Tier 2 — strong

Supplementation of elderly Japanese men and women with fucoidan from seaweed increases immune responses to seasonal influenza vaccination

Hirokuni Negishi, Mari Mori, Hideki Mori, Yukio Yamori
The Journal of Nutrition 2013 143(11):1794-1798

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 24005608
PubMed Central
PMC3796347
DOI
10.3945/jn.113.179036
Funding
The project was self-funded.
Competing interests
The authors reported no conflicts of interest.

Study snapshot

DesignRandomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial
ModelJapanese adults older than 60 years receiving seasonal influenza vaccination
Sample70 participants
InterventionMekabu fucoidan 300 mg/day versus placebo
Duration4 weeks before vaccination with follow-up immune measurements through week 20
EndpointsInfluenza hemagglutination-inhibition antibody titers; Natural killer cell activity; Immune response after vaccination; Safety/tolerability

What the study showed, in plain terms

This older-adult RCT tested 300 mg/day of mekabu fucoidan around influenza vaccination. Antibody responses were higher for the vaccine strains, with the clearest group difference for one B strain. The study supports the broader human immunomodulatory potential of some fucoidans but does not establish SIRT6 activation.

Key findings

Fucoidan recipients had higher post-vaccination antibody titers across the three strains.

The B/Brisbane response increased significantly more than placebo.

NK-cell activity showed a within-group tendency rather than a clear overall efficacy result.

What this study can and cannot tell us

Different fucoidan source/formulation from DoNotAge SIRT6Activator.

Small study focused on vaccine response, not healthy aging.

Does not measure SIRT6 activity.

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Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability