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Other Names: Algas, Algue Rouge Marine, Carrageen, Carrageenin, Carragenano, Carragenina, Carragheenan, Carraghénane, Carraghénine, Chondrus crispus, Chondrus Extract, Euchema species, Extrait de Mousse d’Irlande, Galgarine, Gigartina chamissoi, Gigartina mamillosa, Gigartina skottsbergii, Irish Moss Algae, Irish Moss Extract, Mousse d'Irlande, Red Marine Algae., E407<br>Carrageenan is an indigestible polysaccharide that is extracted from red algae, and is most commonly used in food as a thickener or stabilizer. Carrageenan-containing seaweeds have been used for centuries in food preparations for their gelling properties, but the refined, isolated carrageenan found in modern processed foods has raised concerns in the health-conscious online community.<br> See also :

* Cancer : There is a chemically altered (PROCESSED) form of carrageenan that is available in France to treat peptic ulcers. This form might be UNSAFE because there's some evidence that it might cause cancer. Most of the research on edible carrageenan side effects has been performed using animals as test subjects. Studies performed on rats, guinea pigs, and monkeys suggest that degraded carrageenan, or poligeenan, may cause ulcers in the gastro-intestinal tract and/or gastro-intestinal cancer—ouch! cancer. Some studies also show that DEGRADED carrageenan led to colon cancer in lab animals. The International Agency for Research on Cancer thus recognizes degraded carrageenan as a possible human carcinogen, and some organizations are proposing that it be removed from the list of acceptable ingredients in organic food by the USDA. In short, the currently available research indicates that degraded carrageenan probably isn’t good for you—it’s best to avoid it if possible. It can be stated with some certainty, though, that infants should not be given any dosage or type of carrageenan. Most of the carrageenan in food products, though, is undegraded, and undegraded carrageenan is considered safe by the FDA.