Algae: Anti-cancer vegetables grown in the sea
Very popular in Japan, marine algae remain fairly unknown foods in America. This is unfortunate since these real "sea vegetables" have numerous beneficial health properties.
Marine algae truly are the prototype of the ideal health food. Since algae absorb nutrients through their anatomical structures (a bit like a sponge), they contain all or substantially all essential minerals, such as iodine, potassium, iron and calcium (some algae contain up to 10 times the calcium in cow's milk and five times the iron in spinach!).
MANY HEALTH BENEFITS
They also contain a large amount of proteins, of essential amino acids and of vitamins, and a high fibre content that can reach close to 50% of their dry weight. Algae contain few fats, which are for the most part essential omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, present in an ideal ratio of 1:1. Certain red algae even contain long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, fats with extremely beneficial effects that block the development of several diseases and are normally only found in certain fatty fishes.
Algae are therefore real "sea vegetables", foods in a class of their own from a nutritional point of view, which is why they deserve a prominent place in our diet.
Algae's beneficial effects against cancer were already suspected in Ancient Egypt. The Codex Ebers, an Egyptian medical text dating from almost 3,500 years ago, already mentioned the use of these vegetables to treat women suffering from breast cancer.
This intuitive practice was not far from reality since certain recent studies indicate that adding algae extracts to the laboratory animals' diet significantly reduces the development of several cancers caused by carcinogenic substances, such as breast cancer, colon cancer and skin cancer.
These anti-cancer properties are, for the most part, linked to algae's high content in fucoxanthin and fucoidan, two compounds that interfere with several processes essential to the growth of cancer cells.
Fucoidan is a complex sugar polymer found in very large quantities in some algae, especially kombu and wakame. This molecule prevents the growth of a large variety of cancer cells grown in laboratory, and even causes the death of these cells through the apoptosis process. In addition to this cytotoxic activity, it appears that fucoidan can also have a positive impact on the immune function by reducing the inflammation while increasing the activity of the "good" immune system, thus creating a more hostile environment for cancer cells that restricts their growth.
Fucoxanthin is a yellow pigment of the carotenoid family (carotene, lycopene, etc.). Of all the dietary carotenoids tested to date, fucoxanthin is the one that has the highest anti-cancer activity, both in laboratory animals and on the human tumour isolated cells, and seems particularly effective against prostate cancer cells.
This inhibitive effect is even more pronounced than that of lycopene, a carotenoid mainly found in the tomato and which has long been believed to play a preventive role in the development of prostate cancer. Since algae are the only dietary source of fucoxanthin, there is no doubt that these vegetables should be part of any dietary cancer prevention strategy.
CANCER FIGHTERS
In short, marine algae must not be considered as simple culinary curiosities, but rather as real protective foods against cancer, capable of thwarting the progression of latent microtumours both by acting directly on their growth and by reducing the inflammation and thus making the conditions less favourable for the transformation of these microtumours in cancer.
To take advantage of the algae's benefits, use dried algae that you can rehydrate and add to your soups or meals. The three most common algae are the arame and the wakame, both delicious in soups and salads (especially with rice vinegar and sesame oil dressing) and the nori, the algae used to wrap sushi. Several supermarkets also sell prepared algae salad mixes. These products are a simple way to initiate yourself to these foods' unique taste. Furthermore, since algae's taste blends admirably well with that of fish, why not add a touch of exoticism to your plate and make it a regular side dish?
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