Immune system / deficiency

(See also above under Antibacterial, antibiotic and antiviral, and below under ME)

Wrack seaweeds contain polysaccharides including fucoidans (containing mainly fucose and sulfate) and fucans (composed of neutral sugars with a high contwent of uronic acids) as well as glucosamine. Fucus species also have a lectin or lectin-like compound. Fucus is known to modulate the effects of the immune system on the thyroid (133).

Fucoidan stimulates immunoreactions of the humoral and cellular types (139), enhances the phagocytes of macrophages (140), and suppresses eosinophil recruitment to sites of allergic inflammation(141). It also inhibits the growth of gram negative and gram positve organisms (139) and a variety of viruses (143).

Seagreens® complex sulphated polysaccharides stimulate lymphocyte and interferon production and other anti-tumour activity; also the immune enhancing T- and B-cells, inhibiting viral pathogenesis. Research using a red algæ Dumontiaceæ has shown that these polysaccharides support the body’s specific immune response to Herpes Simplex and Herpes Zoster viruses, helping to reduce or prevent the occurrence and severity of outbreaks. There was anecdotal evidence of marked improvement in cases of Epstein Barr and Candida. Two US patents were filed for clinical efficacy in the treatment of Herpes I & II.

A useful inhibitory effect against AIDS virus infection can be expected from the special polysaccharides in wrack seaweed (63), which make up approximately half of total carbohydrate 600mg/g (see Table 2 below for a comprehensive nutritional profile). In 2004, a research paper attributed one of the unifying characteristics in those countries with unusually low rates of HIV to the regular consumption of seaweed (164).