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There is epidemiological evidence that dietary intake of seaweeds is associated with a lower prevalence of chronic diseases. While seaweeds are of high nutritious value, due to their high content of fiber, polyunsaturated fatty acids and minerals, they also contain an abundance of bioactive compounds. There is a growing body of scientific data that these bioactive moieties exert effects that could correct the metabolic dysregulation that is present in obesity and Type 2 diabetes (T2D). In this review we describe how the molecular mechanisms, specific to different tissues, that underly obesity and T2D are influenced by both seaweed extracts and seaweed-derived bioactive molecules. In obesity, modulation of antioxidant capacity and reduction of intracellular ROS levels within tissues, and regulation of signaling pathways involved in enhancing browning of white adipose tissue, have been highlighted as key mechanism and identified as a potential target for optimal energy metabolism. In T2D, management of post-prandial blood glucose by modulating α-glucosidase or α-amylase activities, modulation of the AMPK signaling pathway, and similarly to obesity, reduction of ROS and NO production with subsequent increased expression of antioxidant enzymes have been shown to play a key role in glucose metabolism and insulin signaling. Future studies aimed at discovering new therapeutic drugs from marine natural products should, therefore, focus on bioactive compounds from seaweed that exert antioxidant activity and regulate the expression of key signaling pathways involved in glucose homeostasis, mechanisms that are common to both obesity and T2D management. In addition, more data is required to provide evidence of clinical benefit.

Eating seaweed is a little alien to most people; and a large number of those who have experienced it have not yet graduated further than the nori sheets used to wrap sushi. Yet seaweed or marine algae – to give them their correct name – are bang on trend. There have been more than 29,000 micro algae and seaweed-based products launched into the consumer marketplace since 2010, half of which were launched in the past year. And it’s not just the specialist retailers that are cashing in; the major grocery chains are now stocking seaweed lines too. In the United Kingdom, for example, Marks & Spencer (M&S) rolled out seaweed-based products from three different brands nationwide in April. A month later, Tesco also launched a new range. Even celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has been publicly praising seaweed as a food – further stoking consumer interest.

Seaweeds is the name implies to cover the macroscopic plants of the sea except the flowering plants. Most of the seaweeds are attached to rocks and also grow on other plants as epiphytes. Along the coast line of India, seaweeds are abundant where rocky or coral formations occur. This sort of substratum is found in the States of Tamil Nadu and Gujarat and in the vicinity of Bombay, Ratnagiri, Goa, Karwar, Vizhinjam, Varkala, Visakhapatnam and in the Lakshadweep and Andaman-Nicobar Islands. The seaweeds are classified into three important groups namely green, brown and red. Seaweeds contain different vitamins, minerals, trace-elements and proteins. Seaweeds are also a rich source of iodine.

Seaweeds-products, processing and utilization Marine macroalgae which are popularly termed as Seaweeds belong to the primitive group of nonflowering plants known as Thallophyta. They are autotrophic plants and grow in the intertidal and subtidal regions of the sea.