Nutraceutical Application, Bioactive Compounds and Health Benefits of Seaweeds

Abstract

Human activities lead to many changes in the environment, which ultimately upset the natural balance between living organisms and encourage disease causing pathogens to multiply rapidly, thereby increasing the risk of disease outbreak. Natural resources have become the focus of drug research to deal with the pathogenic microbes, which in many cases, provided vital leads for the development of synthetic compounds. Seaweed is a rich source of nutrients included in Asians traditional cuisine and is being extensively explored for its other merits as a food. Apart from its proven nutritional properties, bioactive molecules found in seaweeds have attracted the interest of health conscious societies. At present, there is a high demand for seaweeds as many quarters have begun consuming healthy and ‘natural foodstuffs’, mainly because seaweeds are rich in minerals, vitamins and proteins.