anon25285 I am a medical student and I undertook a module on diet and colorectal cancer. I too was shocked to learn about the dangerous tumour promotion that carrageenan can cause.

For over the past five years I assumed I was allergic to garlic -- yes, garlic. I've not been to an Italian restaurant since assuming I was allergic to garlic.:-(

Yesterday evening I had a Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate dry drink mix. Within the hour I started having severe stomach pain. My wife had made a quiche for dinner and I assumed the sausage she used must have had garlic as an ingredient, but it didn't. Again today I had another Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa drink and again developed severe stomach pain. I called the manufacturer (ConAgra Foods) and found the ingredient carrageenan was in the mix. I'm not implying this drink mix is the culprit of all my pain, but time will tell.

Why does anon25285 worry about horse pee? After all many menopausal women take it. That is what they use to make estrogen hormone replacements from.

To no 49: About soy products; soy milk is rich on glutamate, and this is a toxin to the body. For more information read books of Russel Blaylock!

I may have had migraines as a result of consuming almond milk that contained carrageenan. I ate cereal with almond milk every day for three weeks, and over this time I noticed that I started getting headaches, and then had an itchy skin crawling feeling for two days, finally followed by a migraine. I can't be certain it's the carrageenan, but I keep meticulous food diaries and it's the only thing that changed in my diet. I also have a soy allergy which causes stomach upset and migraines, and now I will also avoid carrageenan at all costs! Thank you all for the information.

If your allergic to carrageenan, that is one thing, but how do you determine if it is safe, with all the biased information out on the internet trying to sell you their products?

I discovered today I am allergic to carrageenan and I have discovered in the last few years I am allergic to any soy product and perhaps to legumes in general (garbanzo, lentils). As a reaction I get a swollen throat or swollen tongue or swollen lip and sometimes skin rashes. There are scientific discoveries written on white papers that for some people soy is a toxin. I know this to be true.

Since using Kondremul for a laxative, I noticed I was having difficulty sleeping and suffering from more headaches than I would normally have. Is there any connection between carrageenan and these symptoms?

To the person who stated that soy is a toxin: please cite your sources. I have seen articles online touting such information. But if you research the bibliographies of some of these, tests are found to be inconclusive. I have been drinking soy milk for years, became pregnant and my son has been drinking soy milk since he was a toddler (after I stopped breast feeding). He is *very* much a boy - shows normal signs of testosterone levels, etc.

Please stop spreading propaganda! Dig a little deeper, if you will. Thanks.

I discovered I was "allergic" to carrageenan after getting sick drinking certain soy drinks, particularly Bolthouse Farms delicious protein soy chai. I would get gas, cramps, bloating, and sometimes diarrhea. I started thinking I had a soy allergy so I did research and found it may be the carrageenan.(Dr. Weil's website mentioned a link to esophageal cancer!) Sure enough, with C-free soy milk-no problem! I have been happily avoiding carrageenan ever since!

Carrageenan being added to so many things is similar to the mercury in the vaccines. A little might not be a problem, it's the cumulative effect that causes toxicity. If it were only in one food we ate once in a while (when people ate more whole foods and less packaged ones) we may not react the same. I think we all need to contact the food manufacturers and let them know the demand for C-free foods! One day, we will see that on the packages like we see "Gluten-free" today. Better yet, they will stop using it completely.

Through more than 2 years of trial and error, I am *certain* that I am alleric to carrageenan. The horrific migraines I get every single time I eat or drink something with carrageenan are telling. I avoid the things like dairy that I know contain carrageenan (as well as artificial sweeteners that trouble me, like ones in diet soda and Crystal Light), but every once in a while something will slip by me. Just the other day, I had a terrible one after having a turkey sandwich at Panera. Came home typed in turkey sandwich carrageenan and there you go. I had no idea it was in lunch meat. I had to give up my beloved coffee creamers, too. Through trial and error, I've found aspartame and other artificial sweeteners, carrageenan, and soy lethicin to be terrible triggers. Hope this helps save someone else the dabilitating pain Ive suffered for years. And, I am certainly appreciative of any feedback as I still suffer from migraines, although much less often now that I have eliminated those things.

Does anyone know if carrageenan is transmitted thru breast milk from mom to baby? My baby is having digestive issues, even after I cut all dairy and milk proteins out of my diet (2 months ago).

