Are you familiar with carrageenan? It’s an additive used widely by the food industry to thicken their products. Unfortunately, carrageenan can weaken your immune system, upset your GI tract, and may even cause cancer.
We've got a few tips to help you avoid this nasty additive. First, avoid foods that contain it, like baby formula, milk, dairy alternatives, and deli meat. Even foods labeled “natural” often contain carrageenan, so make sure you do your homework.
You’ll want to check the labels on the food you buy – especially thinks like almond milk and ice cream. Fortunately, there are plenty of organic, carrageenan-free options out there.
Review of harmful gastrointestinal effects of carrageenan in animal experiments.
Abstract
In
this article I review the association between exposure to carrageenan
and the occurrence of colonic ulcerations and gastrointestinal neoplasms
in animal models. Although the International Agency for Research on
Cancer in 1982 identified sufficient evidence for the carcinogenicity of
degraded carrageenan in animals to regard it as posing a carcinogenic
risk to humans, carrageenan is still used widely as a thickener,
stabilizer, and texturizer in a variety of processed foods prevalent in
the Western diet. I reviewed experimental data pertaining to
carrageenan's effects with particular attention to the occurrence of
ulcerations and neoplasms in association with exposure to carrageenan.
In addition, I reviewed from established sources mechanisms for
production of degraded carrageenan from undegraded or native carrageenan
and data with regard to carrageenan intake. Review of these data
demonstrated that exposure to undegraded as well as to degraded
carrageenan was associated with the occurrence of intestinal ulcerations
and neoplasms.
This association may be attributed to contamination of undegraded carrageenan by components of low molecular weight, spontaneous metabolism of undegraded carrageenan by acid hydrolysis under conditions of normal digestion, or the interactions with intestinal bacteria. Although in 1972, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration considered restricting dietary carrageenan to an average molecular weight > 100,000, this resolution did not prevail, and no subsequent regulation has restricted use. Because of the acknowledged carcinogenic properties of degraded carrageenan in animal models and the cancer-promoting effects of undegraded carrageenan in experimental models, the widespread use of carrageenan in the Western diet should be reconsidered.
This association may be attributed to contamination of undegraded carrageenan by components of low molecular weight, spontaneous metabolism of undegraded carrageenan by acid hydrolysis under conditions of normal digestion, or the interactions with intestinal bacteria. Although in 1972, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration considered restricting dietary carrageenan to an average molecular weight > 100,000, this resolution did not prevail, and no subsequent regulation has restricted use. Because of the acknowledged carcinogenic properties of degraded carrageenan in animal models and the cancer-promoting effects of undegraded carrageenan in experimental models, the widespread use of carrageenan in the Western diet should be reconsidered.
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