Superfood or Another Overhyped Trend?

Sea moss (Chondrus crispus) is a red algae that grows along the rocky parts of the Atlantic coasts of North America and Europe. It’s sometimes called Irish moss or jelly moss.

Sea moss is typically harvested for its carrageen, a popular ingredient for thickening foods like ice cream, cottage cheese, and jelly.

Sea moss gel is a natural, gel-like substance made from sea moss. Eating sea moss gel or taking sea moss supplements may offer several health benefits.

While sea moss contains many essential nutrients, sea moss gel isn’t the magic cure-all that many social media trends suggest. Still, sea moss may offer potential health benefits when included in a well-balanced lifestyle.

May Support Heart Health

Regularly eating sea moss may be good for your heart. Seaweed is rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. These nutrients can help protect against heart disease by regulating blood pressure, cholesterol levels, blood sugar control, and body weight.

Sea moss contains vitamin C, an antioxidant that research has linked to helping prevent cardiovascular disease. Red algae, including sea moss, is a good source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, essential fatty acids that are also linked to improved heart health.

More research is needed to understand sea moss gel and its role in heart health. It’s important to talk with your healthcare provider before adding it to your routine.

May Support Immune Function

Consuming sea moss gel may boost your immune system due to its vitamin and mineral content, which can help the body fight illness and infection. Most types of seaweed are rich in vitamin C, iodine, and zinc. Studies have shown these nutrients help keep the immune system working effectively.

Studies also show that the compounds carrageenans from seaweed offer many immune-boosting effects. Carrageenans have anticancer, antiviral, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties.

May Improve Gut Health

Sea moss is rich in nutrients that can be good for your gut. The fiber in sea moss may act as a prebiotic, nourishing the good bacteria in your digestive tract. Keeping a good balance of healthy bacteria in the gut can help break down food, improve digestion, and support overall health. 

Sea moss also has anti-inflammatory properties. Eating sea moss or taking sea moss supplements may help reduce inflammation or irritation in the gut. Reduced inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract may improve overall digestive health.

More research is needed to understand how different types of seaweed can improve gut health.

May Support Weight Loss Efforts

Sustainable weight loss requires a holistic approach that involves dietary changes, regular exercise, adequate sleep, and stress management. No one food or supplement can magically induce weight loss. However, eating sea moss may support weight loss efforts when included in a balanced diet. 

Sea moss contains essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and fiber. A serving of sea moss may help you feel fuller for longer, helping prevent overeating and creating a calorie deficit (eating fewer calories than you burn).

More research is needed with humans, but some animal studies suggest that sea moss may help lower body fat and improve blood sugar control. Talk with your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian before incorporating sea moss or sea moss gel into your weight loss routine.

May Improve Thyroid Function

Sea moss contains nutrients that may support thyroid health. The thyroid is a small gland in the neck that plays a key role in overall health. Its primary job is to help control metabolism, or how the body uses energy.

What you eat can affect thyroid function. Micronutrients like iodine, iron, zinc, selenium, and copper are important for proper thyroid function, and not getting enough of these nutrients can cause thyroid problems. Seaweed contains all of these nutrients and more.

However, eating too much sea moss or sea moss gel may negatively affect thyroid function. It’s important to talk with your healthcare provider before adding sea moss to your diet for thyroid health.

May Encourage Exercise Recovery

Sea moss is known for its anti-inflammatory properties. Red algae, like sea moss, also contains high amounts of taurine, an amino acid important for exercise recovery and other aspects of overall health.

Muscles are damaged during exercise. Amino acids help repair and strengthen the damaged tissue through a process called protein synthesis. Eating sea moss gel after working out may help support protein synthesis and muscle repair.

A small serving of sea moss provides a variety of vitamins and minerals that support many aspects of health. Sea moss is dense in these nutrients, but the amounts found in a typical portion size don’t significantly contribute to the recommended percent Daily Value (DV) for most nutrients.

A 2-tablespoon (10-gram) serving of sea moss provides:

• Calories: 5
• Carbohydrates: 1.2 grams (g)
• Protein: 0.15 g
• Fat: 0.02 g
• Fiber: 0.13 g
• Sodium: 6.7 mg
• Iron: 0.89 mg, or 11% of the DV
• Magnesium: 14.4 mg, or 3.4% of the DV
• Zinc: 0.2 mg, or 1.8% of the DV
• Calcium: 7.2 milligrams (mg), or 0.7% of the DV
• Vitamin C: 0.3 mg, or 0.3% of the DV

Sea moss gel is a popular dietary supplement because of its potential health benefits. If it is a safe option for you, there are several easy ways to include it in your daily routine.

Sea moss gel has a mild but distinct taste. Some people choose to eat it directly, spooned from the jar. If you don’t care for the taste of raw sea moss, you can mix the gel into smoothies, teas, or soups. There are no standardized dosing recommendations for sea moss gel, but people often take 1-2 tablespoons. A registered dietitian can help you decide how much to mix into your recipes.

Another form of sea moss is sea moss powder. You can mix powdered sea moss into drinks or sprinkle it on food. Follow the dosing recommendations on the product under the guidance of your healthcare provider or registered dietitian.

If you prefer pre-measured doses of sea moss, you might opt for sea moss gummies or capsules. Doses will vary between products, so it’s important to read the supplement labels and discuss them with your provider before starting. Look for products tested by third-party labs for added safety.

Sea moss gel is considered generally safe for most adults, especially when used in moderation. Still, consuming too much may cause negative side effects.

Research on the risks of using sea moss gel is limited, but there are safety concerns about its iodine and heavy metal content. Consuming too much iodine may cause burning of the mouth, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. It may also disrupt your thyroid function and interact with some medications.

It’s important to check with your healthcare provider before starting any new supplement, including sea moss gel. If you have chronic health conditions or are pregnant, your provider may suggest avoiding sea moss or sea moss gel.

Sea moss is a nutrient-dense food that may support heart health, weight management, gut health, and thyroid function. Its anti-inflammatory properties may also improve exercise recovery and immune function.

It’s important to talk with your healthcare provider or registered dietitian nutritionist before adding sea moss or a sea moss supplement to your diet.