Sea Vegetables from the Perspective of a Natural Doctor (ND)

I was privileged to talk with Dr. Cecilia Hart, a great Natural Doctor (ND) in Berkeley today to get her perspective on sea vegetables. I feel like getting a range of medical opinions on eating sea vegetables is helpful to myself and (hopefully) others. Here's a transcript of our talk.

Q: Who do you recommend eat sea vegetables?
A: Everyone, but the thing with sea weed and digesting it is you have to start with a small amount. So usually titrate the doses. It takes your body awhile to produce the enzymes to break it down. This is similar to when vegetarians start eating meat again and need to start slowly. So start with a small amount and then increase the doses. Sea weed contains a lot of iodine which is particularly helpful with certain breast disorders, overall breast health, and thyroid health.

Q: What exactly does eating sea vegetables do for the thyroid?
A: Iodine is a key factor in the conversion of the less active form of the thyroid hormone to the more active form. If you don't have enough iodine, you can't make that conversion very well.

Q: Can you talk a little about iodine in terms of hypothyroid conditions?
A: There are many reasons why someone would have hypothyroid disorders. One of the reasons could be an iodine deficiency because its needed for that conversion.

Q: How much would you recommend someone with a history of hypothyroidism eat sea vegetables?
A: It would really depend on what the numbers are from the labs that test for thryoid levels.

Q: Do sea vegetables have more nutrients in them than land vegetables?
A: They have more iodine and are pretty highly dense in protein compared to other green vegetables. They are also dense in calcium, iron, etc. They contain 10-20% protein which is pretty dense. Nori has 50% protein, which is pretty amazing. They have good eye antioxidants (luteins) for eye health. Eating sea weed helps with detoxification and helps to bind heavy metals.

Q: Hijiki has been found to contain a high level of inorganic arsenic. Does the body absorbs this? Do you recommend that people eat hijiki?
A: If we know that it is high in inorganic arsenic, we should NOT eat it.

Q: What do you suggest in terms of "organic" vs non organic certified sea vegetables?
A: I don't really understand the certification, but I would definitely try to avoid consuming heavy metals.

Q: Do you recommend that people eat them whole in soups vs. a supplement or tincture?
A: Cooking is always better, but its not always realistic for some people, so that's why we have the tinctures and supplements.

Q: Are there any people that you would recommend NOT eating sea vegetables?
A: Certain people who have too much iodine already like in hyperthyroid situations.

Hello My Name Is: Hijiki

photo from algaebase.org

Hijiki, (he-JEE-key) is a porous brown sea vegetable that is not commonly seen on the menus of Japanese restaurants since it's used mostly for homely home cooking. It comes in dried form and when reconstituted swells to about 5 times its original weight. Hiziki takes years to mature.

Aliases: hiziki, Hizikia fusiforme, chin tsai, nongmichae, pig's foot vegetable

Growing habitat: Hiziki grows wild in shallow waters on the rocky coastlines of Japan, Korea, and China.

Nutrition: Hjiki has more calcium than other dried food source as well as having a high protein count. It is also high in fiber, calcium, potassium, vitamin B2 (riboflavin), and magnesium

History: Hiziki has been a traditional part of the Japanese diet for centuries. It is believed to enhance hair quality, strengthening it, and adding luster. Many Japanese credit eating of hiziki for their lustrous black hair and Japanese girls were told to consume bowlfuls of it.

Uses: Best eaten with other SVs,

Preparation: Dont' start with too much since it will quadruple in size! Wash under cold water and soak for an hour, rinse well (make sure to get rid of any sand) and discard soaking water. Be careful to press out any excess water. To use in grain dishes, stuffing, salads, burgers, or croquettes, boil the hiziki for 15 to 20 minutes prior to combining with the other ingredients. For hiziki and vegetable side dishes, cook the hiziki for 25 to 35 minutes with vegetables and season with Shoyu Soy Sauce near the end of cooking.

Additional Notes: see post about arsenic & hijiki. Four countries have issued warnings about hijiki, but none have banned it.

Recipes:
Simmered Hijiki Recipe
Chang Chang Hijiki Salad
Hiziki Sauté
Braised Hiziki with Sweet Potatoes & Black Soybeans

An Addendum to Arsenic & Hijiki Post

I found some additional information that might help with the decision to eat/not eat hijiki. On the New Zealand Food Safety Authority's (NZFSA) website, I found this info:

Hijiki seaweed was added to New Zealand’s high risk foods list after it was found to contain levels of inorganic arsenic that were higher than the regulatory level. Exposure to low levels of organic or inorganic arsenic is not a health concern, however consumers are advised not to eat large amounts of hijiki seaweed.

Arsenic In Sea Vegetables ... What Do You Think?

