Fucoxanthin

Tier 3 — weak evidence · Visceral fat · Thermogenesis · Blood sugar · Brown seaweed · UCP1

A carotenoid from brown algae (undaria/wakame, hijiki) that induces UCP1 (uncoupling protein 1) expression in white adipose tissue — normally only found in brown fat — promoting thermogenesis. Japanese trials using 5–8 mg/day for 16 weeks found 4–5% visceral fat reductions with acceptable safety. Blood glucose improvements in obese subjects are the most consistent finding. However, most trials originate from a single Japanese research group (N<100), and the mechanism may not translate equally across ethnicities — Japanese subjects have higher baseline brown fat activity. Requires…

Dose: 5–8 mg/day fucoxanthin from standardised brown seaweed extract; always taken with a fatty meal or xanthophyll-rich oil