Algae-based sleep supplement debuts

By Jung Sung-ki

Korea has discovered a natural sleep inducing substance from seaweed for the first time in the world, a state-funded food research institute announced Tuesday.

According to the Korea Food Research Institute, a team of researchers led by Dr. Han Dae-seok succeeded in extracting phlorotannin ingredients from Ecklonia cava Kjellman, an edible marine brown alga living in the coastal waters of Jeju Island.

Through both nerve-cell electrophysiological testing and animal testing, the team subsequently found that phlorotannins of Ecklonia cava induce sleep by vitalizing GABA type A-benzodiazepine receptor, the institute said.

Animal testing showed that the natural substance helps reduce the time of one entering the hypnagogic state by 35%, or 36minutes on average, it said. The ingredient also helps increase the time of deep sleep by 69 percent, or 43 minutes on average.

“With an increase in sleep problems, including insomnia, among people around the world these days, global efforts to develop new types of natural sleep inducing supplements or drugs are in full swing,” Han said at a briefing at the Ministry of Agricultural, Maritime and Food Affairs in Gwacheong, Gyeonggi Province.

Currently, the country imports all sleep inducing drugs and supplements, including Zolpidem, which are known to cause side effects, such as drowsiness and dizziness. But those from natural resources, such as herb and Ecklonia cava, would have fewer side effects, the researcher said.

“This discovery of a sleep inducing extract from Ecklonia cava is remarkable and expected to have a great ripple effect throughout the relevant industry once the supplement is commercialized,” he noted.

Han said clinical trials are under way on the supplement, which are completed by June next year. A commercial medicine is expected to come into market as early as September next year, he added.

The country sees an increasing number of people suffering sleep problems, according to the National Health Insurance Corporation.

Last year, about 290,000 people received treatment of sleep disorders, a two-fold increase from 150,000 in 2006, the statistics released from the corporation said. Accordingly, hospital bills for sleep problems hiked from 11.5 billion won in 2006 to 27.5 billion won last year.

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