In my post, Replacing Dairy Milk, a few of you commented that you avoid several brands of non-dairy milk because they contain an ingredient called carrageenan. This was the first time I had heard anything about this ingredient, or at least the first time I took any notice. I assumed that it was a safe ingredient, especially because it is found in some organic products. But as we know, just because something is allowed in our food does not mean it’s necessarily good for us. It’s frustrating as a consumer to believe we are buying quality ingredients only to find out they could be harmful to our health.
Anyway, I knew I had to look into this further. And I don’t like what I’m reading. In fact, I’m pretty ticked off.
At first blush, carrageenan sounds seemingly harmless – it’s derived from red seaweed and is used as a thickener, stabilizer, and/or emulsifier in many dairy (sour cream, yogurt, ice cream, etc), dairy alternatives (non-dairy milk, non-dairy cheese, etc), and deli meat products. As it turns out, research links carrageenan to gastrointestinal inflammation, lesions, and even colon cancer in animals. Individuals with Inflammatory Bowel Disease or other gastrointestinal disorders are cautioned to avoid this ingredient as it can make symptoms – and inflammation – even worse. As someone who has suffered from IBS for many years, I was shocked to find this information out. This was the first I had heard of it.
For a review of the research on carrageenan see this PDF document by Cornucopia.org. Please look into this ingredient and make your own informed opinion.
For a long and detailed list of carrageenan in many dairy and non-dairy food products (and safe products as well), please see this Cornucopia shopping guide – it’s extremely helpful. You might be surprised at many of the brands that contain this ingredient. I know I sure was.
I realize there is no conclusive evidence with regard to human consumption of this ingredient, but I’m not willing to take that risk when there are other options, especially because I have suffered from IBS on and off for half my life. I will no longer support President’s Choice Organic Almond Milk or Blue Diamond’s Almond Breeze – two of several brands that contain carrageenan. Instead, I’m going to purchase Whole Foods 365 organic almond milk which is one of the carrageenan-free brands or I will make my own milk at home (more on this in my next post). I’m anxious to see if I notice a difference.
For the complete list of carrageenan-free products, be sure to check out the shopping guide linked above.
As I mentioned in my intro post, we have a lot to learn from each other and this is a perfect example. I’m thankful for all of you sharing your experiences and knowledge in the comments. I’m learning too. I hope that by writing about this today, more awareness is brought to this ingredient. With other thickeners/emulsifiers readily available (such as organic guar gum and organic locust bean gum) there is no excuse for food businesses to continue to put carrageenan into our food at the potential risk of our health.
I was already planning a post on homemade milk, but now it seems even more timely and appropriate. Easy, homemade milk coming on up. I think you’ll really like the ingredients list in this one.
Have you heard anything about carrageenan before? Do you avoid it on labels or will you in the future?
{ 284 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you so much for posting this! I am not a great lable reader and I just “take it for granted” that something is good for me! I so appreciate your hard work with your blog and your willingness to inform! I think I will write letters to the companies that use this carrageenan just to let them know they could do better!
What a great idea to write letters to the company! I will do the same and I think some may be willing to modify their products to keep their health conscious customers happy.
Yah, that is a great idea. The more people who verbalize, the more likely they are to make changes. If it is unnecessary, then why not err on the side of caution and wholesomeness.
Silk’s Pure Almond Milk DOES NOT contain carrageenan. It’s my favorite almond milk…very creamy and frothy YUM :) If you’re like me and don’t have the time to make your own, it’s a wonderful option.
The problem with Silk is that they are owned by Dean Food’s — pretty much one of the biggest dairy companies in the world. So buying in buying Silk you’re still supporting the dairy industry.
Which is extremely frustrating as Silk and Blue Diamond’s Almond Breeze (which has carageenan) are pretty much the two brands available in my area. No Whole Foods around here unfortunately =(
I see what you’re saying about them being owned by a dairy company, but by supporting their vegan products aren’t we telling them as consumers that those nondairy options are the products we would like to see on the shelves?
SILK almond SUCKS!!!! completely unnatural texture. like instant pudding before it fully sets.way too thick for my comfort. if there is a whole foods near you I highly recommend their 365 store brand almond milk. Delicious. and its exponentially closer to milks real consistency!!
