International Journal of Aquaculture, 2025, Vol.15, No.5, 248-254 http://www.aquapublisher.com/index.php/ija 251 indicators of different seaweeds, and the results showed that seaweed was superior to brown and green algae in certain free radical scavenging and anti-lipid peroxidation abilities (Urrea-Victoria et al., 2022). This may be attributed to the effect of the active ingredients in seaweed. The sort of antioxidant activity of seaweed may vary slightly under different assay methods, but the overall status of seaweed as an "antioxidant star" is generally recognized. This suggests that seaweed has considerable advantages in antioxidant health care (Nova et al., 2023). 5 Potential Benefits for Human Health 5.1 Anti-inflammatory and immune regulation effects The various active ingredients of seaweed give it anti-inflammatory and immune-regulating potential. In vitro cell model studies have shown that seaweed polysaccharides can reduce the inflammatory mediators (such as NO, cytokines) produced by macrophages, thereby exerting anti-inflammatory effects (Wang et al., 2020). Clinical trials have confirmed that supplementing seaweed extract can significantly improve the activity of peripheral blood NK cells, suggesting that seaweed is beneficial to enhancing the body's resistance. Animal experiments also prove that seaweed polysaccharide can promote lymphocyte proliferation and macrophage activation, and enhance humoral immunity and cellular immune function (Park et al., 2023). Therefore, as a functional food, seaweed has application prospects in preventing chronic inflammation and improving immunity. 5.2 Cardiovascular health protection (anti-lipid, anti-atherosclerosis) Regular consumption of seaweed is considered to help cardiovascular health. The dietary fiber and polysaccharides contained in seaweed can reduce cholesterol absorption in the intestine and thus reduce blood lipids. Preliminary clinical trials have shown that after eating dried seaweed products for several weeks, the subjects' serum total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol decreased. In addition, seaweed is rich in active ingredients such as taurine and phytosterol, which can promote cholesterol metabolism and inhibit cholesterol absorption, thus helping to lower blood cholesterol (Cao et al., 2016). These effects mean that seaweed has potential value in anti-hyperlipidemia and preventing atherosclerosis, and has positive implications for maintaining cardiovascular health. 5.3 Anti-tumor and anti-aging potential A large number of experiments have proved that seaweed polysaccharides can inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells and induce their apoptosis, while enhancing the anti-tumor ability of the body's immune system (Pradhan et al., 2022). A Japanese study of patients with digestive tract cancer showed that patients with colorectal cancer who regularly consume seaweed had significantly lower risk of death. In terms of anti-aging, the antioxidant effect of seaweed helps to reduce cellular oxidative damage, thereby delaying the aging process of the body to a certain extent (Zhang et al., 2019). In short, nori has shown considerable potential for its role in preventing tumor development and delaying aging, which laid the foundation for its development to become a functional food or auxiliary treatment method. 6 Case Analysis: Research on Seaweed Intake and Population Health 6.1 Nori eating habits and health indicators for Japanese and Korean people Japanese and Korean residents have long-term diets containing seaweed foods such as seaweed, which are believed to contribute to their lower incidence of certain chronic diseases and higher life expectancy. Koreans also generally consume seaweed daily, such as seaweed rice and seaweed soup. Dietary surveys show that seaweed intake provides them with considerable dietary fiber and trace elements, which helps explain the lower obesity rate and cardiovascular disease incidence (Park et al., 2022). It can be seen that the traditional dietary model of high seaweed intake may have a positive impact on the health indicators of these populations, providing reference for the promotion of seaweed food in other regions (Yang et al., 2009). 6.2 Research results of seaweed-related intervention trials Several interventional studies further confirm the health benefits of seaweed. For example, intake of seaweed products can reduce serum total cholesterol in patients with hyperlipidemia; supplementation of seaweed extract can enhance human immune function (Pradhan et al., 2022). Animal experiments have also proved that seaweed
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