Dulse is an iodine and potassium-rich seaweed that is consumed as a food item in the regions of Ireland and Eastern parts of Canada. The compounds that these seaweeds contain are necessary for your body as they support the production of thyroid hormones, and thus, apart from serving as a food item, they can be administered as medicine. Let’s take a look at the health benefits of Dulse.
Although there is no scientific proof, this seaweed is used to prevent high cholesterol and iodine deficiency. However, if you are eating this for the first time, then you may confuse it with Algin, Blue-green Algae, Ecklonia Cava, etc., so you must always seek help from the locals or experts.
8 Health Benefits Of Dulse
1. Support A Healthy Digestion
Sea vegetables are known to have high fiber constraints and also to stimulate the release of digestive enzymes. These enzymes are good at absorbing the nutrients from other food items and thus help in breaking them down to facilitate metabolism.
So, if you include dulse in your daily diet, then you will notice a significant improvement in your bowel movement, and there will also be no issues with your digestive system. Since it contains fiber in larger amounts, it gets digested sooner than others and thus serves as a great snack.
2. Protects Your Skin From External Factors
If you want to enjoy youthful, moisturized, and revitalized skin, then you must have dulse added to your diet. This contains all the essential nutrients like minerals, vitamins, amino acids, proteins, and iodine in abundance and protects your skin from various external harmful factors.
There is an adequate amount of sulfate pilly fucose found in this seaweed, which is an excellent compound to protect your skin from the damage caused by the harmful rays of the Sun. This also slows down your aging process and promotes healthy skin that is smooth, radiant, and unaffected by environmental factors.
3. Helps To Control Your Blood Pressure
If you have high blood pressure, then consumption of dulse can be extremely beneficial for you. This is because this snack, seaweed, or food item is rich in potassium and can help in the regulation of your blood pressure.
When you eat dulse, it helps you to lower your blood pressure, and that protects you from various diseases such as coronary heart disease, strokes, and heart attacks. Regular consumption of dulse will provide potassium to your body and eventually increase the blood flow in your brain and capillaries.
4. Beneficial For Your Weight Loss Journey
Since dulse is a low-calorie food item, it can help you with your weight loss journey. When you consume this seaweed, you get the nutrition in abundance because it is rich in all the essential nutrients that are needed by your body.
So you don’t gain weight because of low-calorie constraints but get vitamins, minerals, proteins, and fibers that provide energy to your body and promote the functioning of various organs of your body.
5. Helps Regulate Thyroid Hormones
Are you tired of your thyroid hormone acting up every now and then? Have you tried every possible way to treat it but failed? If yes, then try consuming Dulse, as it has high iodine constraints and a direct link with your thyroid gland. If your thyroid hormones interact differently with other hormones of the body, then you may suffer from disorders that can be disastrous and affect your lifestyle.
This can happen if your body is lacking in iodine, and once you start taking it in proper amounts, you will notice that the thyroid gland stops acting up and continues to function properly.
6. Protect You Against Cardiovascular Diseases
The main reasons why you suffer from cardiovascular diseases are increased levels of bad cholesterol and blood pressure, and Dulse helps you regulate both of their levels. Its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties support lower levels of triglycerides, which eventually promote heart or chronic health and keep you away from diseases. So, you must eat this sea vegetable that can be consumed as a snack or added to your soups, vegetables, or salads.
7. Supports Your Bone Health And Makes Them Stronger
Iron, calcium, and magnesium are great for making your bones stronger and healthier, and Dulse is rich in all these minerals. So, if you consume it daily, then it can help you increase your bone density and thus protect your joints and tissues.
You know that your bone density decreases with age and your bone gets weaker, but if you eat Dulse daily or include an adequate amount in your diet, then you can enjoy stronger bones even in your old age. This can also help you to reduce or prevent the risk of developing osteoporosis because having this seaweed daily will provide you with enough calcium to combat the disease.
8. Promotes Your Brain And Nervous System Health
Did you know that polyunsaturated fatty acids are not only good for your heart health but also promote your brain health? Since heart diseases are more common among people, so you usually focus on keeping your heart health in check, but what about your nervous system? Well, you can maintain good brain health with Dulse as it is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, and this will help you keep your brain activity active. Thus, having this sea vegetable daily can promote your brain functions and keep the nervous system healthy and working efficiently.
Conclusion
Dulse is consumed to control high cholesterol, iodine deficiency, and other health conditions ranging from cardiovascular diseases to chronic diseases. Although there is a lack of evidence of its uses and exact benefits currently, Dulse continuously provides various health benefits. Also, these are commonly consumed as food, but they can also be applied to the skin as medicine. Dulse, a nutrient-rich seaweed, provides various health benefits, supporting overall well-being with its abundance of essential vitamins and minerals.
However, you must be careful with the consumption and administration of Dulse because too much of this interacts with Digoxin, so if you take this medicine, then you must consult your doctor about it. Other than that, it is a natural product, so it is safe to take; however, you must be mindful before eating it.
References
- Fernando S., Misook K., Kwang-Tae S., Yoonhwa J., You-Jin J. Antioxidant Activity of Marine Algal Polyphenolic Compounds: A Mechanistic Approach. J. Med. Food. 2016;19:615–628. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2016.3706. [PubMed]
- Lordan S., Ross R.P., Stanton C. Marine bioactives as functional food ingredients: Potential to reduce the incidence of chronic diseases. Mar. Drugs. 2011;9:1056–1100. doi: 10.3390/md9061056. [PMC free article]
