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I love the seaweed that you sometimes get in restaurants (rarely where I live, unfortunately). But the article makes me a bit skeptical, it doesn't mention any downsides at all, it sounds more like a marketing piece than a balanced assessment.

I don't even know what questions I'd have to ask, off the top of my head I'd like to know what the risks regarding eg mercury and microplastics contamination are. Also, would we be eating 'wild' algae, or would they be farmed? I guess it'd have quite different implications both ecologically as well as nutrient-wise.




Origin of supply seems fairly important to keep track of:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-21732-z

> "Distribution of metals and metalloids in dried seaweeds and health risk to population in southeastern China (2018)

Most sources report levels low enough to not cause health risks, but eating large quantities ( > 5g day ) is probably not the best idea, and it should be tested for lead, mercury and cadmium (industrial waste sources). Arsenic and iodine are also naturally accumulated in seaweeds, particularly iodine, which while a necessary trace element, can be dangerous in high concentrations.


is 5g a large quantity? I must be missing significant context.


5g of a dessicated product, so is concentrated.


Right, but it's still 5g, whereas average daily human consumption of stuff is probably closer to kg?





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