This drug is for sale at Kruidvat and there is not much information available about it. However, this drug is vilified in various forums on the internet. It would be very bad for your health and would throw the thyroid gland out of balance. Others swear by this drug because it is said to help with weight loss and constipation complaints. What is true about all the stories about kelp lecithin?
Composition and dosage
The composition per daily dose is as follows (9 tablets):
- Kelp 662.4 mg
- Lecithin 96.3 mg
- Nettle extract 120.6 mg
The dosage is two to three tablets three times a day, taken with water during a meal. The product is not suitable for children under the age of twelve, nor for pregnant and breastfeeding women.
What is kelp?
Kelp comes from the sea and is widely eaten in Japan. It is a type of seaweed that is rich in vitamins and minerals. It contains a lot of iodine. It also contains iron, folic acid and vitamin B5.
What does kelp do for you?
Kelp ensures that your thyroid gland functions optimally and that you have more energy. You get better blood circulation, increased resistance to stress and are less likely to suffer from age-related discomfort. Furthermore, kelp optimizes your metabolism and calorie burning.Kelp is rich in iodine. In the Western world, iodine is added to salt. If you do not follow a low-salt diet, there is little chance that you will be deficient in salt and therefore iodine. Eating a nutritional supplement containing kelp will therefore ensure that you consume too much iodine. This in itself is not a problem and the excess iodine is removed automatically. Only in extremely rare cases is it possible for (transient) hyperthyroidism to occur. Symptoms of this include: poor sleep, nervousness, excessive sweating, accelerated heart rate and increased blood pressure.
What is Lecithin?
Lecithin is a fatty substance found in all animal and plant cells, most commonly in the brain and nerves. Soy is very rich in lecithin. Therefore, it is not advisable to use this dietary supplement if you are a vegetarian and use a lot of soy products. Soya is in any case harmful to your health if you consume more than 100 grams per day and many vegetarians quickly end up consuming it.
What does Lecithin do for you?
A high concentration of Lecithin promotes and improves memory. Lecithin promotes the activity of vitamin E and provides indirect protection against free radicals.
Kelp lecithin side effects
A study into the side effects of kelp was started in 2003 at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. It turned out that kelp tablets do indeed influence TSH (thyroid hormone) concentrations. However, this effect was small with normal use and could no longer be measured two weeks after stopping swallowing. At a high dose of four tablets per day, the amount of TSH was still disturbed after two weeks of not taking it. Further research is needed to determine how safe kelp is, but in the meantime the university suggests not taking the kelp tablets more than two days a week or one week a month if you want to use it for a longer period of time. The following side effects are known of Lecithin. If you consume more than 25 grams of this per day, this can lead to sweating, stomach upset, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. The daily dose (9 tablets) is less than 1 gram.