Carrageenan question

[Neera]

I am sure I read it here that it causes problems. Does anyone know why it's a problem? I can't seem to find the post about it. I did do a search but it didn't show up. Our rice milk and coconut milk contain carrageenan.

[SundayCrepes]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrageenan

Health concerns

The Joint FAO/WHO expert committee on food additives states that, "based on the information available, it is inadvisable to use carrageenan or processed eucheuma seaweed in infant formulas".^[14] There is evidence from studies performed on rats, guinea pigs, and monkeys that indicates that degraded carrageenan (poligeenan) may cause ulcerations in the gastro-intestinal tract and gastro-intestinal cancer.^[15] Poligeenan is produced from carrageenan subjected to hightemperatures and acidity. The average carrageenan molecule weighs over 100,000 Da while poligeenans have a molecular weight of less than 50,000 Da. A scientific committee working on behalf of the European Commission has recommended that the amount of degraded carrageenan be limited to a maximum of 5% (which is the limit of detection) of total carrageenan mass. Upon testing samples of foods containing high molecular weight carrageens, researchers found no poligeenan.^[16]

A recent publication^[17] indicates that carrageenan induces inflammation in human intestinal epithelial cells in tissue culture through a BCL10-mediated pathway that leads to activation of NFkappaB and IL-8. Carrageenan may be immunogenic due to its unusual alpha-1,3-galactosidic link that is part of its disaccharide unit structure. Consumption of carrageenan may have a role in intestinal inflammation and possibly inflammatory bowel disease, since BCL10 resembles NOD2, mutations of which are associated with genetic proclivity to Crohn's Disease.

Carrageenan is reported to interfere with macrophage activity.^[18][19][20]

[SundayCrepes]

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA44833

Carrageenan is a common food additive that comes from red seaweed also known as Irish Moss or Chondrus Crispus. Carrageen has long been used as a thickener and emulsifier in ice cream, yogurt, cottage cheese and other processed food products, including soy milk.

However, results of a study published in October 2001 suggest that carrageenan may not be as safe as once thought. Findings from animal studies and a review of the scientific literature showed that degraded forms of carrageenan can cause ulcerations and cancers of the gastrointestinal tract.

The researcher who made the connection between carrageenan and cancer, Joanne Tobacman, an assistant professor of clinical internal medicine at the University of Iowa College of Medicine, noted that as long ago as 1972 the FDA determined that there was enough evidence from animal studies to limit the type of carrageenan that could be used in foods. However, in 1979, the FDA rescinded its proposed limitation and since then, no action has been taken.

Concerns about carrageenan have centered on the "degraded" type which is distinguished from the "undegraded" type by its lower molecular weight. Most of the studies linking carrageenan to cancer and other gastrointestinal disorders have focused on degraded carrageenan. But Dr. Tobacman thinks that undegraded carrageenan - the kind most widely used as a food additive - might also be associated with malignancies and other stomach problems. She suggests that such factors as bacterial action, stomach acid and food preparation may transform undegraded carrageenan into the more dangerous degraded type. Dr. Tobacman's findings were published in the October 2001 issue ofEnvironmental Health Perspectives, a publication of the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), a branch of the National Institutes of Health. So far, no government action has been taken as a result of Dr. Tobacman's findings. She is currently looking into the possibility of an association between carrageenan and breast cancer risk.

Given this new information on carrageenan, I would recommend avoiding regular consumption of products containing it. While some brands of soy milk do contain the additive, others do not. With a little research you should be able to find a product that suits your taste and doesn't contain carrageenan.

Andrew Weil, M.D.

[Neera]

wow. v. hard to find vegan milks without it.

[SundayCrepes]

Originally Posted by Neera 

wow. v. hard to find vegan milks without it.

RIce Dream (cheap at Costco,) Trader Joe's Rice Milk (Rice Dream is cheaper at our Costco,) Trader Joe's soy milk in the box with some green on it, Trader Joe's almond milk in the fridge. I know the vanilla/unsweetened is carrageenan free, I'm not sure about the sweetened one (it has cane sugar, which my daughter can't do. Try doing dairy free milk without carrageenan or cane sugar!!!) Trader Joe's canned coconut milk.

[Neera]

Thanks. Don't know how much more expensive Trader Joe's is and is q. far from us for regular purchase. We can buy Rice Dream at our local store, though. so, that's a help for my morning cup. I love almond milk and might stock some from Trader Joes. We try to be soy free too because have heard it causes problems too.

 

Originally Posted by SundayCrepes 

RIce Dream (cheap at Costco,) Trader Joe's Rice Milk (Rice Dream is cheaper at our Costco,) Trader Joe's soy milk in the box with some green on it, Trader Joe's almond milk in the fridge. I know the vanilla/unsweetened is carrageenan free, I'm not sure about the sweetened one (it has cane sugar, which my daughter can't do. Try doing dairy free milk without carrageenan or cane sugar!!!) Trader Joe's canned coconut milk.

[SundayCrepes]

Originally Posted by Neera 

Thanks. Don't know how much more expensive Trader Joe's is and is q. far from us for regular purchase. We can buy Rice Dream at our local store, though. so, that's a help for my morning cup. I love almond milk and might stock some from Trader Joes. We try to be soy free too because have heard it causes problems too. 

Here, in Tucson, Trader Joe's is usually cheapest. I was at Whole Foods today and saw rice dream on SALE for $2 for a quart. TJ generic of exact same ingredients is about $1.70 a quart. I just bought three cases of rice dream at Costco for $1.33 a quart.

[Neera]

Thanks. We aren't members of Costco but we go to Sam's Club. Will check there. I think it was Naked juice, not sure, but when was buying it in bulk at Sam's Club, the ingredients weren't the same as an individual pack.
 

Originally Posted by SundayCrepes 

Here, in Tucson, Trader Joe's is usually cheapest. I was at Whole Foods today and saw rice dream on SALE for $2 for a quart. TJ generic of exact same ingredients is about $1.70 a quart. I just bought three cases of rice dream at Costco for $1.33 a quart.

[Norbert]

Call your Costco and tell them to start carrying it again!!  Mine has stopped carrying it!