Breakthrough study: Fucoidan and men’s health

BPH is a common condition in which the prostate gland enlarges.¹Prostate enlargement can lead to compression of the urethra, restricting the flow of urine from the bladder. Symptoms, whilst not life-threatening, are bothersome and can significantly impact quality-of-life. They may include frequent urination, an intermittent stream, an urgent need to urinate, and difficulty emptying the bladder completely. Additionally, symptoms such as nocturia—waking multiple times in the night to urinate—can have negative impacts on sleep and mental wellbeing.

The prevalence of BPH increases with age. Worldwide estimates indicate that by their 80s, 90% of men are affected.²As the global population continues to age, demand for natural therapies to support mild to moderate BPH symptoms is simultaneously increasing. To provide perspective on this growing market, 94 million cases of BPH were reported globally in 2019.³

Natural ingredients currently utilized for prostate health include Serenoa repens (Saw Palmetto), Cucurbita pepo (pumpkin), Solanum lycopersicum (tomato) and Urtica dioica (stinging nettle).⁴Clinical evidence for these ingredients is mixed and is sometimes inconsistent or limited in terms of safety and efficacy data. Natural support for BPH symptoms is a significant opportunity within the men’s health category.

A groundbreaking clinical trial has explored the potential of the marine polysaccharide fucoidan to support prostate health.⁵ Fucoidans are natural compounds derived from brown seaweed.⁶ With more than 4,000 peer-reviewed papers published exploring their various bioactivities, fucoidans are widely utilized in premium nutraceuticals. They are popular inclusions in natural and certified organic formulations targeting immune support and gut health.

The clinical study utilised fucoidan from the seaweed Undaria pinnatifida, finding statistically and clinically relevant improvements in BPH symptoms.⁵ The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involved 88 men with clinically and radiologically confirmed BPH. Half of the participants were administered a daily dose of high purity Undaria pinnatifida fucoidan extract, the other half a placebo. The 90-day study included a baseline assessment, followed by clinical assessments at 30-day intervals.

The validated assessment tool, the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), was used to assess changes in BPH symptoms. The IPSS consists of seven standard questions concerning urinary symptoms, each of which is assigned points according to the severity of the symptoms. An additional question assesses quality-of-life related to urinary symptoms.

At day 60, the participants taking the fucoidan supplement showed significant improvement in total IPSS compared to participants taking the placebo, further improving at day 90 (Figure 1). A particular strength of the study was the establishment of clinical relevance using Minimal Clinically Important Difference (MCID) analyses. The study found that on day 60, more than double the number of participants in the fucoidan group had achieved a clinically significant improvement of 3 or more IPSS points compared to the placebo group (Figure 2). The difference between the fucoidan and placebo groups remained statistically significant through to the end of the study.

Voiding (a composite score encompassing the symptoms of incomplete emptying, intermittency, weak stream and straining) improved significantly by day 90. Storage (a composite score encompassing the symptoms of frequency, urgency and nocturia) also improved significantly. Participants taking the fucoidan showed a more than nine-fold improvement in voiding symptoms and a two-fold improvement in storage symptoms compared to those taking the placebo.

Further, improvements in individual urinary symptoms were shown over the study period. By day 90, improvements in straining, emptying, frequency and intermittency symptoms were recorded.

Fucoidan supplementation was also associated with a significant improvement in quality-of-liferelated to urinary symptoms. By day 90, participants in the fucoidan group showed a statistically significant improvement in the mean quality-of-life score, while their counterparts in the placebo group showed no change (Figure 3).

The Undaria pinnatifida fucoidan was well tolerated and shown to be safe throughout the study period.

Researchers highlighted, ‘statistically and clinically significant IPSS improvement, including voiding and storage composite scores and enhanced prostate-related quality-of-life when compared to the placebo.’ They also noted the ‘strong efficacy’ shown by fucoidan compared to other compounds previously assessed using the IPSS. For example, the 28.12% IPSS reduction with fucoidan at day 90 exceeded a previously reported 15.90% decrease with saw palmetto oil.⁷

The study paves the way for the potential inclusion of high purity fucoidan in nutraceuticals targeting relief of BPH symptoms. The high purity Undaria pinnatifida fucoidan utilised was produced by Australian biotechnology company Marinova using a proprietary aqueous extraction process.

‘Fucoidan from Undaria pinnatifida improves benign prostatic hyperplasia symptoms in men: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study’,was published in Research and Reports in Urology.

Find out more and watch the clinical trial video

References

1. Roehrborn, C. G. Pathology of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia. Int. J. Impot. Res. 2008, 20 (S3), S11–S18.
2. Bhat, S. A.; Rather, S. A.; Islam, N. An Overview of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia and Its Appreciation in Greco-Arab (Unani) System of Medicine. Asian J. Urol. 2022, 9 (2), 109–118.
3. Antoniou, V.; Gauhar, V.; Modi, S.; Somani, B. K. Role of Phytotherapy in the Management of BPH: A Summary of the Literature. J. Clin. Med. 2023, 12 (5), 1899.
4. Csikós, E.; Horváth, A.; Ács, K.; Papp, N.; Balázs, V. L.; Dolenc, M. S.; Kenda, M.; Kočevar Glavač, N.; Nagy, M.; Protti, M.; Mercolini, L.; Horváth, G.; Farkas, Á. Treatment of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia by Natural Drugs. Molecules 2021, 26 (23), 7141.
5. Wimmer B.C, Dwan C.A, Bhalerao S.S, Gupta C.G, Vaze S.V, Kshirsagar S.S. Fucoidan from Undaria pinnatifida Improves Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia Symptoms in Men: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. Res Rep Urol. 2026; 18:597883
6. Fitton, J. H.; Stringer, D. N.; Park, A. Y.; Karpiniec, S. S. Therapies from Fucoidan: New Developments. Mar. Drugs 2019, 17 (10).
7. Sudeep, H. V.; Thomas, J. V.; Shyamprasad, K. A Double Blind, Placebo-Controlled Randomized Comparative Study on the Efficacy of Phytosterol-Enriched and Conventional Saw Palmetto Oil in Mitigating Benign Prostate Hyperplasia and Androgen Deficiency. BMC Urol. 2020, 20 (1), 86.