Arsenic Warning Poster | Source: archives of the USDA APHIS Pest Survey Detection and Exclusion Laboratory

Early in my introduction to sea veggies it was suggested that I should do some research about the arsenic levels in SVs. Sea vegetables are like a sponge — they have the ability to absorb minerals from the water and to hold onto them in their cell walls. This is the reason why sea vegetables contain more good minerals than most land vegetables. On the other hand, this means that they can also absorb contaminants in the water such as arsenic, lead and cadmium. For this reason, sea vegetables are often used as a monitor for how polluted waters have become. (More on the topic of SVs as a monitor for water pollution in a later post)

Inorganic arsenic is found in pesticides, paint, and other manufactured chemical compounds. Its is highly toxic and carcinogenic. Organic arsenic however, is not connected to health problems in humans and is found in most sea vegetables & seafood.

Among all sea vegetables hijiki in particular absorbs the highest levels of inorganic arsenic. In 2001 the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issued a fact sheet entitled, Inorganic Arsenic and Hijiki Seaweed Consumption. It was their recommendation in this fact sheet that consumers not eat hijiki at all because of its high levels of inorganic arsenic.

In this really interesting and thorough response, Eden Organics (a large SV supplier) presents these compelling arguments against the CFIA findings:

• The Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare posted a statement July 30, 2004 on the Internet stating that, "There are no records of cases of arsenic poisoning as a result of the arsenic content of sea vegetables."
• The CFIA and the FSA failed to inform consumers that all of the negative research regarding inorganic arsenic was performed on various species of laboratory animals often injecting or feeding them very high amounts of pure inorganic arsenic chemically extracted from various sources. There are no cases of arsenic poisoning in either laboratory animals or humans who where fed hijiki, or any other sea vegetable in whole form, which contain many valuable nutrients and compounds such as organic arsenic, referred to as arsenosugars.
• Several studies have demonstrated that organic arsenic compounds are changed to inorganic compounds during arsenic testing due to the highly acidic nature of the testing mediums used, specifically hydrochloric acid, sodium borohydride, methanol, nitric acid, sodium hydroxide and other chemicals, as well as micro waving. It is a common laboratory practice to soak sea vegetables in these acid compounds before and during testing.[ Organic arsenic is not reported to cause negative health]
• Rather than being a source of heavy metals in the diet, sea vegetables have been shown to cleanse the body of heavy metals and other toxins. Alginate or alginic acid is a polysaccharide that is abundant in sea vegetables, especially brown sea vegetables including hijiki, wakame, kombu and arame.

At the end of their rebuttal they offer this advice to consumers which I tend to agree with given this new information:

As a distributor of several varieties of sea vegetables, including hijiki (hiziki) we feel confident, after reviewing all the documented scientific evidence, that EDEN Hiziki does not pose a health risk when eaten in moderation as part of a healthy balanced diet and when properly cleaned and soaked, as has been done in Japan for centuries. We would like to encourage our consumers to follow our package directions: "wash, soak for 15 minutes in warm water, drain, rinse well and discard the soaking water."

I personally trust the quality of their SVs and so I am comfortable eating hijiki once in awhile. I wouldn't neccessary make them a weekly staple though. My TCM (see my post about the radio call in show) also thought it was fine in moderation unless the individual had arsenic sensitivities. For everyone else, I would urge that people make their own decisions about eating hijiki or not. Maine Sea Coast Vegetables makes this statement that sums the situation up:

Because sea vegetables are as low on the scientific research priority list as they are on the food chain, we have to infer in part from studies of other food groups, as well as use our native intelligence and intuition.

More on the topic here.

Sea Vegetables on Call In Show

Calling in on the (TCM) radio show Thursday morning was really informative. The show was only an hour long, but the host (my TCM practioner) was really generous and talked to me for 15 minutes about sea vegetables! To listen to the show, visit this link and click on "The Balancing Point Podcast" up at the top and then the podcast link for 10/16/08.

Some answers to my questions:

• Q: Who shouldn't eat sea vegetables?
  People who can't tolerate heavy metals (like arsenic) should avoid kelp SVs supplements. Supplements contain a more concentrated form of the vegetables and a more concentrated amount of arsenic. Even supplements from really high quality health food stores & companies have been found to have really high levels of arsenic in them.
• Q: Where should people get sea vegetables?
  SV grown in Mendocino are really high quality even despite the local water pollution because of the direction of the tides. Also, try to get organic SVs if you can.
• Q: What about water pollution?
  Try to get the dried/fresh SVs from the best sources you can, but don't worry too much about pollution if you're getting it from a reputable source (preferably west coast) unless you're taking supplements (see above).
  
• Q: What about iodine in sea vegetables and overall health?
  70% of U.S. population (at least) are iodine deficient and every glandular part of the body needs iodine to function properly. Eating SVs help clear up iodine problems (listen to podcast for specifics). Iodine in SVs is better than iodine in salt which is hard to absorb and utilize by the body and not enough for the body tissues to remain healthy.
• Q: In terms of thyroid problems how can SVs help?
  SVs can help hypo/hyperactive thyroids, but should be done under the care of a medical practioner. In small children, small amounts of SV (like in miso soup) are ok, but not iodine supplements.
  
• Q: Cooked or raw?
  Cooked is better than raw and easier for most people to eat. SVs in soups are great because cooking + soaking tenderizes them.