This study examined whether dietary supplementation with sea tangle alters the intestinal morphology of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats and affects the glucose absorption rate. Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 2 groups and fed either a control (AIN76-based) diet or a sea tangle-supplemented diet. After 3 weeks, 10 rats in each group received an intramuscular injection of streptozotocin (45 mg/kg BW), and feeding was continued for 3 additional weeks. Dietary supplementation with sea tangle resulted in a lower fasting plasma glucose level compared with the control diet in diabetic rats. Scanning electron micrographs revealed serious damage to the jejunal villi of diabetic rats fed the control diet, whereas supplementation with sea tangle alleviated the damage. In a separate experiment, 20 male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 2 groups and fed either a control diet or a sea tangle-supplemented diet for 5 weeks, and fasted rats were subjected to in situ single-pass perfusion. The glucose absorption rate determined in the absence of digesta was decreased by 34% in the jejunum of rats fed a sea tangle diet compared with those fed a control diet. In conclusion, sea tangle supplementation lowered glucose absorption rate, altered intestinal morphology, and appeared to protect villi from damage caused by diabetes mellitus.