I have never heard of this either! I drink coconut milk everyday. Thank you for sharing what you found. I am running to the fridge now to check ingredients :)
That is a wonderful observation that you made- that we can learn so much from each other. I hadn’t ever heard of this ingredient either, and I have been living “clean” and vegan for long enough now that the surprises are few and far between. Thanks for the post, and thanks to everyone who commented and brought this into the light!
Ive never heard of it but I’m going downstairs to check my almond milk now! I can’t thank you enough for sharing this type of information in a way that is so easy to understand. Thank you and thank you to your readers!!!
Just read this,checked my Almond milk in the fridge…it is “Silk True Almond” and it does not list Carrageenan as an ingredient and it is Non-GMO. We just purchased this brand this week, so glad we did…Just thought I would let everyone know!
Thank you for posting this Angela, you are changing how we think/eat/live on a daily basis :)
Unfortunately, Silk Soy Milk does have it as an ingredient even while labelling it organic. :(
The unfortunate thing about the organic bandwagon is that people assume that organic always means healthy. Carrageenan is a polysaccharide (same type of molecule as sugar) therefore if it was extracted without the use of chemicals, it is still organic.
The problem with Silk brand, if you’re an ethical vegan, is that it is owned by Dean foods, Americas largest dairy supplier. They also forked over a lot of money to oppose bill 37 regarding GMO labeling. It really sucks :(
You’re right. I was so upset when I found this out and don’t buy Silk brand anymore! So ironic their parent company gave money to ban Prop 37 considering the label on their products says “Say no to GMO!” How hypocritical! Here’s a great resource to find out what organic brands are owned by larger, unethical corporations.
http://www.cornucopia.org/who-owns-organic/
I am allergic to soy (as well as a number of other things) and my options seem VERY limited. I have recently been drinking the Almond Breeze brand (which contains carrageenan), and was going to switch back to Silk. I am a vegan for ethical reasons though, and don’t want to support a company like theirs. Do you have any suggestions/other options?
Make your own almond milk! Super easy and much cheaper, too. :-)
Thank you for this post on carrageenan. I recently had heard that it wasn’t good for us but I didn’t know why. So thank you for filling me in on the details.
Your homemade milk in the glass looks creamy, beautiful, and just sooooo good!
And all these things to think about and be mindful of. I better go have some chocolate and ponder it so I can wash it down with that milk of yours :)
Thanks for this post! As someone who has tried almost every almond milk out there, I was also concerned about carrageenan, which is why I stopped buying Blue Diamond.
I recently discovered Trader Joe’s Unsweetened Vanilla Almond milk and fell in love. It was thick and creamy and delicious. But your post prompted you to look up the ingredients. I never looked at it, because I trusted that most of TJ’s products are natural. But I realize that ‘natural’ is a loose term, and you can never rely on that when buying products.
In my research, I discovered this online post: http://mymimamsa.com/2011/03/08/but-if-its-from-trader-joes-its-all-natural-right-2/
The ingredient list looks scary, with a whole bunch of scientific words that I don’t recognize.
But, I love this almond milk so much, so I’m a little torn. I also read a lot about xantham gum not being good for you. (I’m gluten sensitive, so I know it’s used as a binder).
What do you think about this ingredient list? Would you drink this almond milk? How do you feel about xantham gum? Thanks!
Hey Suzanne, I haven’t looked into the other ingredients, but I would suggest doing your research if they are a concern. Best of luck!
I was pretty surprised to hear this about carageenan in food and it potentially causing intestinal distress. As someone with tummy issues, I will definitely take this into consideration. I buy Blue Diamond almond milk pretty regularly as it is easy to get coupons for it.
I know it’s not food related (although it is health and body related!), but carageenan isn’t all bad. For instance, it shows up as an ingredient in some personal lubricants because it has been shown in some studies to prevent the transmission of HPV. Sliquid makes a rather easily found carageenan lubricant called Sliquid Sea.
Thank you for this timely, informative post! Carrageenan is also commonly called Irish moss or carrageenan moss. I have seen many raw dessert chefs/blogs using this species of red algae as a thickener/stabilizer without researching the health concerns beforehand. Thanks to posts like this, the general public will be informed and prompted to educate themselves concerning this ingredient. You are a gem! Thanks again!
