Carrageenan?

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Kylie Campbell
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Hi, just wondering about Carrageenan. I’m a beginner vegan and I’ve never seen/noticed the word Carrageenan before so I googled it and the information is very scary to be recommended this ingredient/product. It says it’s available in two types where one is known to be harmful and the other type is known to worsen an already harmed (cancerous) body.
Why is this recommended on this site?
Like I said, I’m new but it’s things like this I’m wanting to avoid.
Thank you for this course. It’s helping me tremendously. I hope to cut the cheese soon lol.
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Yuriy
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Hi Kylie,

I'm not a nutritionist so I will just share a few references:

According to https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articl ... 7#research, the latest scientific review shows "no evidence to draw conclusions about health effects"

According to https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/ag ... arrageenan, it's "considered safe and allowed for consumption as food additives under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations in USA (Food and Drug Administration, 2018), by the European Parliament and Council Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008 (Annex II and Annex III), and by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)"

Additional source citing no negative implications:
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingre ... arrageenan

I can see according to https://www.healthline.com/health/food- ... nan#safety there was a 2001 review suggesting negative health implications, specifically in relation to the two types you mention. However, the latest review from 2018 (linked in the medicalnewstoday article) concluded no evidence for negative health implications.

So, overall it doesn't appear to be something dangerous according to the latest science and the regulatory bodies, but if you're concerned you can always opt for alternatives that don't contain it. I did a quick search and it looks like there are vegan milks and cheeses without it as well :)
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Liam Gentile
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Hi Kylie, you may also find this video helpful: https://nutritionfacts.org/video/is-carrageenan-safe/. Dr. Michael Greger is a doctor specialising in clinical nutrition. The video offers quite a comprehensive look at the evidence and offers some practical suggestions.
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