A doctors' guide to Irish sea moss
One health product has kept popping up on my social media day in, day out. I take a look at whether it's all its cracked out to be.
Hola herbalists and thanks for checking out this weeks newsletter.
I’ve really enjoyed writing on this week’s topic. It’s a different style of piece, more debunking than promoting something. To me both styles of pieces are important to write about and as a doctor, if I see something is BS then i’m calling it out.
We’re also in the process of a complete rebrand of Elysium Herbals. Our journey has been incredible so far and we’re so lucky to have a fantastic community of open-minded and thoughtful readers like you. However we feel it might be time that we evolve and develop. So we’ve created a new logo and aesthetic look to our channels which we think you’ll dig.
So grab a hot drink, sit down and enjoy this week’s newsletter.
P.S I recommend you read the full blog post on our website as that’s where you’ll find all the resources I’ve used to write about Irish Sea moss.
Irish sea moss: Are the health claims true?
Recently I was seeing a lot of adverts on social media for something called Irish sea moss. What interested me was the wild health claims that were being bandied around about it.
The following is a list of claimed health benefits I saw from just one company:
▪️Boosts energy levels
▪️Eliminates mucus
▪️Dissolves inflammation
▪️Boosts the immune system
▪️Enhances thyroid function
▪️Increases libido and improves fertility
▪️Improves cognitive function
▪️Strengthens joints and helps ease muscle pain
▪️Prevents radiation poisoning
▪️Enhances weight loss
▪️Improves mental health and well being with its natural potassium content which is shown to impact depression and anxiety.
▪️Anti anaemic and anti inflammatory
▪️Reduces fatigue
▪️Helps ease skin ailments such as acne and psoriasis whilst improving the quality of skin with its natural collagen and sulfur content, it also helps to the balance the microbiome of the skin.
Impressive list right?
I was surprised that I hadn’t heard of this algae before, especially considering it’s touting by world-renowned nutritionist Kim Kardashian.
APPEARANCE & HISTORY
The colour can vary on where the moss is found but it can range from green to yellow to purple. This is due to the polysaccharide ‘carrageenan’ which forms a significant bulk of the moss.
Carrageenan is used widely in the food industry despite carrying no nutritional benefit or even flavour. It has a number of roles in the food industry:
stabiliser
processed meats
injected into poultry to improve tenderness
substitute for fat in low-fat products
'nutrition drinks' e.g. slimfast, ensure
pet food
Sea moss has traditionally been used in Jamaica as the locals believed it improved sex-drive and function 🍆.
Whilst in Ireland it was used as an alternative food source during the potato famine. 🥔
CONSTITUENTS
Nutritional value of 100g of Irish sea moss.
At this point I think we should take a break.
Top that hot drink up and check out this video by Paul Otote. Paul is a bodybuilder and herbalist who we’re big fans of and he’s created several videos on Irish Sea moss.
NEURO-PROTECTIVE
As populations grow older, one organ has become the centre of medical attention.
The brain. 🧠
Unfortunately as we get older our brains become less resilient, as seen with the number of people suffering from dementia, Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) scarily increasing.
A 2015 study analysed the effect of a methanol extract of Irish Sea moss on a transgenic nematode Caenorhabditis elegans.
“A transgenic animal or plant contains one or more genes that have been added from another type of plant or animal.”
— Cambridge Dictionary
These are incredibly small organisms, around 1mm in length which had DNA added to them to induce PD.
The study reported stimulation of genes that protect against oxidation. These are:
▪️sod-3 = dismutase (potent anti-oxidant)
▪️skn-1 = up regulates the transcription of free-radical scavenging enzymes
The study also noted a decrease in the accumulation of alpha-synuclein protein too. This is a protein that can accumulate to develop plaques known as ‘Lewy body’, a type of dementia.
GUT HEALTH
I was taught at medical school that the gut had its own nervous system called the enteric nervous system. It’s also known as our ‘second brain’ and incredibly can function independently of our brain and spinal cord.
This nervous system is not only crucial to the healthy functioning of our gut but is also responsible for producing many of our neurotransmitters!
No doubt you will have come across health products proclaiming to be pre, pro an even post-biotic.
You’ll have heard of these phrases but do you actually know what they mean?
▪️Pre-biotics → foods that provide beneficial compounds for our gut bacteria to feed on
▪️Pro-biotics → the actual live bacteria or yeast that reside in your gut
A 2015 study in rats used Irish Sea moss to determine its prebiotic effects. It was compared against a basal diet and fructooligosaccharide (a common prebiotic).
The study reported than the rats given Irish Sea moss experienced a 4.9 fold increase in the beneficial bacteria Bifidobacterium breve and decrease in harmful bacterias Clostridium speticum and Streptococcus pneumonia.
The authors also reported an increase in short-chain fatty acids (acetic, propionic and butyric acids) which are a food source for our ‘good’ bacteria.
ANTI-INFLAMMATORY
Inflammation is a very important process within our bodies.
Without it we couldn’t survive.
However chronic inflammation is a problem. This is where our bodies are in a continual state of inflammation.
Always on high alert.
