Hijiki seaweed causes cancer???

[Abigail]

I mentioned to my mother that I'd had two bowlfuls of hijiki salad for lunch and dinner today. Then she sent me this link http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.gnn.gov.uk/MediaPath/gfd_0002.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.gnn.gov.uk/Content/Detail.asp%3FReleaseID%3D124935%26NewsAreaID%3D2&h=75&w=144&sz=4&tbnid=_LIOM8m4ukmCcM:&tbnh=46&tbnw=89&hl=en&start=39&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dhijiki%2Bseaweed%26start%3D20%26svnum %3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26rls%3DGGLG,GGLG:2005-47,GGLG:en%26sa%3DN

What do you guys think?

[monkeyboy]

Hi Everyone,

What do I say....


Everything gives you cancer....doesn't it?


Peace,

M.B.

[swiss_miss]

I think it could be true. I dont believe that every single plant(or seaweed) on earth is meant for human consumption. Just like you can get sick if you eat certian berries(poisonous ones) theres a chance that certain types of seaweed arent meant for humans to eat either.

[Guydiane]

I found this :Article Date: 28 Jul 2004 - 10:00am (UK)

The Food Standards Agency, UK, is advising people not to eat a type of seaweed called hijiki because of the high levels of arsenic that it contains.

A survey carried out by the Agency found that hijiki contains inorganic arsenic, a form that occurs naturally in some food and can increase people's risk of developing cancer if eaten regularly.

Hijiki is a distinctive, almost black, shredded seaweed, that is used mainly as an appetiser or starter in some Japanese restaurants. It is not used in sushi or in Chinese restaurants. If you have eaten hijiki occasionally it is unlikely that you have raised your risk of developing cancer significantly.

Hijiki is also sold for use in soups and salads and some vegetarian and vegan dishes where seaweed is an ingredient. It is sometimes found in the specialist food sections of some supermarkets and department stores and in health food shops and specialist shops selling Asian and Far Eastern food.

The Agency carried out a survey of five different types of seaweed following reports from Canada that there was a problem with hijiki. They also tested arame, kombu, nori and wakame and didn't find inorganic arsenic in these types of seaweed.

[Sheryl]

There are certain types of seaweed banned for import to Australia - that is one of them!

http://www.foodstandards.gov.au/mediareleasespublications/mediareleases/mediareleases2004/australianconsumersa2778.cfm

Sheryl

[Revvell]

Hi Everyone,

What do I say....
Everything gives you cancer....doesn't it?
Peace,

M.B.

I'm taking this is tongue-in-cheek? If not, the answer would be "no".

Revvell

[Revvell]

Another view:

http://www.macrobiotics.co.uk/hijikiwarning.htm

http://www.naturodoc.com/library/detox/U-Fucoidan.htm

There are quite a few other seaweeds available so, no fear. The bennies can still be found.

Revvell

[shelah]

another thing about hijiki -- i spoke to someone at eden foods who told me that their hijiki is steamed in the processing and that they are unable (as they say everyone is) to offer fully raw hijiki. their arame, wakame and untoasted nori are raw.

[JinxieKat]

Hi Everyone,

What do I say....


Everything gives you cancer....doesn't it?


Peace,

M.B.


Heh, I joke about this all the time Monkey Boy! I'm waiting for them to say that the air we breath will cause cancer and we should all walk around with little portable air tanks to breath from. Oivey!

Jinx

[Queenie]

This is such a drag. I just bought some hijiki and added a little bit to my cat's food. It's not enough to cause a problem but for crying out loud.

A little arsenic is supposed to be good for the heart but sheesh.

Fortunately, all the other seaweeds I have are fine.

[solarliving]

Does anyone know what hijiki looks like? I have been eating some seaweed that I got at an asian market and on the package it just says seaweed. It is black and shredded like.

Thanks

[Revvell]

It is black and shredded like.

Thanks

Sounds very much like hijiki ~ or arame.

[solarliving]

Thanks,

I guess I will have to toss them.

[Sheryl]

There's alot of hype about B17 (which is a precuror to arsenic and used in cancer therapy). I wonder if this seasweek actually has something bad for us, or if it's just B17? I"ll do some research and find out!

Cheers,
Sheryl

[Sheryl]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hijiki

Okay - it's not B17 - it's inorganic arsenic! Not good!

Sheryl

[Sheryl]

This sea vegetable has been a staple in Japan for centuries and they have very low cancer rates. I'd be curious to know how high it is, and how much people would need to eat to have too much arsenic.

Any one have more info?

Sheryl

[rawfigure]

another thing about hijiki -- i spoke to someone at eden foods who told me that their hijiki is steamed in the processing and that they are unable (as they say everyone is) to offer fully raw hijiki. their arame, wakame and untoasted nori are raw.

interesting post as I almost bought some today, in reading the package I found it to be Not Raw, dried, steamed, dried again.

[jaurequi]

hmmm...I was told by Eden that they are all steamed. That was about 2 or 3 years ago...