Carrageenan Information

What is Carrageenan?

Carrageenan is a popular food additive which is extracted from red seaweed. Red seaweed is commonly referred to as "Irish moss". Carrageenan has absolutely no nutritional value. Essentially, Carrageenan is typically used as a thickener in such foods as ice cream, cottage cheese and yogurt.

Carrageenan is normally found in processed foods. This additive has no other function except to improve the texture and appearance of certain food items. Therefore, Carrageenan approves the appearance of foods to make them more attractive for purchase.  

There are forms of Carrageenan which are considered degraded. Degraded forms of this additive have been shown to cause certain cancers as well and ulcers within the digestive tract.

Aside from testing and certain studies concerning Carrageenan, some health officials have suggested that it may be better to remove all forms of Carrageenan from the market. Many of the studies were based upon the fact that Carrageenan produces serious internal inflammation. Over a period of time inflammation can cause other more serious health problems.

Possible Health Concerns associated with Carrageenan:

Furthermore, it has been proven that repeated exposure to Carrageenan in laboratory animals seems to alter glucose as well as insulin levels. Therefore, it is possible this additive could cause sugar levels in humans to become unbalanced.

The FDA seems not to be convinced that Carrageenan is as dangerous as it has been portrayed. Carrageenan still remains on the market. Health officials have stated that anyone with stomach ailments or bowel disease should be cautious about their consumption of Carrageenan. Therefore, health officials are acknowledging that this additive may aggravate already existing health conditions however not enough concern exists to remove the product from the market altogether.

Finally, as with anything it is best to take things in moderation. Therefore, it may be a wise decision for everyone weather you have health issues or not to limit consumption of carrageenan.