A commonly available ‘superfood’ could hold the key to warding off a prevalent and debilitating virus, according to new research. This ingredient, often found in restaurants and grocery aisles, is none other than seaweed.

In a recent study conducted by researchers in Australia, compounds derived from brown and green seaweed demonstrated the ability to halt infections caused by norovirus. This particularly contagious virus is notorious for inducing severe bouts of nausea and vomiting, sometimes so intense that it can lead to cracked ribs in sufferers.

Norovirus typically spreads through contact with surfaces contaminated by the virus from an infected individual. It gains entry into the body by binding to sugars on the surface of gut cells, leading to infection.

However, laboratory experiments revealed a fascinating development. The complex carbohydrates found in seaweed mimic the structure of these sugars, effectively diverting the virus to bind with them instead. This intervention stops the virus from attaching to human cells.

Remarkably, the study indicated that higher concentrations of seaweed, which can be bought for around $0.60 per pack at grocery stores, trapped more of the virus. In some cases, this left virtually no virus available to infect human cells.

The researchers concluded that seaweed exhibits ‘promising inhibition capacities’ against norovirus. In a landscape where no preventive measures currently exist, seaweed could potentially serve as an alternative to a vaccine, offering a natural defense against this aggressive virus.

In previous cases, shots targeting noroviruses have failed because the virus mutates rapidly, allowing it to skirt around vaccine-triggered immunity.

Researchers say that seaweed could help to curb a norovirus infection (stock image)

About 19 to 21 million Americans are sickened by norovirus every year, estimates suggest, while 900 die from the infection.

Normally, the infection clears up on its own in one to three days. To treat it, doctors recommend patients get bed rest and drink plenty of fluids. In severe cases, however, it can cause dangerous dehydration that requires hospitalization.

Doctors say that those under five years old and older adults are particularly at risk because they have a weaker immune system.

In the study, which was published as a letter in Microbiology Spectrum, scientists tested how to block norovirus from entering gut cells.

Typically, the virus would bind to sugar molecules called histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs), found on the wall of the cell, to gain access and cause an infection.

But the scientists had noted that two complex carbohydrates in seaweed, fucoidan and ulvan, mimicked the shape of HBGAs.

In their lab study, they also found that the complex carbohydrates worked across multiple strains of norovirus, with variants including GII.4, the most common form of the virus, and GII.17, also binding to the seaweed instead of gut cells. 

Scientists emphasized, however, that research was in the early stages and that more work was needed to prove seaweed could prevent an infection.

Norovirus is a common winter bug that infects about 19 to 21 million Americans every year. It is also linked to some 900 deaths annually (stock image)

Shown above is a pictured of deep-fried seaweed (stock image)

Limitations included that the study was not carried out in humans. Conditions in the gut could cause the virus or seaweed to behave differently.

It was also unclear how much seaweed is needed to avoid an infection.

Seaweed can be a part of a balanced diet, and is considered a superfood because it is fiber- and nutrient-dense while being very low in calories, sugar and fat.

But, despite this, some experts suggest that people should not eat seaweed more than two or three times per week.

This is because some portions contain high levels of salt, with the average American told not to consume more than a teaspoon of salt per day, and higher levels of iodine.

High salt levels can cause high blood pressure, and raise the risk of conditions including a stroke, heart attack and kidney damage. High iodine levels can interfere with the thyroid, a vital organ that regulates the body’s metabolism.

In recent years, seaweed has found new popularity amid suggestions that it could be an excellent food for weight management. Some experts say its nutrient profile can help to curb appetite for longer.