What is U-Fucoidan?
U-fucoidan is a polysaccharide found mainly in brown seaweed. Although U-fucoidan is recognized in other seaweeds and plants such as wakame, mozuku, and hijiki1, kombu (Laminaria japonica) is distinctively rich in this substance. Brown seaweed has been found continuously to be the most beneficial among other seaweeds and plants. Research has shown that when U-fucoidan was administered to cancer cells they dissipated within 72 hours. This process is known as apoptosis; the destruction of cells from within due to activation by the digestive enzymes contained in the cells themselves. Currently, efforts are under way to find the consensus concerning the precise nature of U-fucoidan. Interestingly, Okinawa, Japan has the lowest cancer mortality rate in Japan where kombu is predominantly consumed.