Laver intake and abdominal obesity in Korean adults
What it found
In a study that followed Korean adults for 18 years, those who ate the most laver were less likely to develop abdominal obesity than those who ate the least.
This was a study of people, and it can show a link, not cause and effect.
What they found
Studies in people
Abdominal obesity cases
Over 18 years, 1202 men (39.4%) and 1117 women (46.4%) developed abdominal obesity.
Laver and obesity risk
Men who ate the most laver had a 28% lower risk of abdominal obesity than those who ate the least. Women who ate the most had a 33% lower risk.
Diet quality adjustment
The link stayed significant after adjusting for overall diet quality. This suggests the link is not only because people who eat laver also eat healthier overall.
Other diet differences
People who ate more laver also ate more legumes, nuts, fruits, vegetables, mushrooms, meat, eggs, fish, shellfish, dairy and beverages, and less grain.
Studies in people and animals
Possible reasons
The authors say laver's fiber and compounds like porphyran and taurine might help, but these effects have mainly been seen in lab and animal studies, not proven in people.
What the authors conclude
“However, given the observational nature of this study, these findings do not establish a causal relationship between habitual laver intake and risk of abdominal obesity.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say higher habitual laver intake was associated with a lower risk of abdominal obesity in Korean adults.
- They note that the link remained after adjusting for overall diet quality, suggesting it was not solely due to healthier dietary patterns.
- They advise that further prospective and randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm these findings before dietary recommendations can be made.
How it was done
Laver contains dietary fiber and other compounds that might help reduce belly fat, but no long-term study had looked at whether eating laver is linked to developing abdominal obesity while also accounting for overall diet quality.
They followed 5457 Korean adults aged 40 to 69 for 18 years. Laver intake was recorded at the start using a food frequency questionnaire, and waist circumference was measured repeatedly to identify new cases of abdominal obesity.
What it can’t tell you
- This was an observational study, so it can show a link but cannot prove that laver causes less abdominal obesity.
- Diet was only recorded at the start, so changes in laver intake over the 18 years were not captured.
- The study included middle-aged Korean adults with high seaweed consumption, so the findings may not apply to other groups.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Korea Maritime Institute (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
- Authors work at
- Ewha Womans University, Republic of Korea; Korea Maritime Institute, Republic of Korea; Dongseo University, Republic of Korea
The paper
- Title
- Dietary Laver Intake and Risk of Incident Abdominal Obesity Among Korean Adults: An 18-Year Prospective Cohort Study
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Licence
- CC BY. Words in quotation marks are the authors’; the rest is our summary.
- Cite
- Do N, Kim M, Kim S, Han DP, Jang W, Kim Y (2026). Dietary Laver Intake and Risk of Incident Abdominal Obesity Among Korean Adults: An 18-Year Prospective Cohort Study. Nutrients. doi:10.3390/nu18172767Free full textPubMed 42738941DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error