Carrageenan: Is This Ingredient Bad or Not?

Medically reviewed by Melissa Nieves, LND

Carrageenan is a plant-based food ingredient. It is made from a type of red seaweed called Chondrus crispus. Its use in the world's food supply dates back at least 14,000 years.

Carrageenan is a common food additive, mainly in dairy and processed foods. While it has no health value, it is commonly used to thicken, gel, or suspend. It also has value in other products like toothpaste, lotions, and pet foods.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved carrageenan for use in food. However, some limited research has proposed a link to certain inflammatory health problems.

This article describes the debate about carrageenan and its uses in food. It also explains what to know so you can decide whether it is safe for you to consume.

Reasons for Carrageenan Controversy

Carrageenan has been used as a food additive in commercially produced food for many years. Even though the FDA categorized carrageenan as a "generally regarded as safe" (GRAS) additive in 1959, controversy remains about the consequences of consuming this substance.

Questions regarding the safety of carrageenan relate to reports that carrageenan may become toxic when it degrades in your digestive system and mixes with stomach acid. Laboratory and animal studies suggest that carrageenan can cause or worsen intestinal inflammation, as well as intestinal ulcers and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). IBD is a chronic condition of gut inflammation that includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

However, the controversy is based on the fact that the findings have not been tested on human models. The argument for the continued use of carrageenan is that it is not feasible to attribute the existing results of laboratory and animal tests to humans.

Is Carrageenan Vegan or Organic?

Any unprocessed plant-based food is considered vegan. Since carrageenan originates from a type of red seaweed, it meets this criteria.

While carrageenan is a natural food, it is not produced according to organic standards, so it is not considered organic on its one. However, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service, which oversees the nation's organics program, includes carrageenan as a nonorganic ingredient that can be used in organic products.

Carrageenan Uses in Food

Carrageenan is used to improve the texture, taste, and appearance of many types of foods. It is widely used in food as an emulsifier and stabilizer to keep ingredients from separating. It is also used as a thickening agent.

Carrageenan is a stabilizing ingredient in liquid infant formula to keep it from separating. It also is used to reduce the sodium content and retain freshness in lunch meat and lower the sugar content in jams and jellies.

Carrageenan can also significantly reduce fat and cholesterol content in food. In vegan foods, carrageenan is used as a substitute for animal fats and gelatin, a form of animal collagen.

Carrageenan is commonly used in a wide range of processed foods that include the following:

Dairy Products

• Ice cream

• Chocolate milk

• Sorbets

• Milk desserts
  

• Yogurt

• Products made from fresh cheese

• Products made from thickened and sterilized cream

Meats

• Canned meat

• Pâtés

• Frozen foods

• Glazed ham

• Lunch meat

Dairy Alternatives

• Almond milk

• Soy milk

• Coconut milk

• Oat milk

Products With Gelling Agents

• Jams and jellies

• Candied fruit

• Icing sugar

Powdered Products

• Instant drinks

• Powdered milk desserts

• Hot milk pudding

• Baby formula

Soups and Sauces

• Emulsified sauces (mayonnaise, salad dressings)

• Gravies

• Soups
  

Food and Traditional Uses of Carrageenan

While carrageenan has been used in packaged foods for over 50 years, there is evidence of its use for medicinal purposes in China as early as 600 B.C. and as a food source dating to about 400 B.C. on the British Isles (made up of the modern-day United Kingdom, Ireland, and surrounding islands).

More recently, carrageenan has been cultivated for its gelling properties in foods and medicines in North America, Europe, and the British Isles, especially Ireland. Records from the 1800s indicate that the Irish used carrageenan to treat colds, intestinal disorders, ulcers, sore throats, coughs, and other respiratory ailments.

Carrageenan was traditionally added as a food ingredient to tonics, beers, flans (a type of dessert), and Irish pudding. It also proved to be a valuable resource during the Irish potato famine in the 1800s, when it was used to create a fortified beverage that also included warmed milk, sugar, and spices.

Should You Avoid Foods With Carrageenan?

Physical reactions to carrageenan vary. Your reaction depends on factors related to the health of your gastrointestinal (GI) tract. These factors include gastric activity, mucosal integrity, and previous damage.

Research indicates that different types of diets can impact the management of IBD. These diets typically involve avoiding dairy products and processed foods (both common sources of carrageenan). If you have chronic inflammatory bowel disease or are at risk of this condition, you may want to steer clear of carrageenan foods.

Eliminating carrageenan from your diet is not likely to cause harm because it does not have nutritional value. However, avoiding certain food groups may impact other aspects of your well-being based on your general health.

Since there is a need for more research on the safety of carrageenan, consult your healthcare provider whether you need to avoid or limit foods with carrageenan.

Learn More: Are Processed Foods Really That Bad?

Carrageenan and Inflammation: How Can You Tell?

The potential negative effects of carrageenan include aggravating intestinal inflammation. However, the extent to which carrageenan affects intestinal inflammation is unclear.

Symptoms of IBD include the following:

• Loose and watery or bloody diarrhea

• Severe or chronic abdominal cramping

• Appetite loss, leading to weight loss

• Fever

• Fatigue

• Rectal bleeding

• Joint pain

• Rashes and other skin problems

If you have symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease, contact your healthcare provider for a diagnosis. Discuss the advantages of eliminating carrageenan from your diet to possibly improve your symptoms if your diet contains foods typically high in carrageenan.

You can determine which products contain carrageenan by reading ingredient labels. Any products that contain carrageenan are legally required to include it in their ingredient list. A product's ingredient list includes ingredients in descending amounts, with ingredients having the highest percentage listed closer to the top.

Learn More: The Anatomy of the Colon (Large Intestine)

Summary

Carrageenan is a natural, plant-based product. It is used in a wide range of processed foods to improve the way they taste, feel, and look. While it has been used in folk medicine and cooking for centuries, its value has been argued.

Research in animal and lab studies ties carrageenan to inflammation and IBD. However, without research from human studies, the FDA and others maintain that it is safe to consume.

Most people do not seem to have a problem with carrageenan. If you have symptoms of IBD, consult your healthcare provider. You may benefit from taking this substance out of your diet to find out if your symptoms improve.

Read the original article on Verywell Health.