Know What You are Eating. What is Carrageenan?
What is in your food?
Let us take a look at some of the common thickening agents in your store-bought food to demystify the big words into a digestible format. Because it may not be something you want to ingest for your body constitution.
Some common thickeners in health food products and supplements are: wheat flour (made from grinding the wheat grain, concern is with celiac disease, allergy or sensitivity to gluten), cornstarch (a carbohydrate extracted from the endosperm of corn, concern is with GMO, organic is recommended), arrowroot powder (made by extracting the starches from the tubers of the arrowroot plant, maranata arundinacea, often commercially manufactured from the cassava root), tapioca starch (a gluten-free flour made from the starch of cassava root), xanthan gum (when sugar is fermented by a type of bacteria called xanthomonas campestris, it creates a broth or goo-like substance, which is made solid by adding an alcohol), agar-agar (a plant-based gelatin derived from seaweed), gelatin (a common gelling agent derived animal products), gum arrabic or acacia (a natural gum consisting of the hardened sap of two species of the acacia tree), potato starch (made from the starch of potatoes), sago (an edible starch that is made from the pith of an array of tropical palm trees, concern is environmental issues of deforesting), guar gum (extracted from guar bean), locust bean gum (from the carob tree), pectin (from apples or citrus fruit) and carrageenan.
Thickeners range from flavourless powders to gums and are used in a variety of conditions including pH, frozen state, clarity and taste. It is important to mention stabilizers and gelling agents when touching on thickeners, as there is a common overlap in functionality. Primarily, if from natural substances, thickeners are FDA approved as direct additives incorporated into foods and supplements to provide structure, viscosity, stability and other qualities, such as maintaining existing color. Most thickeners are polysaccharides, proteins, or sugars with some variance. Caution in usage amount needs to be taken into consideration for those with digestive dysbiosis, sensitivities and autoimmune disorders. Including: SIBO, IBS, Chrons, Colitis, and RA to name a few. Or if you ingest a lot of a certain product amount will need to be taken into consideration. Maintaining a focus on a whole food diet is imperative, as many thickeners are used in highly processed convenience and snack foods.
I will focus on primarily today as it is in many products and what is it anyway? Carrageenan is an indigestible polysaccharide extracted from red seaweed, called rhodophycae, commonly known as irish moss. This edible seaweed is originally sources form the British Isles and usage dates back to approximately 400 A.D. in Ireland. It has been used in traditional cooking for hundreds of years. Since the 1970s, food and beverage companies discovered it’s useful and superior gelling and thickening properties. You will find it commonly in ice cream, cottage cheese, milk alternatives, jelly, pudding, nutritional/diet drinks, chewable vitamins, and infant formula.
Carrageenan is vegan. Since it is a plant, manufacturers use it to replace gelatin, which is made from animal parts and shares the same gelling thickening properties but holds ethical concerns. Three main categories that are typically used in the food industry today: kappa, iota and lambda. All have a relatively simple molecular structure, made of a linear polymer of galactose sugars. Dairy manufacturers have long used carrageenan in beverages like chocolate milk, and dairy-alternative products such as soymilk for the positive sensory experience in the mouth feeling. Carrageenan is especially common in non-dairy milks such as almond milk, coconut milk and in frozen desserts, baked goods, and even formed proteins.
Carrageenan is a whole food called undegraded but the refined or isolated product called degraded carrageenan is found in modern processed foods called poligeenan. Both human and animal studies have inconclusive evidence to confirm negative health implications often suggested including: inflammatory and carcinogenic properties and leading to or contributing to IBS, RA, colon cancer and toxicity to the digestive tract. Some general symptoms may be bloating, gas, and inflammation. Most studies were mostly done using poligeenan and done in isolated situations that differ from how the public ingest carrageenan. These two compounds of carrageenan have very different chemical properties and should really be treated separately. Carrageenan derived from natural sources meet all of the FDA standards for safety, intended use and populations.
Medicinally, there are no conclusive findings but some have used in respiratory conditions in a folklore traditional way. There is also possible application in bone and cartilage tissue engineering, wound healing, and antimicrobial formulations. There is some research in treating medical conditions, such as dysphagia, to make swallowing easier and reduce the risk of aspiration.
From my exploration, it seems that it can be both farmed and harvested from the sea. So, if gathering is done in a sustainable way then there is no environmental harm, but if standards are not followed there is a risk of extinction. Like any sea harvesting it is a fine balance and care must be taken. So, farming needs to be done in a way that is not harmful to the natural environment. Typical harvesting areas include the Americas, Europe and Asia, including China, Japan, Korea and Philippines.
Food-drug interactions are possible with certain medications. It may cause adverse side effects in people taking anticoagulants and antihypertensive drugs.
So, in short should we be using this substance…my al time favourite answer is it depends on the person. Since there is no conclusive evidence that the undegrated food grade form is truly a carcinogen or digestive disrupter. Moderate use should be okay for most people but if someone is highly sensitive caution and moderate use is key.
In summary, the thickening agent carrageen is derived form seaweed commonly used in many food products and supplements. It is vegan and generally safe for moderate use for those with no-underlying digestive conditions or sensitivities. Some medicinal explorations are reaching to respiratory, bone and tissue regeneration. It is also used in dysphagia for easier swallowing capacity in supplements. The evolution of the use of carrageenan will continue to expand as food scientists find more creative ways to use its desirable functional attributes. Like all of the above mentioned thickeners, they are soluble fibre that are not broken down by the digestive tract and slow digestion time, other than gelatin they are all vegan and are FDA approved in their natural form. There is inconclusive evidence about their capacity to cause digestive irritation. It depends on the patient’s digestive capacity and the amount ingested and frequency of use. This must be monitored with a critical eye as the food and supplement industry changes, making sure the natural form is being used. In general, most concerns about food additives are related to synthetic forms of the product. It is paramount to air on the side of caution and limit intake and discontinue if negative side effects arise.
References:
https://chriskresser.com/harmful-or-harmless-carrageenan/#Human_Studies
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1242073/
https://www.naturalproductsinsider.com/business-resources/about-carrageenan
https://foodandnutrition.org/may-june-2017/stabilizers-thickeners-gelling-agents/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/carrageenan