Carrageenan is not Irish moss. It is processed from it. I have done my own research and don’t see anything wrong with carrageenan.
I totally agree with you Sandy. I found this on Amazon under the reviews for a book entitled Artisanal Vegan Cheese by Miyoko Schinner and thought it was very profound:
“Regarding carrageenan. I do believe that you can find anything on the internet that villifies almost anything. I think it is strange to blame small amounts of carrageenan when studies are at best inconclusive, and when meat, dairy, sugar, processed food, and excess fats do a lot more to damage one’s health. If you believe the studies of a single individual (yes, there has been one person spearheading these negative studies), then substitute agar for carrageenan in my recipes. or you can use powdered Irish Moss (but I repeat, and see below, that carrageenan is simply processed Irish Moss). But take care to avoid many foods except homemade, because almost everything from soy and almond milk, to non-dairy yogurts and so many other “organic” foods contain it.
All the carrageenans (kappa, iota, lambda) are from slightly different species of red algae. According to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, kappa carrageenan can be extracted from either Irish Moss (chondrus crispus) or another red algae.
it is processed in the following way:
“Carrageenan is extracted from this seaweed in two ways. In native extraction, the seaweed is made into an aqueous solution, and the residue is filtered, leaving nearly pure carrageenan. The alkaline-modified method is less expensive and easier. The seaweed is mixed in an alkali solution, leaving a mixture of carrageenan and cellulose that can be sold as semirefined carrageenan.”
I have to agree with Jen’s statements regarding her mom. I am 49 yrs old and have been treated for rheumatoid arthritis since I was 17. Two years ago, I gave up milk and ice cream, and began drinking Silk almond milk. Magically my RA disappeared! No longer on any meds of any kind! Last year I had some ice cream made with whole milk….became very sick; headache and could not stay out of the bathroom! Also, another time I bought another brand of almond milk that contained carrageenan (unknowingly!) inflammation started right up!
So for me, carrageenan is definitely a problem!
Irish moss and Carrageenan are very different in how they are processed. Irish moss is a healthy food safe for most people without negative side effects, the research was done on carrageenan (super processed) in packaged food products, not on the actual whole food irish moss that you can buy and soak to use in recipes at home.
Here’s an interesting article written by Elaina Love that helps break down the differences between the two ingredients and why you may want to re-consider being so concerned about using a sea weed in its natural form: http://elainalove.com/2012/10/13/the-buzz-about-irish-moss/
I can tell you with certainty that carageenan makes my Mom sick. For YEARS we could not figure it out. She could have cows milk, but not cream, some processed foods, not others. Heck, its even in wheat tortillas wraps. She also stopped buying certain toothpastes since discovering it was in them. Since we figured out what it was that was making her sick, she has been SO much better. Instead of feeling ill almost daily, she rarely feels sick. No doubt it was the carageenan!
Wow I had no idea! Thank you so much for sharing–I will certainly be giving more thought to the future of my usual weekly almond breeze purchase. Thank you so much for sharing the facts with your readers, AND for publicly declaring your boycott of carrageenan-containing almond milk. Hopefully almond breeze, etc. will take notice and make changes!
Quite a subject, Angela. I recently learned of the carrageenan conundrum from Susan Powers at Rawmazing.com. She did a lot of research on carrageenan because she used Irish Moss in many of her raw recipes. Needless to say, she is no longer using it. I pitched the remaining half package I had in my fridge, into the garbage can. I used to use packaged non-dairy milks, (with unsweetened almond and almond-coconut being my faves) but once I began making my own nut and seed milks, there was no turning back to store-bought for me. :)
Carol, I read rawmazing’s post too but from what I’ve been led to believe there’s a difference in the effects on the body of carageenan and unprocessed irish moss:
“There have been health concerns with the food additive “carrageenan gum” which is derived from Irish moss. This additive is found in ice creams, syrups, sauces, and many commercially packaged, highly processed foods. It is not the same as consuming pure Irish moss. Yes, carrageenan gum does come from Irish moss. But carageenan is heated and concentrated Irish Moss that is then highly processed into chemical form. Carageenan has lost the nutritional value of Irish Moss and makes it a health hazard.”
