| Unlike the other Chromista, Xanthophyta completely lack the brown pigment fucoxanthin. |
| Fucoxanthin, extracted from the brown seaweed Undaria pinnatifida, has been shown to facilitate weight loss by stimulating production of a protein responsible for oxidation and breakdown of fats. |
| Fucoxanthin also appears to stimulate the production of DHA, one of the omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish such as salmon. |
| An interesting, extra, metabolic benefit of fucoxanthin administration in rodents is the promotion of the synthesis of docosahexanoic acid in the liver. |
| Putative releasers or antioxidant protection may occur with fucoxanthin, beet root, spirulina, spinach, Ashwagandha, grape seed extract. |
| However, the dinoflagellates Karenia brevis, Karenia mikimotoi, and Karlodinium micrum have acquired other pigments through endosymbiosis, including fucoxanthin. |
