Dietary effects of sodium alginate in humans

Abstract

Following a 7-day control period, five male volunteers consumed a weight of sodium alginate corresponding to 175 mg/kg body weight for 7 days, followed by 200 mg sodium alginate per kg body weight for a further 16 days. Measurements before and at the end of the 23-day period of dietary supplementation showed that sodium alginate acted as a faecal bulking agent for all volunteers, giving a significant (p less than 0.01) increase in daily wet weight, and also increases in the water content and daily dry weight, but no change in faecal pH. Although the dietary transit time remained constant for two volunteers, it decreased for two, and increased slightly for one, with little resulting change in the overall mean value. The ingestion of sodium alginate had no significant effect on (a) haematological indices, (b) plasma biochemistry parameters, (c) urinalysis parameters, (d) blood glucose and plasma insulin concentrations, (e) breath hydrogen concentrations. No allergic responses were reported by, nor observed in, any of the volunteers. The study therefore indicates that the ingestion of sodium alginate at a high level for 23 days caused no effects other than those normally associated with a polysaccharide bulking agent; in particular, the enzymatic and other sensitive indicators of adverse toxicological effects remained unchanged.

Alginate as a Source of Dietary Fiber

“…As alginates are hydrocolloids that escape full bacterial fermentation, they are expected to greatly increase stool water content and bulk, as has been previously demonstrated (Anderson et al, 1991). They also appear to beneficially alter the colonic microflora (Terada et al, 1995) by increasing bifidobacterial numbers and reducing bacterial toxin levels in the colonic lumen.…”

“…Intake of 175-200 mg kg body weight −1 of alginate by male volunteers (n = 5) has previously been shown to increase stool wet and dry weight, but not decrease whole gut transit time (Anderson et al, 1991). Similar bulking of luminal products have also been reported in pigs fed a diet containing 5% alginate , and this effect was reported to be higher in the colon than other seaweed dietary fibres (i.e., cellulose, xylan, or carrageenan) of the same concentration.…”

Nasogastric tube insertion in difficult cases with the aid of a flexible nasendoscope

“…A safety study of sodium alginate ingestion showed no adverse effects, other than a bulk laxative effect when taken in high doses over a prolonged period. 2 This method of nasogastric tube insertion requires appropriate preparation of the nose with local anaesthetic, together with appropriate alignment of the nasendoscope with the nasogastric tube.…”

Antioxidant and semicarbazide‐sensitive amine oxidase inhibitory activities of alginic acid hydroxamates

“…Alginic acids, extracted from brown seaweeds or Phaeophyceae, are unbranched high‐molecular polymers containing two types of uronic acid residues of β‐(1 → 4)‐linked D ‐mannuronic acid and α‐(1 → 4)‐linked L ‐guluronic acid. Its derivatives have wide applications in various industries 21–24. We recently reported that monohydroxamates of aspartic acid and glutamic acid exhibit antioxidant and angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitory activities,25 and the pectin hydroxamic acids exhibited both semicarbazide‐sensitive amine oxidase and ACE inhibitory activities,26 and antioxidant activities 27.…”