Pure irish moss actually has a soothing effect on the mucous membranes of the digestive system rather than an irritant effect!
Wow! I can’t wait to see your post on making nut milk. I’m starting to think growing/making my own everything is going to be the only way to go!
Thanks for bringing our attention to this! I’m currently working on healing my gut by eliminating a variety of food sensitivities and will be careful about what almond milk I consume!
Thank you for posting on this; as I try to make better choices for my family and myself, I have run into many an ingredient, and this one had me snowed for a while. I had a colleague tell me about it, and I started reading into it; I was as worried as you clearly are. My father passed away from colon cancer, so I try to watch myself. Additionally, I read that it can have detrimental effects on kids, so I am increasingly careful about what I let my daughter eat. I have found West Soy brand soy milk to have a few items that are carageenan-free, and I buy them for when I need a non-dairy milk product, and I am careful about the dairy that I buy. I read EVERY label that I come into contact with, and I do my best to follow Michael Pollan’s advice as to the number of ingredients in items (5 or fewer) and the pronounce-ability of those ingredients. I have a degree in English, and I am quite good with sight reading, so if I can’t read it, you better believe it’s not going in my cart.
I’ve just looked at the ingredients on the soy ilk I use and have googled all the numbers. Carrageenan, or Irish moss is also listed as vegetable gum 407. And it’s in my soy milk. Australian brand Vitasoy “soy milky” lite. Guess what I won’t be having anymore… Thank you for the heads up.
I’ve made my own almond milk before but found I’d get a sore tummy after drinking it. Any advise?
Hey Larissa, Did you soak your almonds overnight and rinse before using? This makes them much easier to digest.
Hi Angela, yes I did. Peeled them etc. maybe I need to water it way down for myself and wean on to it slowly?!
There may be something else at play, calcium. I may have an intolerance to it and almonds are high in it? Had a virus as a baby, and been allergic to casein ever since, only since being completely milk free have I noticed changes after eating high calcium foods…something for me to look into. Sorry to go into it here!!! Love your blog, it really helps down here where saying you are Veagn is as good and saying you are unaustralian!
I spent several hundred dollars to have my blood analyzed for food allergies and sensitivies. I reacted strongly to both almonds and walnuts – ie highly allergic. I used to consume both because they are so healthy. Now, I use only coconut milk and hemp milk as alternatives to milk. It is hard to find coconut milk, though, that does not contain carrageenan unless it is canned.
Chef AJ showed a real quick way to make almond milk. 1 cup of water + 1 Tsp raw, unroasted almond butter ( larger amount 3 cups water + 1 Tbsp almond butter) Blend 15-20 seconds and enjoy. No straining! You can sweeten w date syrup or dates or maple syrup or whatever. I have also done it w roasted almond butter cuz that’s what I get at Costco but it still tastes good to me.
I read about this method in Ani Phyo’s books and I tried 3 cups water to 1 tbsp almond butter (with sweetener) and I really didn’t like it at all. I was so hoping I would! I didn’t find it compared to homemade almond milk. It might be good in a pinch though if I run out and I need something for a recipe.
oops I meant to say I tried 1/2 tbsp AB and 1 cup water and 1/2 tbsp maple syrup – as I figured that would have a similar calorie profile as 1 cup regular sweetened almond milk. It was really watery to me though.
I had heard about this via “Food Babe” – she did a review about real food at Starbucks – she was surprised this ingredient is in their Organic Soy milk (bye bye latte’s for me – sad face) – I haven’t found a great replacement for at home, making it seems so time consuming (work full time, 2 kids and hubby) so have been using water for alot of my cooking/ recipes – sometimes with success, sometimes not.
Carageenan totally kills my stomach. I used to use vitasoy milk like 6-7 years ago and then they added carageenan, almond breeze chocolate didn’t have carageenan though I wouldn’t be surprised if it does now. There used to be a lot more choices before Silk became so popular now they all want the same consistancy. I like the whole foods brand almond milk a lot. The unsweetened vanilla is like yummy not sugary marshmallows. I think that the Trader Joes new brand of Almond milk is safe. Also Silk Pure Almond doesn’t list carageenan. I really like pacific organic oat milk for cooking with but I usually use the much cheaper Trader Joe’s Organic Unsweetened Soymilk.
