Carrageenan - Is it Safe?

Extracted from red seaweed, carrageenan has been used in food products for centuries and was patented as a food additive for use in the United States in the 1930s (SSI, 1996). Carrageenan has the unique ability to form a wide variety of gels at room temperature and is a stabilizer capable of modifying and controlling the texture of a variety of processed foods. It has also been used as a laxative, as treatment for peptic ulcer disease, and as a component of pharmaceuticals, toothpaste, aerosol sprays, and other products. 

In 1959, carrageenan was granted GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe) status in the United States.  Then in 1982, the International Agency for Research on Cancer identified sufficient evidence for the carcinogenicity of degraded carrageenan in animals to regard it as posing a carcinogenic risk to humans (Rosenthal, 2001).  However, carrageenan is still used widely as a thickener, stabilizer, and texturizer in a variety of processed foods prevalent in the Western diet (Tobacman, 2001).

Carrageenan has been associated with the induction and promotion of intestinal neoplasms and ulcerations in numerous animal experiments and is a known carcinogen in animals.  The interaction between carrageenan and gastric acid in the human stomach may increase its carcinogenicity.  Also, food-grade carrageenan may be contaminated with degraded carrageenan that could arise during food processing (Tobacman, 2001).

I create this post to educate you, not to instill even more anxiety and hypersensitivity over natural health issues. This is about awareness, not about being extreme and stressed out about everything you eat. Carrageenan is in many products these days and is widely used in dairy products and milk substitutes. Check your labels and if you are eating a lot of it, then cut down on it and eat less, or eliminate it. The main goal is to reduce our toxic load, as this strains the immune system and digestion. You might find that cutting this product out reduces your intestinal gas.

Commercial nut milk contains carrageenan as a thickener but can easily be made from scratch without it.  Please see recent post on "Fiber Shake" for the recipe.

References

Snapshot Solutions, Inc. (1996). An Introduction to Carrageenan. Retrieved on November 2, 2005, from http://home.howstuffworks.com/framed.htm?parent=question315.htm&url=http://philexport.org/members/siap/intro

Tobacman, J.K. (2001). Review of Harmful Gastrointestinal Effects of Carrageenan in Animal Experiments [Electronic version]. Environmental Health Perspectives. Volume 109, Number 10, October 2001.

Rosenthal, M.S. (2001). Stopping Cancer at the Source. Your Health Press, Canada.