Carrageenan is a compound extracted from red seaweed consisting of a mixture of polysaccharides. It’s widely used in the food industry and can be found in products like plant-based milks, deli meats, yogurt, and ice creams.
It is used as:
-A thickening and stabilizing agent, as when used in products such as ice cream and other dairy products, nut milks, and, as a replacement for animal fats or gelatin,
-Coating materials, when applied to pre-cut fruit.
-A water retention agent, when applied to fish before processing.
-Processing aids, when used in the clarification of beer or juice.
-Clarifiers and heat stabilizers, as when used in wine.
-An additive in various medications and personal care products, as when used in toothpaste.
While the FDA assures consumers that carrageenan is safe, and it’s considered “natural” because it is derived from seaweed, the evidence suggests otherwise, linking carrageenan to gastrointestinal symptoms, inflammation, allergic responses, and cancers.
Multiple studies have connected carrageenan to intestinal irritation and inflammatory bowel disease. Both animal and in vitro studies show that carrageenan can trigger immune responses and promote chronic inflammation in the digestive tract, even at low doses.
It’s important to note that the FDA has banned degraded carrageenan, called poligeenan, from use in food since the 1970s due to its well-documented carcinogenic and inflammatory effects. Poligeenan is a product created when carrageenan is exposed to strong acids and high heat, and it has been shown in animal studies to cause ulcerations, intestinal tumors, and severe inflammation, especially in the colon. While food-grade carrageenan is chemically different and considered safer, there are concerns that it can partially degrade into poligeenan-like fragments once inside the body. This degradation may occur under the acidic conditions in the stomach, during food processing involving heat, or over time with long storage. We may not be consuming degraded carrageenan directly, but we could be consuming it indirectly due to these environmental factors, raising similar safety concerns.
And even without full degradation, carrageenan can still cause inflammation. The effects of intestinal inflammation are often underestimated. The more the gut is inflamed, the more toxins are absorbed. As these various inflammatory factors are absorbed, the break-down products of carrageenan synergize with estrogen, unsaturated fats, and bacterial endotoxin to cause systemic inflammation.
Carrageenan causes inflammation by:
-Irritating the gut lining, making it more permeable and allowing toxins to leak into the bloodstream.
-As gut bacteria break carrageenan into smaller fragments that trigger widespread inflammation, especially when combined with estrogen, seed oils, and/or bacterial toxins.
-Carrageenan is toxic to immune cells (macrophages), causing them to swell, rupture, and die, which sparks more inflammation.
-It binds to a receptor called TLR-4, setting off a chain reaction of inflammation that activates NF-kB and increases IL-8, an inflammatory signal that draws more immune cells and worsens inflammation.
-Intestinal fermentation increases systemic and brain serotonin, and when intestinal bacteria break down the carrageenan into smaller fragments that can more easily enter the cell, the carcinogenic effects of the carrageenan are magnified.
A French study following 92,000 participants for 7 years found that higher intakes of carrageenan was associated with a higher risk of cancer, especially breast cancer (a 32% increased risk.) found associations between carrageenan and breast, prostate, and overall risk of cancer.
Some research suggests that carrageenan may impair liver detoxification pathways, particularly phase II glucuronidation and sulfation, the processes the body uses to break down and eliminate excess estrogen. When these pathways are disrupted, estrogen can circulate for longer in its active form, contributing to estrogen dominance and increasing cancer risk. Combined with carrageenan’s known ability to activate inflammatory pathways, this creates a biological environment that may promote hormone-sensitive cancers such as breast cancer.
One study examined the effects of carrageenan when fed to animals. Including carrageenan in the water and food of the animals led to fetal toxicity, teratogenicity, birth defects, pulmonary lesions, hepatomegaly, ulcerative disease of the large bowel with hyperplastic, metaplastic, and polypoidal mucosal changes, enhancement of neoplasia by carcinogens, and, colorectal carcinoma.
The good news is that progesterone has been shown to be protective against carrageenan induced inflammation, by suppressing the vascular permeability (leaky blood vessels) and the formation of granulation tissue (inflamed tissue) in the early phase of the inflamation.
How to avoid carrageenan in everyday life:
-Read the labels on products you purchase.
-Avoid buying ice-cream from cheap restaurants or places that do not list ingredients.
-Avoid supermarket fish, opting for wild-caught fish from a reputable source instead.
-Avoid pre-cut fruit.
-Check the ingredients on your medications and toothpaste.
-Avoid alcohol with undisclosed ingredients.