What a shock! I never knew. Thanks for the info!
Vitasoy makes an Oat and Quinoa beverage that doesn’t have carageenan. Its not organic but its made from Non-GMO ingredients. I have been using it in my Vega smoothies lately and it tastes great!
Didn’t even notice that ingredient on the side of my milk carton. Usually if something is labeled vegan I dont even glance at the ingreidents list unless I’m comparing products. I’m surprised Trader Joe’s uses carrageenan in their products. Will have to try and find another almond milk brand or switch back to rice milk. Thanks so much for the info.
I feel the same about stevia. People blindly use this product because of all its marketing saying it’s “natural”, but there are plenty of natural things in this world that are very bad for us – e.g. tobacco.
According to my research stevia has links to cancer and infertility, I can’t believe people would rather put it into their bodies over a little honey or raw sugar.
Thank you for such an informative post, your blog is fantastic.
That is terrible! Thanks to your readers (and you!) for pointing this out. I’ll be reading labels and adjusting my future purchases accordingly.
This is an issue I’ve known about for awhile and I’m kind of on the fence about. I mean, it seems pretty obvious that carrageenan is likely pretty darn bad. That said, the only brands of soy milk I have available to me, Sunrich and Silk, both have it, and I’m not about to stop buying soy milk. I guess my thoughts on it right now are that I personally haven’t had a bad reaction to it (yet), and if it causes cancer, well, it seems like basically everything causes cancer these days. That said, I’d be thrilled if they stopped using it! But it’s probably not what I’m going to use my purchasing power to fight for right now. (Although if my local stores started carrying a carrageenan-free soy milk and I didn’t hate it, I’d probably switch to that.)
Sorry for the super long comment! I guess it took a while for me to sort out my thoughts haha.
Thanks for sharing Kacey, I know what you’re saying. It’s something everyone will have to decide for themselves ultimately and whether you feel like something could be off. Since I’ve had so many digestive issues over the years, I’m erring on the side of caution with this one and anxious to see if I notice any changes by removing it. And yes, the less strange ingredients the better in my opinion.
Really interesting post, I love how you’ve created a real community feel with everyone pitching in with their thoughts and findings. This is especially interesting to me at the moment as I am currently studying the T. Colin Campbell Plant Based Nutrition course which is questioning so many of my previously held ideas on plant based health.
Great post. A while ago I started reading the labels on soy and almond milk, and also read the Cornucopia reports. So – I am committed to only making my own almond and soy milk now. It’s easy, it tastes better, and it is way cheaper. Even using Italian unpasteurized organic (whew!) almonds!
Hello,
I am slightly concerned that a bit of internet research has led so many people to dismiss carregeenan. The evidence behind the safety of carregeenan is huge, and it is used very widely as a thickener in lots of foods and medications. As a medical researcher, I assure you, you would struggle to use any clinical gels, lotions, and syrups that didn’t have carregeenan in some form as a binder. In fact, it was recently being tested as a potential vaginal product to reduce the transmission of HIV (although other gels are proving more effective). Of course some people will have bad reactions to carregeenan, and some people will be allergic to it (like with anything), and there are probably some better formulations of carregeenan and some that are worse and have dangerous additives (again, like with any substance that originates with a natural ingredient and then is formulated with different components) BUT I don’t think this warrants outright panic over it.
Thank you, I was thinking this myself.
It’s the dose that makes the poison!
Thanks for your comment, that was exactly what I was thinking.
Think critical and don’t get obsessed about every single ingredient!
I agree. I’m a med student with my nose buried in books about illness pathology 24/7, so I’m always skeptical when someone says this-or-that can cause this-or-that. Correlation does not equal causation, everyone’s body is different, and the scientific research behind a claim has to be air-tight for me to believe it. I’m currently browsing the internet for opinions on carrageenan and I’m not the least bit impressed or swayed.
Agreed! Everything can become “evil” with a little Internet surfing.
