practically all metabolic processes of the body. The main function of the thyroid gland is to normalize cell metabolism. The thyroid gland’s hormones stimulate metabolism in basically all cells, and regulate all processes in the body – respiration, digestion, sleep, movement, and all inside organs’ processes – from heartbeat to reproductive system.
In healthy people the thyroid gland also participates in weight control of the body. With increased food consumption thyroid gland activity also increases, Т3 production intensifies, which speeds up metabolism. And vice versa – with decreased food consumption thyroid gland activity reduces, and metabolism slows down.
Kelp contains alginic acid, the source of dietary fiber. Alginic acid is a hydrophilic substance that is able to absorb water and increase in volume up to 25 times. Due to this property kelp fills up the stomach, regulates the appetite, helps to decrease the body’s weight, and slows down the carbohydrates and fat absorption. Besides this alginic acid has a positive effect on gastrointestinal system during constipation and diarrhea. According to the results of the clinical trials on animals, alginic acid helps decrease “bad cholesterol” level. (2)
Fucoidan - one of the active ingredients of Ascophyllum nodosum is also a source of dietary fiber. The research showed that fucoidan possesses the following qualities: decreases the cholesterol level (2), decreases the blood glucose level (3), demonstrates anti-inflammatory action (4), has anticoagulant properties (5), and antibacterial (6) effect.
Sea vegetables have been used for centuries in Japanese and Chinese medicines for treatment of Cancer.
The consumption of seaweed, particularly the kelps, might be a factor in the lower rate of breast cancer found in postmenopausal women in Japan. It has been noted that many sea vegetables contain significant amounts of lignans, more than legumes, whole grains, vegetables and fruits. These lignans become phytoestrogens in the body and bond preferentially to the estrogen receptor site. Thus they may have preventative value against cancers in which estrogen plays a part, such as breast cancer.
The most significant benefits of fucoidan pertain to its ability to strengthen the immune system. In a number of in vitro and animal studies, it has inhibited coated viruses. Experiments have suggested that fucoidan may not only inhibit the initial stages of viral infection, such as attachment to and penetration into host cells, but also the later replication stages after virus penetration. (7)
In a pilot study by University of Chicago researchers researchers tested fucoidan, to see whether they could prevent herpes infections. Fifteen patients with active herpes-type infections (including herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2, herpes zoster or Epstein bar virus) and six subjects with latent infections, consumed oral doses of fucoidan. Ingestion of fucoidan was associated with increased healing rates in patients with active infections. In addition, patients with latent infections remained asymptomatic while ingesting fucoidan. (8)
The ability of fucoidan to inhibit the herpes virus may explain, in part, why there is a much lower incidence of herpes simplex virus type 2 infections in Japan, compared with the west, in that the Japanese diet contains a high consumption of fucoidan-containing seaweed.
Research that digs deeper into the mechanism of action of fucoidanindicates its reach extends far beyond simply inhibiting viruses. It has been shown to influence the immune system in a number of ways. First, fucoidan has stimulated an increase in levels of a cytokine known as interferon gamma. Cytokines are proteins produced by white blood cells and are important in regulating immunity. Interferon gamma is a cytokine that generates increased immune activity during infections and cancer states. (9, 10)
Another explanation for the immune-enhancing properties of fucoidan involve its ability to stimulate natural killer cells, which play an important part in the immune response by destroying cells infected with viruses. Natural killer cells are also vital to seeking out and destroying tumor cells and are a major defense against malignancies. In a recent study, researchers investigated the effects of fucoidan on the tumor growth of mouse leukemia cells and on T cell-mediated immune responses in mice. The animals were fed a diet containing 1 percent fucoidan for 10 days and subcutaneously inoculated with leukemia cells. Thereafter, the mice were fed with the diet containing fucoidan for 40 days. In mice receiving the fucoidan, tumors were inhibited by 65.4 percent. Additionally, natural killer cell activity significantly increased in the fucoidan-fed mice compared to animals fed a normal diet. (11)
A French research study in 2002 showed that F-fucoidan can inhibit hyperplasia (abnormal cell overgrowth) in rabbits.
Smooth muscle cell (SMC) proliferation within the intima is regulated by heparan sulfates. We studied a low molecular weight (LMW) fucoidan (sulfated polysaccharide from brown seaweed) on SMC proliferation in vitro and intimal hyperplasia in vivo. In vitro study revealed that LMW fucoidan reduces rabbit SMC proliferation and is internalized in SMC perinuclear vesicles. On rabbit iliac arteries perfused in vivo with fluorolabeled LMW fucoidan after angioplasty, the labeling was mainly located on sites of injury. Pharmacokinetic studies showed that LMW fucoidan exhibited in rats an elimination half-life of 56±25 minutes (n=8) after intravenous administration and a constant plasma rate for 6 hours after intramuscular administration. After stent implantation in their iliac arteries, rabbits were also treated with LMW fucoidan (5 mg/kg IM twice a day). Histomorphometric analysis at day 14 indicated that LMW fucoidan reduced intimal hyperplasia by 59% (1.79±0.4 versus 0.73±0.2 mm2, P<0.0001) and luminal cross-sectional area narrowing by 58% (0.38±0.08 versus 0.16±0.04, P<0.0001). Blood samples showed no anticoagulant activity due to LMW fucoidan.
