Does carrageenan disrupt the health of your intestines?

You could eat this additive that disrupts your intestines every day. Here’s how to identify carrageenan and why you’ll want to avoid it.

You will find carrageenan’s in all types of products, from canned pizza highly processed to kefir without dairy products, and even coconut water.

The truth is that carrageenan could disrupt your gut health. Here is what the research says about this food additive. And, what happens when you consume it and how you can avoid it.

What is carrageenan?

Carrageenan is an additive derived from red algae. It is found in all kinds of packaged foods, including organic nut milk, yogurt, and other “creamy” foods, where it is used as a thickener, binder, and emulsifier. It contains no calories or beneficial nutrients, as is the case with pure seaweed.

Although many people believe that this additive cannot be harmful because it comes from algae, studies regarding its safety are at most precarious.

There are two types of carrageenan: degraded (or poligeenan) and non-degraded. The key difference between the two is that Poligeenan not accepted as a food additive. Instead, it is used as a dye for X-rays [1].

How does carrageenan change after you eat it?

Certain acids transform the poligeenan into a slightly different compound. However, your stomach also uses a strong acid to break down much of your food. This leads researchers to wonder if the acid in your stomach could turn ordinary carrageenan into poligeenan in your stomach [2, 3].

This could be dangerous since animal studies show that poligeenan can cause inflammatory gastrointestinal illnesses such as colitis, as well as tumors [4, 5].

However, other studies contradict this claim, claiming that carrageenan does not break down in the digestive tract. Since these studies only involved animals, it is difficult to know the true effect in humans [6].

Let’s explore more modern studies to see why food quality could affect your gut health.

Read Also: What Is Maca Powder? The Secrets Of A Superfood

Why should you avoid it?

Conflict studies on the safety of carrageenans. Some animal studies show that it can cause ulcers and other intestinal problems in rodents. However, these are old studies from the 1970s, which begs the question of whether they are still relevant using current study methods.

Unfortunately, modern research remains patchy. Some animal studies have shown that food-grade carrageenans reduce glucose tolerance and increase insulin resistance, two major concerns for the prevention and management of diseases such as diabetes and obesity. Other studies in animals and humans have shown that inflammation is caused.

Studies in rats have also revealed that food-grade carrageenan may promote tumor growth in liver cells, although scientists aren’t exactly sure how it goes.

Carrageenan and gut health

Inflammation is one of the main effects of carrageenan (or carrageenan) on gut health. Studies have shown that it activates the inflammatory pathways of intestinal cells which could lead to gastrointestinal illnesses such as Crohn’s syndrome and irritable bowel.

Many people with irritable bowel syndrome and other inflammatory bowel diseases claim that eliminating carrageenan from their diet has significantly improved their symptoms.

Other animal studies have suggested that carrageenan may increase intestinal permeability, which could cause intestinal leakage. It is a condition in which food and other particles can pass through the damaged intestinal mucosa and cause an immune response and inflammation.

However, some other animal studies on different species show no reaction to carrageenan. Which shows that its effects may be dependent on the species. In other words, it could negatively affect humans or not.

How to avoid carrageenans

Many natural food products contain carrageenan. Some most common items are:

• Ice cream, yogurts, and non-dairy cheeses
• Plant milk: nuts and rice, including almond milk
• Coconut milk (canned and canned)
• Delicatessen
• Kefir
• Coconut water
• Packaged foods like dips, snacks, and pizza

Vegan and vegetarian products often contain it to replace gelatin. Make sure to look under “other ingredients” on the label of all packaged foods, where you will see that it is listed.

Another (and probably one of the best) way to avoid this harmful additive is to consider making many of these products yourself.

The Bottom Line:

Carrageenan has no nutritional value and, given the number of studies and contradictory statements surrounding it. We advise you to avoid it if you can. Stick to the majority of whole foods on your diet and check the labels of everything that is packaged so you don’t go wrong.