吃褐色海藻可能预防黑色素瘤

Conclusions

In Japan, where most people consume seaweed daily, exceptionally low incidence and mortality rates of melanoma are reported. These rates have remained stable over decades, whereas in other developed countries rates have steadily increased. Seaweeds contain many interesting compounds, some of which have been studied specifically in conjunction with melanoma and found to actively inhibit tumor initiation, proliferation, and progression. However, due to the many sources of variability in seaweed quality, it may be important to eat a variety of whole seaweeds rather than to isolate individual extracts. People in Japan eat a variety of whole seaweeds, not extracts. It seems likely this approach may be better than attempting to find a specific extract or fraction to commercially exploit as a “magic bullet” at the expense of possibly omitting an important component. Using a mixture of whole seaweeds, either as food or in a supplement rather than an extract would also allow melanoma patients to add this food to their diet without regulatory approval. The need for dietary options for patients who have been told to “go home and not worry” is appealing. Dietary seaweed is already encouraged by the Ministry of Health in Japan as a healthy everyday food. Further studies in melanoma patients are warranted.

Acknowledgments