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As a woman, you may have seen many different kinds of supplements on the market to improve your health. But have you heard of the many sea moss benefits for women?
I’m a dietitian, so I stay on top of the up-and-coming research around trending supplements. Sea moss has recently reached the forefront, especially among women.
While it’s easy to lean into these trends, it’s important to parse out what is true and false.
That’s exactly what we’re doing today. Keep reading to get my list of 35 benefits of sea moss for women based on total nutritional support and research-backed health benefits.
What is sea moss?
If you’re thinking to yourself, “What the heck is sea moss, and why would I eat that?” Let me give you a little more information.
Sea moss is a type of edible red seaweed that is in the Atlantic Ocean. With claims it boasts 92 essential nutrients (including iodine, magnesium, potassium, iron, vitamin A, folate, and zinc), this supplement is a new trending “superfood”.
It is also harvested for its carrageenan, an ingredient used to thicken milk products like ice cream.
Does it matter what color or form of sea moss you consume?
Sea moss comes in many colors, from gold to green and even purple, depending on where it grows. For example, gold and green moss grow in cooler waters, usually in Ireland or North America.
Meanwhile, we harvest purple moss in warmer waters near the Caribbean.
Interestingly, the color doesn’t greatly affect moss’s calorie, protein, carbohydrate, or fat content. However, there are some differences in its micronutrients.
- Gold sea moss, Irish Moss, or Chondrus crispus, is the most common form of sea moss on the market. It is high in carrageenan, which is not only used as a thickener but also provides many health benefits.
- Purple and pink moss, or Gracilaria, is higher in antioxidants than other types of moss.
- The last form of sea moss, Eucheuma cottonii, is most commonly green but can also present in other colors such as red and brown. Green moss has more beneficial chlorophyll than other forms of moss.
For added benefits, you can buy raw or supplemented sea moss in specific colors or a mix.
You can find different forms of sea moss, including:
- Capsules
- Raw or dried
- Gels or powder, which you can add to drinks
- Gummies
- Topical products like creams and lotions
35 Sea Moss Benefits For Women
No matter what the color or form, sea moss can provide many proven nutritional benefits, from improvements for your skin and hair to gut health. It may even improve your love life!
Let’s dive into 35 sea moss benefits for women.
1. Rich in Protein – Helps Build Muscle
Protein is an essential macronutrient that helps us build and maintain muscle and stay satiated throughout the day.
Sea moss, and seaweed in general, has over one gram of protein for each one-teaspoon serving.
Research shows sea moss supplementation increases strength, energy, and muscle recovery. It may help muscular growth over time as you can recover more easily.
Looking for a way to incorporate sea moss into your workout recovery? Try this Sea Moss Protein Shake.
2. Low in Calories
While sea moss is high in protein, it is also a lean protein food, meaning it is low in calories, fat, and carbohydrates.
Sea moss only has five calories per teaspoon, making it a low-calorie food that is easy to incorporate into your daily intake without interfering with your calorie or macronutrient goals.
3. Natural Source of Fiber
Sea moss is a high-fiber food, coming in at one gram of fiber per teaspoon.
Fiber is a complex carbohydrate important for proper gut and digestive function, heart health, and blood sugar regulation.
The USDA recommends that women have 14 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories of food, so sea moss supplements are a great option if you aren’t hitting your goal.
4. High in Vitamins A, C, E, and B6
When it comes to vitamins, sea moss is extremely nutrient-dense.
- Vitamin A supports proper eye function, immune health, and skin cell repair.
- Vitamin C also improves immune health and mood regulation.
- Vitamin E protects the skin barrier and supports healthy brain function.
- Vitamin B6 aids in proper heart and immune function as well as mental health and mood regulation, especially for women. One study found that women who supplemented vitamin B6 for one month had lower feelings of depression and anxiety than those who did not.
5. Rich in Antioxidants
As we go about our lives, we are bound to come across toxins that enter our bodies. For example, things like smoke, fumes, and other environmental toxins.
When our bodies absorb them, it causes one extra electron to attach to our cells, making a compound called a free radical.
The problem is that healthy electrons come in pairs. So, when one electron is added to a cell, it doesn’t have a mate. These free radicals must take an electron from our healthy cells, called oxidative stress. Over time, this can lead to issues like cancer and chronic disease.
Luckily, we are equipped to deal with these free radicals so they don’t harm our cells. This comes from antioxidants.