I’m a few days late but have to chime in to agree with this thread. I’m a medical researcher as well, and this strikes me as unsubstantiated hype. I’ve really only briefly looked into carrageenan, but so far I don’t see any solid evidence that consuming carrageenan is harmful. Sure, researchers can induce inflammation by injecting carrageenan into rats– but it’s a HUGE leap to say that a carrageenan when eaten will cause inflammation in humans. Injection of high dose of a chemical into a rat body is so so so different than a human eating a small bit of a chemical.
Sure, if you have inflammatory conditions like celiac/IBS, it’s not going to kill you to try to cut a potentially inflammatory ingredient from your diet. There’s (probably) no proof that dietary carrageenan will or will not effect the cells lining your stomach.
Oh no :( Vegan cheeses also contain that ingredient :(
I agree with Joanna.
I think it’ is more that some people have issues with it, and like a lot of stuff it gets blown out of “well it is BAD!” just like a lot of people will say “Soy is bad for you because X-Y-Z” (which isn’t the case unless you are allergic, or eating funky stuff”or “Agave Nectar is bad for you”(which I personally don’t think is true unlesss you are eating it by the gallon-full).
People have been saying the same things about Brown Rice Syrup (being bad/deadly,etc), and people were like “Stop eating brown rice! don’t eat brown rice syrup,or brown rice flour!,etc”. I honestly feel unless you are super duper sensitive, than it shouldn’t be a problem right? (I mean a general “you” not just Angela “
I’m really glad you brought this up Ange. I’ve known about carrageenan for a while and figured that because it was derived from a seaweed, it must be pretty harmless (as you did). I didn’t know about the links to various diseases though. It’s amazing how many seemingly ‘whole food’ products contain extra ingredients like thickeners and stabilizers, and I think it just goes to show that home made and completely unprocessed is best. Not always practical from a time perspective, but when it’s your health we’re talking about, I think that’s a pretty important thing to spend time on!
Wow – I had never heard of this either. How annoying that it doesn’t get more press. Thanks for helping to raise awareness.
Wow…I use presidents choice almond milk as well. Thank you for finding an alternative that does not have this ingredient in it. I suffer from IBS as well and drink this every morning in my nutritional drink.
:(
As a person just recently switching to vegetarian and hoping to incorporate vegan things as well…the considerations are endless and overwhelming!
I have never used/drank much milk anyway, but I have been buying almond breeze lately. I will check my superstore for other options and be careful of other stuff I buy that might have it…just one more thing to remember as I try to be more diligent with the label-checking!
Best to be informed, though! Thanks Angela, I LOVE your blog!
A customer at Trader Joe’s where I’ve been working for 9 years told me about carrageenan years ago, so, like you, I did the research. What was most interesting was that now I had an answer if someone once again told me that they couldn’t figure out why they were still having digestion issues drinking a milk alternative. Nothing is suppose to be consumed in excess, and I really don’t think a little carrageenan is going to hurt me, although I would like to still avoid it now if I can. There was a back and forth for a while on Amazon.com about the Artesian Vegan Cheese book’s recipes often calling for carrageenan. I still bought the book, and will try to substitute carrageenan with agar powder like we all figured we would do. We could all move on to the subject of agave being all that it claims, particularly now that it’s being used about as much as saccharine was back in the day in “diet” foods.
buenas suerte!
Thank you for writing about this! I had no idea! I’m vegan and I have IBS. I’m definitely going to start checking my labels more closely.
I’ve never heard of this before so I’m really glad you posted about it! I sometimes buy Almond Breeze milk but definitely won’t be anymore…I have a hard time finding organic almond milk here, do you know if Trader Joe’s unsweetened almond milk is okay?
I think I remember it saying TJ’s was fine, but double check the shopping list I linked to just to be sure.
perfect, thank you!
I believe the refrigerated version is fine.
SO MUCH FOR THE MYTHS CONSIDER THE FACTS ON CARRAGEENAN FOR A CHANGE
Q. What is Carrageenan??
A. Carrageenan is a naturally-occurring seaweed extract. It is widely used in foods and non-foods to improve texture and stability. Common uses include meat and poultry, dairy products, canned pet food, cosmetics and toothpaste.
