Know2eat

Wakame

Undaria pinnatifida

What wakame has been studied for

2 associations assessed — 1 with at least some human evidence behind it. Strongest first.

  • 1 Limited
  • 1 Insufficient
3 things to know first — allergies, interactions and intake limits

About wakame

A brown seaweed with soft, silky fronds, used in miso soup and in Japanese and Korean salads. It expands dramatically when rehydrated, which makes dried portions easy to overestimate.

Also known as Sea mustard, Miyeok, Qundaicai, Wakame seaweed

Heart HealthWeight Management

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Limited

What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Healthy blood pressure

Heart Health
Limited evidence

A few small Japanese trials report modest reductions in blood pressure with daily wakame, and peptides from the seaweed inhibit angiotensin-converting enzyme in laboratory testing. The trials are small, largely from one research tradition, and have not been replicated elsewhere.

What may be going on: Peptides released from wakame protein inhibit angiotensin-converting enzyme in vitro, the same target as a common class of blood pressure drug.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

4 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Body composition

Weight Management
Insufficient evidence

Fucoxanthin from brown seaweed reduces fat mass in rodents, which is the origin of the weight-loss marketing. Human evidence for wakame is essentially absent.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

4 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Ask about Wakame

Ask about Wakame

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories45 kcal2%
Protein3.03 g6%
Total fat0.64 g1%
Carbohydrate9.14 g3%
Fibre0.5 g2%
Total sugars0.65 g—
Water80 g—
Fats
Saturated fat0.13 g1%
Monounsaturated fat0.058 g—
Polyunsaturated fat0.218 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
EPA (omega-3)0.186 g—
DHA (omega-3)0 g—
DPA (omega-3)0 g—
Linoleic acid (omega-6)0.01 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A18 µg2%
Vitamin C3 mg3%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E1 mg7%
Vitamin K5.3 µg4%
Thiamin (B1)0.06 mg5%
Riboflavin (B2)0.23 mg18%
Niacin (B3)1.6 mg10%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.697 mg14%
Vitamin B60.0020 mg0%
Folate196 µg49%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Choline13.9 mg3%
Minerals
Calcium150 mg12%
Iron2.18 mg12%
Magnesium107 mg25%
Phosphorus80 mg6%
Potassium50 mg1%
Sodium872 mg38%
Zinc0.38 mg3%
Copper0.284 mg32%
Manganese1.4 mg61%
Selenium0.7 µg1%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene216 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin0 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash7.2 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Seaweed, wakame, raw (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 170496).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

Nothing dependable is recorded about how preparation changes this food’s nutritional properties. Rather than guess, this section stays empty.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Worth knowing

    Iodine content

    Wakame carries considerably less iodine than kelp but still far more than any land vegetable, and regular large servings can push intake past the tolerable upper limit. This matters most for people with existing thyroid disease and in pregnancy.

  • Worth knowing

    Sodium in prepared and salted products

    Most wakame is sold salted or dried, and prepared seaweed salads are frequently high in both sodium and added sugar. The raw seaweed described by this record is not the same product.

  • Worth knowing

    Accumulated metals

    Like other seaweeds, wakame takes up cadmium, lead and arsenic from seawater in proportion to what is there. Origin matters more than species for this.