This state of perpetual stress is known to be a key hall-marker in the development of chronic diseases.
A 2016 study used our friends the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and infected them with salmonella. (Poor nematodes).
In this study 6 red seaweed species were tested for their anti-microbial properties. Irish Sea moss one of 2 algae that showed positive anti-microbial effects. The sea moss reduced biofilm formation, motility, and growth of the salmonella bacteria.
A 2013 study used our friends the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and infected them with pseudomonas aeruginosa (a bacteria associated with chest infections). A sea moss extract was shown to induce the expression of genes related to reducing inflammation. This resulted in a 28% reduction in the death of the nematodes.
DEBUNKING CLAIMS AND SAFETY CONCERNS
Irish Sea moss contains 92 minerals
If I got £1 for every time I read 'sea moss contains 92 out of 102 minerals the human body needs' I'd be a very rich man 💰.
I've put a lot of time looking into this and I have not been able to find any evidence providing a full list of the 92 minerals ⛔️.
Below is a typical advert you can find for Irish sea moss and the mythical 92 minerals it contains.
I contacted several companies selling Irish Sea moss to see whether they could help me find this mythical list.
NOT A SINGLE COMPANY COULD SEND ME A LIST OF THE 92 MINERALS 👎🏼.
Many even stopped replying to my messages which confirmed my suspicions of this being BS.
If it sounds too good to be true then it usually is too good to be true.
CARRAGEENAN SAFETY
As mentioned earlier in my blog, carrageenan is a compound that makes up the bulk of Irish Sea moss. It has been used since the 1960s as a food additive however there are very worrying studies that question the safety of carrageenan.
To understand the safety concerns you should know that there are 2 forms of carrageenan:
▪️Degraded → is a strong inflammatory molecule and is used by scientists to induce inflammation in animals to test anti-inflammatory drugs. It is not allowed in food and classified as a possible human carcinogen by The International Agency for Research on Cancer of the United Nations
▪️Undegraded → form of carrageenan used by the food industry as a preservative, bulker etc
The food industry claims that both forms of carrageenan are safe however there have been multiple studies that have shown both forms contribute to digestive diseases and affect gut microbiome.
Samples of food-grade carrageenan have been analysed and found to contain higher than lawful levels of degraded carrageenan. There’s also the possibility that food-grade carrageenan could break down to degraded carrageenan after exposure to stomach acid.
The food industry is renowned for its lobbying and suppression of evidence. This then naturally raises concerns to me about whether I can trust them when they say carrageenan is safe to consume.
HEAVY METALS
It has been well documented that human pollution of the seas has led to rising concentrations of heavy metals found within marine life. In particular, focus has been on lead, arsenic, and mercury. A study on heavy metal concentrations in algae found that Irish Sea moss contained above-recommended levels of cadmium.
“Cadmium exerts toxic effects on the kidneys as well as the skeletal and respiratory systems. It is classified as a human carcinogen. ”
— World Health Organisation
IODINE OVERLOAD
Iodine is one of those funny elements that we need in just the right amount. Too much or too little can be detrimental to our health. Iodine is needed for the production of our thyroid hormones. These hormones play a crucial role in our metabolism and healthy functioning.
Let me explain.
🔺 Thyroid = weight loss, sweats, palpitations, heat intolerance, diarrhoea, manic
🔻Thyroid = weight gain, tiredness, cold intolerance, depression, constipation
Iodine isn't produced by the body so we need to obtain it through our diet.
Now Irish Sea moss contains a lot of iodine.
I mean a lot.
Studies have shown there could be up to 800mcg per 100g of Irish Sea moss which is crazy high.
In the UK, the recommended daily intake of iodine is 150mcg which means just 20g of Irish Sea moss would tip you over this figure.
You might be thinking that surely the extra iodine would be good for our thyroid function?
However you’d be wrong.
Too much iodine is associated with the development of impaired thyroid function. This is especially the case for those with pre-existing thyroid conditions such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
SUMMARY
I felt I had to check into the claims I was seeing surrounding Irish Sea moss. I was seeing prominent figures on social media bigging it up with companies profiting from the increasing demand.
What I’ve learned is the following.
If used correctly this algae could be a good source of minerals and iodine, however, excessive use may prove more harmful than good.
This is because of concerns around too much iodine and heavy metals.
Plus due to the geographical variation of where sea moss is harvested the mineral content can also vary wildly.
So what do I think about this algae?
Well, I love the history of Irish Sea moss and how it is raising people’s awareness of nature’s ability to heal us. I think there needs to be more honesty from companies selling sea moss-based products, especially with the tagline about containing 92 minerals.
There clearly needs to be more research conducted on many aspects of this algae. This should include any medicinal properties, analysis of the complete mineral and vitamin content, and safe doses to take.
If you’re thinking of buying Irish Sea moss gel then hold your horses, as I’ve also created an easy go-to guide on how to make your own Irish Sea moss gel so keep an eye out for that in the recipes section.
Enjoy our growing cataloge of YouTube videos here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzRywZLpxFjfRtINkN4COXg
Small changes. Healthy habits. Happy lives.
Dr Haris Mumtaz