Carrageenan causes histamine induced inflammation

UPDATE: I have edited this post to reflect that carrageenan is an adulterated derivative of Irish Moss.

“Carrageenan induced inflammation-protocol” is a phrase that keeps coming up in my histamine research. Why is this relevant? Carrageenan, a derivative of Irish Moss, is a common food additive. A quick Google search turns up thousands of studies where anti-inflammatory medicines and compounds are tested on “carrageenan induced-inflammation” or “edema” [1]- it’s actually used to cause pain and inflammation in animals (poor things).

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In particular one study used it to induce inflammatory arthritis [2]. In a number of studies carrageenan has been shown to cause inflammation through its activity on the histamine H1 and H2 receptors [3] and may cause gastrointestinal damage [4]. I’ve also found a number mentioning mast cell degranulation which makes a lot of sense. These are all obviously terms those of us with histamine related disorders don’t want to hear associated with our food. Ouch. I used Irish Moss for years and this explains a lot…You’ll find carrageenan/irish moss in pretty much anything tasty on the supermarket shelf including:

Desserts, ice cream, cream, milkshakes, sweetened condensed milks, and sauces: gel to increase viscosity
Beer: clarifier to remove haze-causing proteins
Pâtés and processed meats (ham, e.g.): substitute for fat, increase water retention and increase volume, or improve sliceability
Toothpaste: stabilizer to prevent constituents separating
Fruit Gushers: ingredient in the encapsulated gel
Shampoo and cosmetic creams: thickeness
Biotechnology: gel to immobilize cells/enzymes
Pharmaceuticals: used as an inactive excipient in pills/tablets
Soy milk: used to thicken, in an attempt to emulate the consistency of whole milk
Diet sodas: to enhance texture and suspend flavours
Personal lubricants
Veggie dogs

From Wikipedia.

I’d like to see more studies comparing irish moss in it’s original state vs extracted and manipulated carrageenan as a food additive, but for now it’s not something I’m willing to have in my diet. Agar agar offers similar results in desserts without any of the negative associated studies (yet?).

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——– REFERENCES———

[1] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21639869

[2] http://www.tufts.edu/~ttheoh01/cam-theoharides.pdf

[3] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6852108

[4] http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA401181/Is-Carrageenan-Safe.html

11 responses to “Carrageenan causes histamine induced inflammation”

Sasha’s Naturals

October 13, 2012

Thanks for this. My husband just bought coconut milk yogurt thinking all the ingredients were benign – unfortunateIy I had to point out the carrageenan… and now have your article to back me up! Great blog!
Fiona Smith

December 12, 2012

Ok…I think my coffee is going to have to go. I only really drink decaf anyway, always drink decaf at home and I will only drink it with white stuff in it. I’ve been using coconut cream made by So Delicious. I checked the ingredients…of course it has carrageenan in it. How else would the coconut creaminess stay together without being oily? Ok, I’ll stick to warm water and lemon from hereon. Sigh…..I just love how coffee smells and the ritual of making it. As well as the time I will take to sit and drink it. I don’t do that with any other drink.
thelowhistaminechef

December 12, 2012

HI Fiona! Yes I think so too 🙁 Exactly! I checked labels obsessively for years (still do). Maybe you could come up with a new one with the tea? I used to like to use a mini coffee press thing (what are those called), chop some ginger, let it steep with some (organic) lemon peel and then serve in nice cups.
Tanya

March 22, 2014

Wow. This is eye-opening. I recently splurged on a $49.99 jar of fancy Schinoussa berry antioxidant greens blend and thought I’d ‘clean the pipes’ as they say. The last few days I’ve been noticing increasing bloating and water retention. (Sorry if this is TMI but I’m after my period so it’s not from that! I honestly look and feel 8 months preggers!) I started researching the ingredients from the top of the list down and this is what I find on Irish Moss?!?! Ok, that’s getting cut out as of immediately! How long till the bloating goes away? And I was doing so well on a low carb diet, getting slimmer! That was the only thing I had added to my diet! Damn, more money down the drain….
madethatway

February 6, 2015

Carrageenan and Irish Moss are not the same thing and I wish people would educate themselves before spreading hysteria.

Carrageenan is a commercial thickener MADE FROM Irish Moss, which explains why it causes problems.

it is NOT ‘Irish Moss’.

Anything ‘commercially made’ isn’t going to be as healthy as ‘straight from nature’.
madethatway

February 6, 2015

Carrageenan and Irish Moss are not the same thing and I wish people would educate themselves before spreading hysteria.

Carrageenan is a commercial thickener MADE FROM Irish Moss, which explains why it causes problems.

it is NOT ‘Irish Moss’.

Anything ‘commercially made’ isn’t going to be as healthy as ‘straight from nature’.
thelowhistaminechef

February 6, 2015

Hi, maybe you missed the end of my post where I say: “From Wikipedia. I’d like to see more studies comparing irish moss in it’s original state vs extracted and manipulated carrageenan as a food additive, but for now it’s not something I’m willing to have in my diet. Agar agar offers similar results in desserts without any of the negative associated studies (yet?).”
thelowhistaminechef

February 6, 2015

Hi, maybe you missed the end of my post where I say: “From Wikipedia. I’d like to see more studies comparing irish moss in it’s original state vs extracted and manipulated carrageenan as a food additive, but for now it’s not something I’m willing to have in my diet. Agar agar offers similar results in desserts without any of the negative associated studies (yet?).”
TCP1960

February 23, 2016

This is interesting I used to have a lot of products with this in. Best to cook from scratch with pure foods, so that you know what you are eating.
Aimee Frechem

February 24, 2016

I do not see CARRAGEENAN in my Coffee Mate natural Bliss liquid creamer. Would it be in the ingredients under another name?
Roberta

September 1, 2016

Anyone know if this ingredient has been linked to Eosinophyllic Esophagitis?

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Yasmina was an award-winning broadcast journalist with a decade of experience covering war zones for CNN and the BBC. She devoted her journalism skills to researching and writing about histamine. Click here to learn about her. Each post is carefully and fully referenced with the latest scientific research. Not sure where to start? Here’s a four week meal plan and overall Histamine Reset.