Q. Why the controversy?
A. Self-appointed consumer watchdogs have produced numerous web pages filled with words condemning carrageenan as an unsafe food additive for human consumption. However, in 70+ years of carrageenan being used in processed foods, not a single substantiated claim of an acute or chronic disease has been reported as arising from carrageenan consumption. On a more science-based footing, food regulatory agencies in the US, the EU, and in the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization (FAO/WHO) repeatedly review and continue to approve carrageenan as a safe food additive.
Q. What has led up to this misrepresentation of the safety of an important food stabilizer, gelling agent and thickener?
A. It clearly has to be attributed to the research of Dr. Joanne Tobacman, an Associate Prof at the University of Illinois in Chicago. She and a group of molecular biologists have accused carrageenan of being a potential inflammatory agent as a conclusion from laboratory experiments with cells of the digestive tract. It requires a lot of unproven assumptions to even suggest that consumption of carrageenan in the human diet causes inflammatory diseases of the digestive tract. The objectivity of the Chicago research is also flawed by the fact that Dr Tobacman has tried to have carrageenan declared an unsafe food additive on weak technical arguments that she broadcast widely a decade before the University of Chicago research began.
Q. What brings poligeenan into a discussion of carrageenan?
A. Poligeenan (“degraded carrageenan” in pre-1988 scientific and regulatory publications) is a possible carcinogen to humans; carrageenan is not. The only relationship between carrageenan and poligeenan is that the former is the starting material to make the latter. Poligeenan is not a component of carrageenan and cannot be produced in the digestive tract from carrageenan-containing foods.
Q. What are the differences between poligeenan and carrageenan?
A. The production process for poligeenan requires treating carrageenan with strong acid at high temp (about that of boiling water) for 6 hours or more. These severe processing conditions convert the long chains of carrageenan to much shorter ones: ten to one hundred times shorter. In scientific terms the molecular weight of poligeenan is 10,000 to 20,000; whereas that of carrageenan is 200,000 to 800,000. Concern has been raised about the amount of material in carrageenan with molecular weight less than 50,000. The actual amount (well under 1%) cannot even be detected accurately with current technology. Certainly it presents no threat to human health.
Q. What is the importance of these molecular weight differences?
A. Poligeenan contains a fraction of material low enough in molecular weight that it can penetrate the walls of the digestive tract and enter the blood stream. The molecular weight of carrageenan is high enough that this penetration is impossible. Animal feeding studies starting in the 1960s have demonstrated that once the low molecular weight fraction of poligeenan enters the blood stream in large enough amounts, pre-cancerous lesions begin to form. These lesions are not observed in animals fed with a food containing carrageenan.
Q. Does carrageenan get absorbed in the digestive track?
A. Carrageenan passes through the digestive system intact, much like food fiber. In fact, carrageenan is a combination of soluble and insoluble nutritional fiber, though its use level in foods is so low as not to be a significant source of fiber in the diet.
Summary
Carrageenan has been proven completely safe for consumption. Poligeenan is not a component of carrageenan.
Closing Remarks
The consumer watchdogs with their blogs and websites would do far more service to consumers by researching their sources and present only what can be substantiated by good science. Unfortunately we are in an era of media frenzy that rewards controversy.
Additional information available:
On June 11th, 2008, Dr. Joanne Tobacman petitioned the FDA to revoke the current regulations permitting use of carrageenan as a food additive.
On June 11th, 2012 the FDA denied her petition, categorically addressing and ultimately dismissing all of her claims; their rebuttal supported by the results of several in-depth, scientific studies. If you would like to read the full petition and FDA response, they can be accessed at http://www.regulations.gov/#!searchResults;rpp=25;po=0;s=FDA-2008-P-0347
Is this the same Harris J. (‘Pete’) Bixler (Treasurer) that works for the International Seaweed Association? … Suspect
A government source? LOL
If the FDA dismissed Dr. Tobacman’s petition, then I KNOW the good Doctor was right! I worked in a health food store for a number of years and have done much research – as much as possible anyway on this topic. It is true she (Dr. Tobacman) petitioned the FDA and was denied. I cannot base this post on trust that the FDA is watching out for all Americans. The FDA is a farce – therefore, this girl has eliminated carageenan completely out her diet.
