In fact, findings showed that fucoidan supplementation was superior to the combination of fucoidan, branched-chain amino acids (BCAA) and vitamin D. Improvements in grip strength were not only statistically significant but also clinically meaningful among those who had taken fucoidan alone, which the researchers indicated supports fucoidan as a safe and non-pharmacological intervention for sarcopenia.
For their 12-week double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial, they recruited 60 sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic adults aged 60 and above and randomly assigned them to one of three groups, taking either fucoidan, fucoidan with BCAA and vitamin D, or a placebo.
Study outcomes included handgrip strength, calf circumference, appendicular lean mass index (ALMI), five-times sit-to-stand (5STS), six-minute walk test (6MWT), and isokinetic knee extension (KE) strength.
The fucoidan used in the study was OliFuco RE, a proprietary low-molecular-weight fucoidan product developed by Taipei-based Hi-Q Marine Biotech International Ltd. OliFuco is said to have a molecular weight typically below 15 kDa, which increases its bioavailability and absorption.
Funded by Hi-Q Marine Biotech, the study was published in Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics and conducted by researchers from National Taiwan Normal University‘s Department of Physical Education, I-Shou University’s School of Medicine, and National Cheng Kung University’s Marine Biology and Cetacean Research Center.
Grip strength improvement greater in the fucoidan group
Findings showed that grip strength had improved significantly in all three groups from baseline until the end of the study. However, a greater proportion of participants also demonstrated clinically meaningful improvements in the fucoidan-only group.
Specifically, the group taking fucoidan, BCAA and vitamin D had a p-value of 0.003. The fucoidan-only group’s p-value was less than 0.001, while that of the placebo was 0.044.
In view of the results, the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) was also considered to ensure that the statistically significant improvements were also clinically meaningful for patient well-being.
Based on the MCID assessment, the number of participants reaching the MCID threshold was greatest in the fucoidan-only group, with 64.7 % reaching the threshold.
In contrast, the percentage of participants who had hit the threshold was 33.3% in the fucoidan, vitamin D and BCAA group, compared to 28.6% in the placebo group.
“Among the three groups of this study, improvement in grip strength was most pronounced in the OliFuco group, with the largest effect size (r = 0.82) and a mean increase of 27.8 % after a 12-week intervention, and 64.7 % of participants in this group exceeded the MCID threshold," the researchers wrote.
Walk test improvements only significant in fucoidan group
Findings of the six-minute walk test (6MWT) also showed statistically significant improvements only in the fucoidan group.
Based on the minimal detectable change, the fucoidan group also had a greater proportion of participants who met the criteria.
“According to Chuang et al., the minimal detectable change (MDC) for the 6MWT in community-dwelling older adults in Taiwan is 54.08 m (Chiung-Ying Chuang, 2019)," the researchers wrote.
“A performance change greater than the MDC can be considered a real change, instead of random or measurement error. Notably, only one (7.1 %) participant in the placebo group reached this threshold, compared to eight (47.1 %) participants in the OliFuco group.”
Possible reasons for weaker results in fucoidan, BCAA group
The researchers highlighted two possible reasons for the weaker results in the fucoidan, BCAA and vitamin D group as compared to the placebo-only group.
A possible explanation was the interaction among components such as BCAA and vitamin D that may have attenuated the bioavailability or efficacy of fucoidan.
Another possible reason was that the fucoidan, BCAA and vitamin D group had a higher proportion of non-sarcopenic participants (60%) compared with the fucoidan-only (29.41%) and placebo (14.29%) groups.
This could have led to “less room for measurable improvement” in the fucoidan, BCAA, and vitamin D group.
Areas with no significant change
On the other hand, none of the groups showed statistically significant changes in knee extension performance by the end of the study.
There were also no significant changes in muscle mass in both fucoidan groups, although the placebo group showed a significant reduction in calf circumference.
Source: Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics. doi: 10.1016/j.archger.2025.106055. “The effects of Oligo-Fucoidan on muscle function in community-dwelling older adults: A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.” Authors: Yun-Ching Chang et al.
