I had recently heard that Kelp, a.k.a bladder wrack, a.k.a fucoidan, a.k.a Quercus marina, can remove tartar and had to dive into a research frenzy to figure out the truths.  The truth is there is no truth… well no solid evidence anyways.  While there are many different uses for kelp, each has its lack of consistent scientific ‘back-up’.  Tartar reducing I was unable to find any credible writings on however I am a firm believer that we have not figured out everything in the world just quite yet, :). 

There are also many other speculations on the benefits of Kelp.  The also known ‘cancer fighting’ seaweed has been speculated to help with certain types of diabetes too.  There has been no solid evidence to these claims.  There have been studies done on some of the processing dangers of Kelp.  If not carefully sourced and processed Kelp can contain very high levels of iodine and sometimes even arsenic.  Arsenic seems to be more related to improper manufacturing however iodine seems to always remain in various amounts.  For this reason Kelp should not be used in any thyroid compromised animals or any animals with pre-existing kidney issues.  It should not be fed on a daily basis however can be added in periodically as there seem to be some benefits of using Kelp short term in intervals. 

I would love to hear of any science behind any of the benefits or cons on kelp if anyone has them.  Don’t get me wrong as to scare people away from Kelp it has many mineral and vitamin properties I think the big question is how much of a good thing is too much?

Don’t take everything for face value, take some time and look ‘behind the curtain’.  A glass of wine a day is good for you… a bottle is not.

By: Tyler Philp, RVT