This natural polysaccharide with high affinity for SMCs and sustained plasma concentration markedly reduced intimal hyperplasia, suggesting its use for the prevention of human in-stent restenosis. (12)
A Japanese research report in 2005 indicated that F-fucoidan can induce apoptosis (spontaneous, programmed, cancer cell death) in human lymphoma cell lines. (13)
Traditional oriental medicine has long held that the use of seaweeds reduces the risk of heart disease. Recent research sited by Dr. Zakir Romazanov in Neutriceuticals World (vol.2, No. 6) claims that certain elements in bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosis) and rockweed (Ascophyllum nodosum) have the ability to lower blood plasma cholesterol levels, a key to heart health.
Fucoidan’s role as a natural anti-coagulant (blood thinner) also may explain its protective effects on the heart, blood vessels and other vital organs. Thus, fucoidan has been demonstrated to possess significant cardioprotective activity that may be of particular benefit to anyone with cardiovascular health conditions and/or for prevention of heart and blood vessel problems. (14)
Fucoidan has been demonstrated to have a number of other interesting properties. In one clinical trial, subjects with non-ulcer dyspepsia (indigestion) were given 1.5 to 4.5 mg/kg/day of oral fucoidan for two weeks. Symptoms of non-ulcer dyspepsia were relieved in the subjects given fucoidan. Researchers believe these results are explained by studies that have shown fucoidan can stop the ulcer-causing bacterium Helicobacter pylori from adhering to gastric cells. (15)
Researchers found that alginic acid, one of the important intercellular polysaccharides found in large brown algae like Kelp and Alaria, has detoxifying qualities.
The EPA's Environmental Toxicology Lab found that alginates could bind and eliminate both radionucleides such as Strontium 90 and heavy metals such as cadmium. They also discovered that Strontium already stored in the bones was re-secreted and bound by the alginates and safely passed through the intestines. Thus the remarkable kelps can help alleviate past as well as present toxic contamination. (16)
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2. Vázquez-Freire MJ, Lamela M, Calleja JM. Hypolipidaemic activity of a polysaccharide extract from Fucus vesiculosus L. Phytother Res 1996;10:647-50.
3. Vázquez-Freire MJ, Lamela M, Calleja JM. A preliminary study of hypoglycaemic activity of several polysaccharide extracts from brown algae: Fucus vesiculosus, Saccorhiza polyschides and Laminaria ochroleuca. Phytother Res 1996;10(suppl):S184-5.
4. Bartlett MR, Warren HS, Cowden WB, Parish DR. Effects of the anti-inflammatory compounds castanospermine, mannose-6-phosphate and fucoidan on allograft rejection and elicited peritoneal exudates. Immunol Cell Biol 1994;72:367-74.
5. Church FC, Mead JB, Treanor RE, Whinna HC. Antithrombin activity of fucoidan. The interaction of fucoidan with heparin cofactor II, antithrombin III and thrombin. J Biol Chem 1989;264:3618-23.
6. Criado MT, Ferreirós CM. Toxicity of an algal mucopolysaacharide for Escherichia coli and Neisseria meningitidis strains. Rev Esp Fisiol 1984;40:227-30.
7. Hoshino T, Hayashi T, Hayashi K, Hamada J, Lee JB, Sankawa U. An antivirally active sulfated polysaccharide from Sargassum horneri (TURNER) C. AGARDH. Biol Pharm Bull. 1998 Jul;21(7):730-4.
8. Thompson KD, Fitton JH, Dragar C, et. al. GFS, a Preparation of Tasmanian Undaria pinnatifida, is Associated with Healing and Inhibition of Reactivation of Herpes. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2002;2:11.
9. Hirayasu H, Yoshikawa Y, Tsuzuki S, Fushiki T. Sulfated polysaccharides derived from dietary seaweeds increase the esterase activity of a lymphocyte tryptase, granzyme A. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2005 Dec;51(6):475-7.
10. Irhimeh MR, Fitton JH, Lowenthal RM.Fucoidan ingestion increases the expression of CXCR4 on human CD34+ cells. Exp Hematol. 2007 Jun;35(6):989-94.
11. Maruyama H, Tamauchi H, Iizuka M, Nakano T. The role of NK cells in antitumor activity of dietary fucoidan from Undaria pinnatifida sporophylls (Mekabu). Planta Med. 2006 Dec;72(15):1415-7.
12. Jean-François Deux; Anne Meddahi-Pellé; Alain F. Le Blanche; Laurent J. Feldman; Sylvia Colliec-Jouault; Françoise Brée; Frank Boudghène; Jean-Baptiste Michel; Didier Letourneur (2002). “Low Molecular Weight Fucoidan Prevents Neointimal Hyperplasia in Rabbit Iliac Artery In-Stent Restenosis Model” (PDF). Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology 22: 1604.
13. Aisa Y; Miyakawa Y; Nakazato T; Shibata H; Saito K; Ikeda Y; Kizaki M (2005 Jan). “Fucoidan induces apoptosis of human HS-sultan cells accompanied by activation of caspase-3 and down-regulation of ERK pathways”. American Journal of Hematology 78 (1).
14. Pereira MS, Mulloy B, Mourao PAS. Structure and Anticoagulant Activity of Sulfated Fucans. Journal of Biological Chemistry. 1999 March 19; 274(12):7656-7667.
15. Nagaoka M, Shibata H, Kimura-Takagi I, Hashimoto S, Aiyama R, Ueyama S, Yokokura T. Anti-ulcer effects and biological activities of polysaccharides from marine algae. Biofactors. 2000; 12: 267-274.
16. Steven Schacter, Fighting Radiation with Food, Herbs and Vitamins, East West Health Books, 1988