Antioxidants have extra electrons to share, so they give mates to each free radical, which neutralizes them to prevent oxidative stress.
Sea moss is extremely high in antioxidants, so this supplement may help reduce your risk of cancer and chronic diseases because of this protective process.
6. High in Vital Minerals Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Zinc, and Selenium
Not only is sea moss very high in vitamins, but it also has high amounts of protective minerals. These include calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and selenium, among others.
Research shows calcium, magnesium, and zinc work together to improve immunity and blood glucose regulation during pregnancy. Selenium and iron can reduce your risk for anemia.
7. Anti-Inflammatory Properties
Research shows sea moss also has anti-inflammatory properties.
These properties may work to improve joint health, improve mobility, and even reduce chronic pain.
Reducing inflammation can also help balance hormones, boost energy and immunity, and even improve nutrient absorption.
8. Has Anti-Aging Properties
As mentioned above, sea moss has antioxidants that help protect our cells from oxidative stress. With that same process, we see a reduction in the appearance of wrinkles because our skin cells are protected.
Sea moss can also improve collagen production, a protein in our skin, which can further help reduce the appearance of wrinkles and give you a glowy complexion.
9. May Support Fertility
If you’re trying to get pregnant, sea moss may be helpful as it offers many prenatal-friendly nutrients.
These include vitamin B-9 (folate), iodine, and iron, which can all help with fertility and conceiving.
10. Cardiovascular Health
Sea moss is also rich in omega-3s, a healthy fat known for its protective anti-inflammatory properties.
Eating a diet rich in omega-3s can help decrease the risk of heart disease and cholesterol levels, prevent blood clots, and help regulate blood pressure.
Potassium in sea moss may also assist in maintaining healthy blood pressure levels.
11. Amino Acids
Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins in our muscles. When we exercise, we tear our muscle fibers. We need amino acids to recover and rebuild our muscles, making us even stronger.
Sea moss, a good protein source, offers essential amino acids for muscle-building.
In general, seaweed is one of few plant-based proteins that are “complete,” meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids that we need to eat in our diets.
12. Promote Healthy Skin and Hair Growth
With its rich antioxidant and vitamin content, sea moss can help promote skin and hair cell growth and repair.
I like to call the skin vitamins “ACE vitamins” because they include vitamins A, C, and E, making your skin look ace.
This study also states sea moss can contribute to retaining moisture in the skin.
The ACE vitamins not only improve skin cell growth, but along with vitamin D, they can improve the health of your scalp and hair growth.
Sea moss also has antimicrobial properties, which may help reduce acne.
13. Boost Immune System
No matter what time of year, it’s important to ensure we are staying on top of our immune health.
One of the best ways to do this is by getting proper immune-supporting nutrients from our diets.
Vitamins and minerals like zinc, potassium, iron, and selenium in sea moss are all important for immunity.
One rat study even found sea moss supplementation caused a higher amount of antibodies, or cells that help fight diseases, in subjects compared to those without.
14. May Help Treat Respiratory Conditions
Did you know people in the British Isles have been using sea moss for respiratory issues like colds and asthma for centuries?
This may be due to its anti-inflammatory minerals like potassium, magnesium, and zinc, which can reduce inflammation-related respiratory issues like bronchitis and asthma.
Lower inflammation can also thin mucus, causing a reduction in respiratory stress.
15. Prevents Cramps and Muscular Spasms
Sea moss is high in magnesium, which can help to relax muscles and even prevent cramps by balancing the nutrients involved with muscle contraction.
16. High in Chlorophyll
Sea moss, especially green sea moss, is high in chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is a compound in plants that creates green coloring and energy production in plants.
When we consume chlorophyll, we can receive its health benefits, including improvement in skin cell production and a decreased risk for cancer.
17. Shown to Have Antidepressant Effects
Research shows a clear link between seaweed intake and a reduction in symptoms of depression. This study wasn’t specifically about sea moss, but the results may be explained by many nutrients in seaweed, including folate, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs).
These nutrients are also present in sea moss, a form of seaweed, so it may also provide these benefits.
Minerals in sea moss, like zinc and selenium, are shown to help with mood regulation.
18. May Help Improve Vision
Sea moss may also improve vision due to its high levels of antioxidants, which are important for eye health and help protect our eyes from damage.
Vitamin A in sea moss specifically contains retinol, a compound that is very beneficial for eye health.
