Sodium alginate

Studies in people

• Open question

  Appetite and food intake²

  In healthy young men, sodium alginate added to steamed buns made them eat less and feel fuller.

• Benefit

  Blood sugar and appetite³

  In men, sodium alginate added to chocolate milk lowered blood sugar peaks and appetite before a meal.

Animal and lab studies only

• Benefit

  Body fat and gut germs⁴

  In animal studies, sodium alginate cut body fat and changed gut germs, but results differed between males and females.

• Open question

  Antioxidant levels in yoghurt⁷

  Yoghurt with basil, mint, lavender or fennel oils in sodium alginate had more antioxidants, which faded over 20 days.

• Benefit

  Radioactive strontium in bones⁸

  In animal studies, sodium alginate cut how much radioactive strontium from food reached the bones.

How it’s made and used

• Fish spoilage and shelf life⁵

  Coating fish fillets with sodium alginate and green propolis kept them fresh longer and tasting good.

• Blood sugar after noodles⁶

  In lab studies, sodium alginate in buckwheat noodles changed how much starch was digested.

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.

Expert panels that weigh all the research. Shown for context: the signal at the top does not count them.

• UN and WHO food additive experts (JECFA), 1992

  No daily limit needed (“ADI not specified”, JECFA’s term for very low toxicity).