Seaweed 'to make burgers healthy'

Junk food could be made healthy thanks to a chemical from seaweed.

Scientists say by adding alginate, which comes from seaweed, to junk food, they can raise the amount of fibre in cakes, pies and burgers.

High-fibre diets have been shown to cut the amount of things like heart disease and stomach cancer.

And, because alginate doesn't taste or smell of anything, the researchers reckon it won't put people off eating their favourite foods.

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They also think alginate could be used to fight obesity, because it can form a "lump" in your stomach, making you feel full.

Professor Jeff Pearson, part of the team who did the research, said: "It's hard to change people's habits. The most practical solution is to improve the food they do eat."

"With a burger, for example, you would simply remove some of the fat and replace it with the seaweed extract."