19. Help Improve Sleep Quality
Minerals found in sea moss, like magnesium, potassium, calcium, and omega-3s, can all assist with better sleep.
One study suggested females with better sleep habits over time saw a reduction in symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress levels.
20. Supports Thyroid Function
Iodine is a mineral found in high amounts in sea moss and is crucial for proper thyroid function.
Your thyroid needs iodine to make thyroid hormones. If it doesn’t produce enough of this hormone, it can lead to health problems like goiter, hypothyroidism, and even brain damage.
Since introducing iodized salt, iodine deficiency is not very common in the United States. However, even a minor iodine deficiency can cause thyroid issues.
Therefore, eating foods high in iodine like sea moss can help you avoid iodine deficiency and thyroid-related conditions.
Please note that if you have a thyroid condition, consult your doctor before consuming sea moss.
21. Helps Ease Stress and Anxiety
Sea moss has a beneficial effect on stress and anxiety for a few reasons. The main factor is likely due to being rich in magnesium, which has been shown to have anti-anxiety effects and reduce stress levels.
Sea moss supplementation can also reduce symptoms of depression, inflammation, and problems sleeping, which play a role in reducing stress and anxiety.
22. Detoxifies the Body
With its high concentration of minerals and antioxidants, sea moss helps to remove toxins from the body.
Sea moss has also been shown to improve liver function, which is the organ responsible for removing toxins in the body.
23. May Help Speed Up Healing
If you’ve recently had surgery or even have a blister, sea moss may help you recover quicker.
This is due to its high concentration of nutrients like vitamin A, vitamin C, and zinc, which are known for wound healing and are even used in the clinical space post-operations.
24. Can Support Weight Loss
There are a few compounds in sea moss that may contribute to weight loss.
- Since it is a good source of fiber, it can help you feel full after eating and can help reduce cravings.
- It is also high in iodine, contributing to healthy metabolic function and weight maintenance.
- Most notably, one study found red algae promotes the growth of Bacteroides in our guts, which is linked to weight loss.
Interestingly, one article found kelp, a relative of sea moss, was beneficial for weight loss in men, but not women.
25. Improve Gut Health
Research shows that certain polysaccharides, or fibers, in sea moss act as a prebiotic.
Prebiotics work to feed good bacteria in your gut. So, the more prebiotics in your diet, the more good bacteria can grow.
Sea moss may even contain live bacteria, or probiotics, which can contribute to healthy gut function, as well.
26. Boost Energy
If you’re experiencing low energy, it may be due to a lack of certain minerals like potassium, magnesium, or zinc. These nutrients and many more can affect energy levels, so it’s important to make sure you aren’t missing any in your diet.
Sea moss is a rich source of many of the above minerals (and many more), so it may improve your energy.
27. Help Improve Brain Function and Memory
A study from 2015 found red sea moss had protective properties for brain function and degeneration in worms. While more research is needed, this is promising for future treatment of cognitive conditions like Parkinson’s.
Magnesium, a mineral in sea moss, is important for cognitive health because it can help protect our brains from damage and improve our cognitive function. It may also help improve our memory.
28. Help Absorb Nutrients More Effectively
Certain vitamins and minerals need other nutrients to make sure they are absorbed properly. For example, vitamin D needs to pair with calcium so our body can absorb it.
Because of sea moss’ vast profile of vitamins and minerals, many nutrients are available to allow pairing and uptake.
29. Workout Recovery
Sea moss may help with recovery and muscle building due to its high protein content, and especially the amino acid called taurine.
Taurine can improve muscle building and maintenance in athletes.
Another study saw an improvement in athlete muscle recovery with the use of sea moss supplementation.
30. May Help Blood Sugar Management
Fucoxanthin is a pigment found in brown seaweed, similar to sea moss, that may reduce high blood sugar and improve overall blood glucose control.
Fiber in sea moss can also contribute to an improvement in blood sugar management because it can help to slow the uptake of glucose, which helps to avoid spikes in your blood sugar.
31. Stabilize Hormone Levels
Having healthy hormone levels is super important for women because of their effect on ovulation, fertility, mood, and cardiovascular function.
Sea moss contains zinc and selenium, which are important for hormone health. Zinc in particular may play a role in treating ovulatory disorders like PCOS and endometriosis.
32. Potential Alternative Remedy for Eczema
Sea moss’ anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties may help relieve skin conditions such as eczema.
It also contains sulfur, which can help treat other skin inflammatory conditions like acne, rashes, and fungal infections.
