La fucoxantina è un carotenoide marino che si trova nelle alghe.
È il più abbondante in natura e funziona come un complesso di raccolta della luce per la fotosintesi e la fotoprotezione delle alghe.
La fucoxantina ha una struttura unica, instabile e facilmente influenzabile dal calore, dalla luce e dall’esposizione all’aria, che le dona un’enorme attività antiossidante e di conseguenza innumerevoli benefici per la salute umana.
Questa molecola, infatti, si ossida facilmente all’interno del corpo umano proteggendo così le cellule dai radicali liberi.
La fucoxantina viene metabolizzata nel tratto gastro intestinale entro 2 ore dalla somministrazione e il suo assorbimento potrebbe essere significativamente influenzato da alcuni componenti presenti nella dieta, in particolare i lipidi.
Molti sono gli effetti benefici scientificamente riconosciuti a questo carotenoide, il primo dei quali è la sua attività dimagrante con un effetto diretto sul tessuto adiposo, cosa che ne permette l’utilizzo nella gestione dell’obesità e di tutte le patologie metaboliche correlati, in particolare dislipidemie, diabete e steatosi epatica. Però alla fucoxantina sono riconosciute tante altre proprietà: secondo alcuni studi sembrerebbe avere un effetto antitumorale, la sua somministrazione riuscirebbe ad aumentare i livelli di acidi grassi poliinsaturi del tipo omega 3, potrebbe modulare positivamente le allergie, avrebbe capacità antimicrobiche e di modulazione del microbiota intestinale. Infatti, oltre ad essere un potente antiossidante, la fucoxantina ha un forte effetto antiinfiammatorio grazie alla capacità di ridurre i mediatori dell’infiammazione.
Purtroppo, benchè innumerevoli siano i benefici dichiarati e per quanto questa molecola risulti essere ben tollerata e non presenti tossicità, bisogna fare attenzione e integrarla sotto la supervisione di professionisti sanitari competenti.
La fucoxantina presenta quantità di iodio elevate, quindi, risulta controindicata in caso di patologie tiroidee. Inoltre, potrebbe interferire con l’assorbimento di altri farmaci. E’ da evitarne l’assunzione in gravidanza e durante l’allattamento al seno.
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