Seaweed and Kelp, a member of the seaweed family, are not just in the news because their high fibre content may mitigate obesity. It also hits the headlines because a growing body of research attributes the high level iodine found in kelp as the reason that  Japanese women, who eat plenty of kelp in their daily diet, have one of the lowest levels of breast disease in the world.

As an added bonus, kelp's low level of sodium chloride means it's a wonderful flavoursome salt-substitue for anyone seeking to reduce their daily intake of salt. Use it to season soup or as a condiment with white fish .. Delicious!

Of course British RDA's of iodine are much lower than those in Japan as they are calculated on the basis of the minimum amount of iodine required for a healthy thyroid (no one disputes that iodine is essential for a healthy thyroid so kelp is frequently recommended by health professionals to address conditions of hypo and hyper thyroid.

But be careful that you buy and eat kelp that has been sustainably sourced from clean seas as kelp is a natural carrier of heavy metals

What is kelp?

Kelp are large seaweeds (algae) beloning to the brown algae (class Phaeophyceae)  and are classified as the order Laminariales. There are about 300 different genera. Some species can be very long and form kelp forests

Kelp grows in underwater forests (kelp forests) in shallow oceans. It requires nutrient-rich water below about 20 °C (68 °F). It is known for its high growth rate — the genera Macrocystis - the plant source of Green Bay Kelp - grow as fast as half a meter a day, ultimately reaching 30 to 80 m.  

The primary benefits of introducing Green Bay kelp into your daily diet

• Contains naturally high levels of bio available iodine; - much more than iodised salt and many other kelps. For example, a laboratory analysis comparing the iodine levels of Green Bay kelp to Undaria showed 2,230 mg / kg in Green Bay kelp over 45 x the levels of iodine in the Undaria kelp which had just 49 mg/kg
• Sourced from clean and remote seas - a recent test showed Arsenic levels were safely low at 30-80 mg / kg and check for similar disclosures from other kelp suppliers as kelp have a tendancy to capture heavy metals if they are harvested from polluted seas.
• Conversely, the heavy metal binding properties of clean kelp can actually cleanse the body of toxic pollutants. Specifically, scientific research has demonstrated that kelp, which are abundant in alginic acid, bind with any heavy metals in the intestines, render them indigestible, and cause them to be eliminated from the body.
• Low sodium chloride which makes kelp a perfect salt substitue if you are tyring to reduce salt intake.
• Delicious savoury taste - a gourmet condiment.
• Remember, a little goes a long way - 25 g will feed a family of 5 for 3 months using UK RDAs for iodine.

What research has been put forward to link iodine consumption to better health and a lower incidence of breast diseases of the breast.

A study by Donald W. Miller, Jr. provides a compelling summary of research suggesting that consumption of more iodine creates better health and a lower incidence of cancer and fibrocystic disease of the breast. A decrease in iodine intake coupled with an increased consumption of competing halogens, fluoride and bromide, has created an epidemic of iodine deficiency in America. People in the U.S. consume an average 240 micrograms (µg) of iodine a day. In contrast, people in Japan consume more than 12 milligrams (mg) of iodine a day (12,000 µg), a 50-fold greater amount. They eat seaweed, which include brown algae (kelp), red algae (nori sheets, with sushi), and green algae (chlorella).

The incidence of breast cancer in the U.S. is the highest in the world, and in Japan, until recently, the lowest. Japanese women who emigrate from Japan or adopt a Western style diet have a higher rate of breast cancer compared with those that consume seaweed. Today 1 in 7 American women (almost 15 percent) will develop breast cancer during their lifetime. Thirty years ago, when iodine consumption was twice as high as it is now (480 µg a day) 1 in 20 women developed breast cancer. Iodine was used as a dough conditioner in making bread, and each slice of bread contained 0.14 mg of iodine. In 1980, bread makers started using bromide as a conditioner instead. However, bromide competes with iodine for absorption into the thyroid gland and other tissues in the body. Iodine was also more widely used in the dairy industry 30 years ago than it is today.

For the full paper click here

Kelp has high levels of bio-available Iodine

Compared to terrestrial plants, which contain only trace amounts of iodine (0.001 mg/gm), these marine plants have high concentrations of this nutrient (0.5–8.0 mg/gm). When studied in 1964, Japanese seaweed consumption was found to be 4.5 grams (gm) a day and that eaten had a measured iodine concentration of 3.1 mg/gm of seaweed (= 13.8 mg of iodine). According to public health officials, mainland Japanese now consume 14.5 gm of seaweed a day (= 45 mg of iodine, if its iodine content, not measured, remains unchanged). Researchers have determined that residents on the coast of Hokkaido eat a quantity of seaweed sufficient to provide a daily iodine intake of 200 mg a day. Saltwater fish and shellfish contain iodine, but one would have to eat 15–25 pounds of fish to get 12 mg of iodine.