Should You Remove Carrageenan from Your Diet？

What is carrageenan?

Carrageenan is an additive used to thicken, emulsify, and preserve foods and drinks. It’s a natural ingredient that comes from red seaweed (also called Irish moss). You’ll often find this ingredient in nut milks, meat products, and yogurt.

Since the late 1960s, there’s been controversy surrounding the health effects of carrageenan. Some evidence suggests that carrageenan triggers inflammation, gastrointestinal ulcerations, and that it damages your digestive system. People have been petitioning for products with carrageenan to be labeled with a warning or removed entirely. 

Dangers and side effects of carrageenan

Products with carrageenan may be labeled as “natural,” but limited studies show that carrageenan may promote or cause:

inflammation

bloating

irritable bowel syndrome

glucose intolerance

colon cancer

food allergies

Increased inflammation can lead to a greater likelihood of other diseases, such as:

inflammatory bowel disease

arthritis

tendonitis

chronic cholecystitis, or gallbladder inflammation

One reviewTrusted Source also suggests that there may be no substantial difference between “food-grade” (undegraded) and degraded carrageenan. Degraded carrageenan is a carcinogenic (cancer-causing) version that isn’t approved. It’s even used to induce inflammation in animal studies. According to Cornucopia, test results of food-grade carrageenan carried at least 5 percent degraded carrageenan. One sample had about 25 percent.

But many of the studies conducted on the dangers of carrageenan were on animals and cells. Reports of bloating, irritable bowel syndrome, and other digestive issues are mostly self-reported. People also report relief when they drop carrageenan from their diet.

Is it safe for consumption?

There need to be more human studies to confirm any link between carrageenan and digestive problems. In the meantime, you may want to limit how much carrageenan you consume.

The Food and Drug Administration still approves this ingredient. But in 2016, the National Organic Standards Board voted to remove carrageenan from their approved list. This means foods made with carrageenan can no longer be labeled “USDA organic.”

Which foods have carrageenan?

Carrageenan tends to be in vegan and vegetarian products. Since it’s a plant, manufacturers use it to replace gelatin, which is made from animal parts.

Carrageenan has no nutritional value, so you don’t have to worry about missing anything when you remove foods containing it. Finding replacements for vegetarian or vegan foods without carrageenan is possible. Just remember that carrageenan-free milks may separate. This is natural. All you have to do is shake well before pouring.

Carrageenan is also found in pet foods, especially canned ones. Choose a brand that does not contain this additive