Carrageenan: a harmful food additive

During the latter half of the twentieth century, inflammatory bowel disease and gastrointestinal malignancy have been major causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Even with improvements in treatment and cancer screening, colorectal cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer mortality in the United States. The Western diet has been considered a possible source of inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal malignancy, and intensive efforts have been undertaken to study the impact of specific constituents of the Western diet, such as fiber and fat.

One food additive, carrageenan, has been associated with induction and promotion of intestinal neoplasms and ulcerations in numerous animal experiments; however, carrageenan remains a widely used food additive. In 1982, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) designated degraded carrageenan as Group 2B, noting sufficient evidence for the carcinogenicity of degraded carrageenan in animal models to infer that "in the absence of adequate data on humans, it is reasonable, for practical purposes, to regard chemicals for which there is sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in animals as if they presented a carcinogenic risk to humans". The National Research Council has noted this designation for degraded carrageenan in their 1996 monograph. Recognizing the impact of carrageenan in animal models, several European and British investigators have advised against the continued use of carrageenan in food. Several reports have called attention to the problems associated with carrageenan consumption.

Extracted from red seaweed, carrageenan has been used in food products for centuries and was patented as a food additive for use in the United States in the 1930s. It has been used widely as a food additive, contributing to the texture of a variety of processed foods. It has also been used as a laxative, as treatment for peptic ulcer disease, and as a component of pharmaceuticals, toothpaste, aerosol sprays, and other products. In 1959, carrageenan was granted GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe) status in the United States. GRAS substances are permitted to be incorporated into food products as long as good manufacturing processes are used and the substance is used only in sufficient quantity to achieve the desired effect.

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