What Is Sodium Alginate?
Alginates are linear polysaccharides — a type of carbohydrate your body depends on. Marine brown algae most often produce sodium alginate. They are used throughout the food and supplement industries as an agent to help thicken or stabilize a substance or product.1,2
Sodium alginate can be found in soil, but the primary source is algae. Brown algae includes many types of seaweed and kelp from the planet’s chilly northern oceans. In these algae, alginate acts like the cellulose in plants by helping to provide structural support for your cells.3
History of Sodium Alginate
In 1881, sodium alginate was studied by British chemist Edward C.C. Stanford. He was the first to use (and patent) the extraction of sodium alginate from seaweed.4
Basically, Stanford extracted the acid from the brown algae through a procedure that converts acid to sodium. Then, it is diluted and transformed from a thick, goopy paste and filtered.5
Potential Health Benefits of Sodium Alginate
So, now you must be wondering what the potential health benefits of sodium alginate must be. First of all, you should know that alginates are used in supplements as a way to thicken, create gels, or to help in controlled-release products.6
Gels constructed from sodium alginate have been studied and investigated time and again over the past few decades. They have proved to be one of the best ways to support the delivery of proteins that may help enhance or support the regeneration of various cells, tissues, and organs in the body.7†
Furthermore, alginic acid products may help you more comfortably digest food.8†
Which Gundry MD Supplements Include Sodium Alginate?
You can find sodium alginate in various supplements.
Visit the Lectin Shield page on the GundryMD website to read about sodium alginate (and peruse an entire library of supplement ingredient pages). You might also be interested in recent customer reviews.
And remember, you should always consult your doctor before changing your diet or starting a daily supplements regimen.
- Sources
- 1 https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/alginate
- 2 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3223967/
- 3-5 https://www.chemistryworld.com/podcasts/sodium-alginate/7756.article
- 6-7 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3223967/
- 8 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6036656/
