Comments on: What is Carrageenan?

By: Docizn

Docizn — Mon, 23 Jun 2014 18:41:33 +0000

I wrote to Publix about their use of carrageenan in their yogurt , telling them that it was a known cancer causing agent and I found it to be an unconscionable act that they added this to their otherwise great products. I never received a reply back!

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 04:56:09 +0000

wow, this is eye opening! does all seaweed that you buy at Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Costco, etc. include carrageenan or only specific types of seasweed (e.g., red)?

By: janci

janci — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 14:23:41 +0000

another important excerpt: "we have found
convincing evidence that carrageenan activates biologically significant pathways. Some
of the effects of carrageenan are related to 1) activation of reactive oxygen species, 2)
reduction in activity of sulfatase enzymes, and 3) ACTIVATION OF GENES INVOLVED IN CARCINOGENESIS."
(emphasis mine. note: carcinogenesis = initiation and growth of cancer cells.)

By: janci

janci — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 14:04:39 +0000

From recently posted research, up to 25% of the food-grade carrageenan was actually the low-molecular-weight (unsafe) carrageenan. ugh.

"As the
carrageenan manufacturers have shown in
their Round Robin analysis of degraded
carrageenan content in food-
grade carrageenan (Marinalg
Working Group report of
January 2006 ]Technical pos
ition on measurements rela
ted to meeting the EC
molecular weight distribution specificat
ion for carrageenan and
PES), up to 25%
carrageenan of molecular weight less t
han 50,000 was measured in the food-grade
carrageenan that was tested. Other
research has indicated that
acid digestion, heating,
bacterial action, and mechanical processing
can increase the amount of degraded
carrageenan obtained from higher molecular
weight carrageenan."

Read more of the research here. http://www.cornucopia.org/DrTobacmanComment_toNOSB.pdf

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 18:40:47 +0000

The Cornucopia Institute just released a report compiling the scientific evidence linking the food additive carrageenan to gastrointestinal inflammation and disease. The press release and report are available here: http://www.cornucopia.org/ and http://www.cornucopia.org/carrageenan-2013/. They're also asking people who cut carrageenan out of their diet and who noticed improvements in their gastrointestinal health to fill out an online questionnaire (http://www.cornucopia.org/carrageenan-questionnaire/), which is designed to assist medical researchers in better understanding the impact of carrageenan on public health.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 15:36:17 +0000

Thank you so much for this information. I am newly diagnosed with Celiac Disease and finding I am sensitive to more than just gluten and its derivatives. I was reviewing the ingredients of Fit Freeze which the promoter is claiming it's healthy yet I had to go to another website (not his ad) to find out the ingredients. Full of lots of things I would not eat nor should anyone.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sat, 18 Aug 2012 19:53:44 +0000

This is the first blog I have read that warns celiac folks (and gluten sensitive for that matter) that if they are continuing to have symptoms to eliminate foods with carrageenan. (Whole Foods is well aware of this issue and is working to eliminate it in their 365 brands – their almond milk is now "CF" as I call it – and they are working on soy, coconut, rice, et al.) The original, natural brand of Breyers is also safe for those searching for an ice cream – but the creamy versions contain carrageenan so read that label carefully! The real issue is that the dairy suppliers are delivering their creams to ice cream manufactures with the carrageenan in it even to local ice cream makers. One manager at Unos noted to me he can eat cheese, yogurt, drink milk, but always gets sick from ice cream…told him to try some brands without the seaweed/carrageenan…I am amazed that more GI docs to not know this and warn their patients!

I made this connection to carrageenan with gluten-like symptoms when I had been symptom free for months on my GF program, feeling great and then made my kids some pudding and homemade whip cream-both the packaged pudding and liquid whipping cream contained it…some internet searches and I discovered that it was likely the carrageenan – and accidental partaking it down the line confirmed it.

To continue this circle I reacted to a can of Eden beans from Whole Foods-what was in it? You guessed seaweed-brown kombu type…so when the holistic docs and Dr. Oz note munching on seaweed to decrease joint inflammation – I get not only GI symptoms that are gluten-like in nature but also joint and back pain…To complete this circle I reacted to some low salt chicken broth that had monoammonium glutamate – a close relative of MSG that was originally derived from seaweed during and after WWII…

So here is my theory as my symptoms with carrageenan/seaweed/MSG and its derivative are not solely GI oriented but are inflammatory joint/muscle as well – that it is the inner protein core of the seaweed that contains the gluten proteins…I am working to get some researcher to do an amino acid sequence on the 2-3 red seaweeds used to make carrageenan…one researcher with a major celiac group said they must have done this sequencing in checking for other substances with gluten (though he never confirmed they had checked major seaweeds species used in our food supply) and that I likely was responding to the complex polysaccharide of the seaweed – which would make sense if a)I had issues with other complex (non-gluten containing) plant foods or b) I only had GI symptoms…

This research to see if the seaweeds in our foods have a similar AAA sequence to the gliadins & glutenines is the key to getting this crap out of our foods.If we can say it is gluten-containing…manufacturers will have to list it as such and watch how fast it will come out of our processed foods!

By: Jnc

Jnc — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 21:06:41 +0000

here's my two cents regarding carrageenan and cancer:
the carrageenan that causes cancer is a low-molecular-weight form of carrageenan. its polymer chains have been shortened chemically.
high-molecular-weight (long-chain) carrageenan supposedly does not cause cancer.
so food manufacturers put high-molecular-weight carrageenans in our foods and call it "safe."
i have several concerns about this.
1 - can we be sure that our stomach acids do not break down the high-molecular weight carrageenans into shorter chains while they are in our body? i'd hate to think i'm eating the "safe" carrageenan and then letting my body convert it into the "unsafe" version. i'm an organic chemist, and i know that most polymers (including proteins like carrageenan) are susceptible to having their chains shortened by acids. like stomach acid.
2 - if we do trust that long-chain carrageenans are "safe," then we are trusting the production processes of whatever manufacturing plant makes the carrageenan. but if their temperatures or pressures are off just a bit, they could easily be producing short-chain carrageenans instead of long-chain. this could go straight into our food supply. do we really trust them to a) notice, and b) report mistakes?
3 - carrageenan is clearly not "safe" for me, as it gives me migraines and diarrhea. so i'm not eating it regardless of my cancer risk.

By: Vanessa

Vanessa — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 19:44:33 +0000

Ok sorry for the typos

When the USE carrageenan
WHOLE foods based

By: Vanessa

Vanessa — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 19:42:43 +0000

I sent an inquiry to Trader Joes and asked them why they see carrageenan in thei almond milks when it was linked with cancer. The response I got was that carrageenan is safe when it is who's foods based and not chemically altered. I'm not sure about this, does anyone know?