Eat Your (Sea) Veggies!

In the past few months, sea moss has become a popular health craze all across social

media, and has been said to be massively beneficial for the human body and many of its systems.

Sea moss is a type of red algae that is harvested specifically for its natural property, carrageenan,

used for thickening various dairy products. It can be found in capsules, gummies, powers, and as

of late, gel form supplemental use. On social media platforms such as Tik Tok and Instagram,

users have been posting themselves consuming scoops of sea moss gel once daily, as it has been

said to improve heart health and regulate things like blood pressure. Is this another fad health

trend circulating the internet? In this article published by Cleveland Clinic, scientific evidence is

provided regarding potential benefits and drawbacks to sea moss consumption.

First, the article states that seaweed, in general, is considered a superfood, with a higher

fiber composition than the majority of vegetables. Studies have shown that because of this, sea

moss may lower high cholesterol levels and decrease blood pressure. People with a high fiber

diet may tend to feel more full, thus decreasing overeating, acting as a weight loss component.

With its high concentration of iodine as well, people who take sea moss regularly may show

signs of a healthy thyroid as well. Sea moss is a naturally derived organism from the earth, and

contains a plethora of kinds of bacteria that may help to balance a person’s gut microbiome and

overall gut health.

With that being said, sea moss contains good bacteria, as well as bad bacteria. Some

drawbacks to consider might include the vastness of the ocean and how different kinds of sea

moss from different locations might yield different results, as we cannot definitively identify

how much of what properties are inside each batch of supplemental sea moss. It is also

imperative to consider the fact that the beneficial properties of the sea moss itself depend entirely

on where it is grown and how healthy of an environment it grows in. For example, if a batch of

sea moss is extracted from an environment that has high toxicity levels, the sea moss might

contain heavy metals and other properties that are not healthy for consumption.

As we can see, sea moss definitely has some promising health benefits associated with it,

however it is evident that there is some specificity in how much is consumed as well as the

location from which it is derived. Overall, it seems as though sea moss might pose some

significant health improving factors that could definitely allow it to become a more commonly

used supplement such as vitamin C, probiotics, magnesium, etc.

Haley Sampson (3)

Cleveland Clinic, What Are the Benefits of Sea Moss? Beth Czerwony, RD, December 22, 2021.