Laver

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Belly fat over time²

  In a long study of Korean adults, those who ate more laver were less likely to develop belly fat.

• Open question

  Gut bacteria in older women³

  In older women, eating dried laver for 12 weeks changed gut bacteria, but we do not yet know if this helps health.

Study type not stated

• Open question

  Long-term health effects⁶

  Scientists do not yet know whether eating laver helps human health over the long term.

Single cases of misuse or overdose

One person or one incident, such as an accidental overdose or a mistake in a kitchen or factory. They are real, but a single case does not show what happens at normal amounts, so the signal does not count them.

• Vitamin A poisoning⁴

  A woman who ate lots of laver and other vitamin A foods got sick, but her diet change fixed it.

How it’s made and used

• Vitamin B12 and iron in vegetarian diets⁵

  Dried laver (nori) is a plant food with vitamin B12 and iron, which vegetarians often lack.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.