Please note, you should consult your doctor or dermatologist before taking sea moss for eczema.
33. Sex and RelationshipBenefits
Prepping for a date night? Sea moss is a natural aphrodisiac, which is said to help to boost women’s libido by balancing hormones and increasing blood flow. However, the research is still developing on that one.
Iodine in sea moss also helps regulate your thyroid function, contributing to healthy and balanced hormone production.
34. May Help Fight Cancer
A 2019 review states porphyran and carrageenan, two types of fiber in sea moss, have strong anti-cancer properties.
Even more promising, when paired with common cancer drugs, not only was treatment more effective, but the immune health of the patient was better after radiation than those who didn’t supplement with sea moss.
Another fiber in sea moss, called fucan, has anti-tumor properties, reducing cancer risk.
35. Improve Cholesterol
Omega-3s in sea moss can reduce total and LDL, or “bad” cholesterol in your blood while increasing HDL, or “good” cholesterol.
This study suggests seaweed may improve cholesterol balance that is already within normal range, which supports healthy heart function.
What are the side effects?
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers sea moss Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS). However, because it is a high-iodine food you should eat sea moss in moderation. Overeating iodine can lead to hypothyroidism or underactive thyroid.
This may be hard to overdo, though, because one teaspoon serving of sea moss contains 12-21 mcg of iodine, where the recommended daily maximum is 1100 mcg of iodine.
Sea moss may also come with a risk of heavy metal consumption depending on the location of harvesting, but more research is still needed in this area to confirm.
Women Who Should Not Take Sea Moss
There are a few contraindications for taking sea moss, including:
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should generally avoid most seafood products due to the presence of iodine and heavy metals like mercury.
Women taking prescription medications
Sea moss is high in many vitamins and minerals that can contradict certain medications. So, check with your doctor if you are taking any medications before taking it.
Women with allergies
If you have seafood or shellfish allergies, take caution with sea moss supplements. While rare, some people specifically experience allergic reactions to seaweed or sea moss.
Seek medical attention immediately if you experience any symptoms of an allergic reaction like hives, itching, or difficulty breathing.
Women with thyroid disorder
Due to its high iodine content, sea moss should be avoided if you have a thyroid disorder, especially if you take thyroid medications.
Product Suggestions
- Oculus Organics Sea Moss Complex – Capsules (Rating: 4.5 2,422 reviews)
This supplement comes in pill form so it is easy to take (and there’s no flavor!). It also includes bladderwrack, a high iodine food that has anti-inflammatory properties.
- Happy Fox Organic Raw Sea Moss – Dried (makes gel) (rating 4.5 3,514 reviews)
Dried sea moss can be consumed or used topically. Just soak in water and add to smoothies or other recipes. Alternatively, you can put the rehydrated product on your skin to promote hydration and healing.
- Cell Fuel 102: Organic Sea Moss – Powder (rating 4.3 1,164 reviews)
Try this powdered form of sea moss in drinks and smoothies. This specific powder also includes ground bladderwrack for more benefits.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed this list of 35 sea moss benefits for women.
Based on the research above, sea moss can provide many benefits. Many women can find something useful from this supplement, from improved heart health to weight loss.
Even if you find that you’re dealing with low energy, dull skin, or even stress, the many nutrients in sea moss may be beneficial for you.
Were you surprised by anything on this list? Let us know in the comments below! Be sure to share this article if you liked it.
FAQ
What is Sea Moss good for?
Sea moss is good for many things. It is primarily high in 92 vitamins and minerals, contributing to improved heart, immune, inflammatory, gut, and cognitive health.
Does Sea Moss detox your body?
Yes, sea moss contains antioxidants that help neutralize toxins in your body.
Does Sea Moss balance hormones?
Yes, vitamins and minerals in sea moss positively affect hormone levels and can help avoid any imbalances.
Sea Moss gel benefits for skin?
Sea moss gel contains nutrients that can help keep your skin moist and improve skin cell repair, leading to a nice, glowy complexion.
Does Sea Moss make you fertile?
Yes, sea moss supports fertility. Sea moss contains iodine, which can help to improve female fertility.
Can you take Sea Moss every day?
Yes, in moderate amounts. Taking too much sea moss can lead to iodine toxicity.
Sea Moss Bladderwrack benefits?
Sea moss bladderwrack is a supplement high in iodine and calcium. These two minerals support healthy hormones, metabolism, and metabolic health.