Hi Dr. Harris J. Bixler, I just saw that you are trying to repost this entire comment under a different name (“Debbie” but with exact same IP address) at the top of this comments section – why do you feel the need to post your comment twice? Could it be because you work for the seaweed association? http://www.isaseaweed.org/council.php I’ve noticed that you have posted this exact comment on several blogs talking about carrageenan. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion (as are you) I just ask that you don’t spam my comments section. Thank you, Angela
My apologies for the duplication. Dr. Bixler is the author of the Q&A. I did not realize his paper had already been posted here. I did not intent for it to be spam. You are correct, everyone is entitled to his or her opinion, I’m just trying to get the facts on carrageenan out to the public. There is so much on the web regurgitating misinformation about carrageenan, I have no doubt that there are people with legitimate allergies to carrageenan just as there are people with allergies to peanuts, latex, and countless other things, my point is that carrageenan that is used in food products is not carcinogenic, if I believed it was I would avoid it myself.
Again, apologies for the duplication and thank you for the opportunity to post my opinion.
It’s interesting that use isn’t even brand specific. When you look at the chart, one brand with multiple products – some use it, some don’t.
I noticed this too…I wonder why they do this? If one way works, you’d think they’d use it in all of them. Or perhaps, some of the brands are making the change gradually. It might be worth asking!
I’m sick to my stomach–pardon the pun–reading this. My flax milk, I see, is full of it, and it makes me wonder if this is why my lip keeps swelling and I still have occasional intestinal issues. Time to switch to soy, extra estrogen be damned.
Hi Angela,
Although I share the wonderfulness & creativity of your posts daily with my readers at both Raw Food Rehab & Upgrade Your Plate, I’ve not been a good blogger friend in that I never leave you comments. Today seems like the perfect time to let you know that I deeply appreciate all that you do and posts like this are really important to share. I am a life-long IBS sufferer, and have never looked into carrageenan, other than to know it was a seaweed – I mean how bad could that be, right? Well, thanks for your research and now I know what to look for and what not to buy for me and my family.
Keep up the amazing work….
Love & respect,
Penni Shelton
Thank you Penni, I appreciate it! I hope you find relief for your symptoms too
Hi Angela,
I love your blog. I’ve hope you don’t mind that I am a former vegan/veg but I still adore your blog. I found out approx 6 months ago about carrageenan. Please don’t cringe when I tell you this, I also found out that my diet/lifestyle was contributing to my health problems. I had bloodwork that showed I have intestinal permeability, so not only was that additive contributing to my inflammation and pain, but grains and legumes as well. I still am veg at heart, but I know from trial and error that I was never sicker. I am reading you posts on becoming vegan with interest as well, because I don’t know where I went wrong. Has anyone else had this experience? Can it be that vegan does not work for everyone? Trust me, I am not in the Paleo bacon camp, but for the moment I had to add lean animal protein with tons of veggies/fruit, limited nuts and seeds as this also causes inflammation. I am finally pain free and not to be TMI, use the bathroom normally. P.S. Awesome almond milk demo on youtube for milk made with ice, water, and soaked dates and nuts. Best I found. Thank you.
I personally don’t think there is a one size fits all approach to food/diet when it comes to anyone. We each have to figure it out for ourselves. I’m sorry that you had problems with grains and legumes, but at least now you are aware of it and can make appropriate changes to feel better.
Nettie, how did you find out about your intestinal permeability? I think I may have that issue as well, but when I asked, my doctor said there’s no test for it.
I’m glad you found out what food makes you feel best.
And Angela, thanks for bringing up the subject of carrageenan. I’d heard of it, and always felt slightly discomfited, but just thought it was a moss or seaweed. It seems Sharla may be right – growing/making everything yourself seems the only way to guarantee a safe food product!
I was just recently diagnosed with IBS after my c- section. It sucks. I’m not 100% positive as to that being what I have, but I’ve been vegan for ….nearly 13 yrs, and am trying to watch ingredients. I had heard that carageenan may not be good, but didn’t realize it directly related to gut problems. I am going to buy a different milk as well, and see if it helps. Thank you so much. Nice to know I’m not alone.