RESEARCH PROJECT

Universidad Andrés Bello

Seaweed Extract with Health Benefits 

A dietary supplement or nutraceutical product based on an enriched extract of Chilean seaweed, loaded with compounds that actívate PPAR-gamma which is an important therapeutic target used in antidiabetic drugs. Prevention and therapeutic monitoring of insulin resistance and diabetes, is one potential application of this product. Other benefits include vascular and neuronal protection and oxidative stress relief. 

– Prevents insulin and diabetes resistance. 

– Therapeutic monitoring of diabetes in patients who require antidiabetic drugs from the glitazone family, which usually have severe and high-risk side effects. 

– Protects the vascular and nervous systems mainly in diabetic patients. 

– Other potential uses may include patients who have suffered vascular accidents. 

The global market for diabetes supplements was US$8.4 billion in 2020 (Transparency Market Research, 2020), with North America representing 34.8% of the nutritional supplement market, equivalent to US$2.92 billion ( Grandview Research, 2021). 

In the United States, 10.5% of the population has Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, while in Chile this amounts to 12.3% (Baeza and Cuadrado, 2021). 

TRL-4, non GLP pre-clinical studies 

Francisca Bronfman, PhD. 
francisca.bronfman@unab.cl