Hello all. I am on here because I recently read in a book, "Health and Nutrition Secrets That Can Save Your Life" by Blaylock, that carrageenan (a food additive which is similar to MSG) actually increases cancerous tumor growth and causes inflammation. Also, this additive is "excitotoxic" which means it causes the body to produce glutamate or in other words releases free radicals into the body. I think this is a great book for anyone that is interested in MSG and carrageenan. The book also includes many other topics but I found this to be particularly alarming because this additive is everywhere. I am concerned because I recently bought my kids over-the-counter vitamins which contain this ingredient. If it was near the bottom of the list it might not be too much of a concern, but it is in the mid-top.

I know some of you have said that you have an intolerance, or are sensitive to carrageenan, obviously for those people it is best to avoid it. What about the rest of us? Is it still ok for us to consume, what about kids? Personally, I don't trust the FDA and knowing that this additive is in almost everything makes me very uneasy! How is it possible to avoid it, especially with kids who are bombarded with junk all day?

I think an important thing to remember with carrageenan is that just because something is natural doesn't mean it's good for you. If someone told me that drinking horse pee is ok because it is natural, I'd have to dispute that!

Thank you for this site. I found it to be very helpful. I doctored for about 8 months before I discovered on my own that my symptoms were related to eating foods containing carrageenan. During that time my first GI recommended removing my gallbladder. When my symptoms continued, I sought advice from a new GI and was diagnosed with celiac disease and Barrett's esophagus. After eliminating all gluten from my diet, I still had the same symptoms...horrible bloating of the abdomen.

Through a process of elimination and very careful label reading, I discovered it definitely was carrageenan. I did not have one attack since then, until last night when I used a package of dry onion soup mix which contained MSG. It felt as though something was burning a hole in my intestine. I searched online and found that there is a connection between MSG and carrageenan. Having eliminated all gluten from my diet has probably made me a bit more sensitive to food additives, but if this helps someone else who is having unpleasant reactions to eating carrageenan and/or MSG, it will be worth the time spent posting my message.

Hello to all, I had an intolerance test done 9 months ago called the ImmuPro 300, and Carrageenan (E407) was one of many intolerance (level 2) that I have discovered I have. I have always been extremely sensitive to everything that I eat, meaning that if it does not agree with me I will know quickly. Although when there are so many ingredients in everything we eat except for whole foods, it is so hard to diagnose. I would suggest to anyone who can afford to spend close to $1000.00 dollars for this test, to get it. It has helped me to unweave a lot of mysteries, and to those who have time and can put in the effort I would love to see that test become the norm for allergy tests, and paid by the Government in Canada, or by insurance companies in the USA if it is not. I am am so happy to see people put in the effort to help others. susan

Hello! I am 31 year old father of 3 that has been suffering with Dyshidrotic Eczema and digestive problems for almost 15 years until recently. After many attempts with different doctors - allergists, dermatologists, immunologists, gastro specialists, etc. - and many different diets and drugs with not even remote success, I had pretty much given up on finding what the trigger(s) were for my problems. The doctors I had seen threw every disease at me from a simple allergy, to Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome and stress while never linking anything directly to my skin problems except an allergy, which according to the allergists, I was only mildly allergic to dust mites. It turns out they were wrong.

Recently, I had managed to get my skin and stomach under control. I had a fairly restricted diet (similar to that of a low-dairy diet) for quite some time when all of a sudden I had a major outbreak from only one new thing that I added to my normal foods, which was a new flavor of coffee creamer (from Nestle). The good thing about this was it had only a dozen or so ingredients so it was easy to compare to foods I had been eating for quite some time with no reaction and eliminate the common ingredients. One ingredient stood out - CARRAGEENAN. It is in Soy Milk, almost all dairy products, jellies and jams, toothpastes, and a myriad of other things. In some cases, it is also called AGAR and for most people, it is harmless and causes no problems for them. For others like myself, the stomach acid is a little stronger than other people and so their stomach breaks the molecule down further, allowing it to be passed into the blood when it normally wouldn't be, and as a result it turns into a carcinogen that the body attacks with an immune response, which in my case is inflammation of the digestive tracks and then inflammation of the skin (which is likely due to the area of my intestines that this substance passes through). Carrageenan is used in research labs to intentionally induce inflammation in the intestinal cells of lab animals. For me personally, when this substance enters my body, all hell breaks loose. First my stomach and bowels almost immediately react, then between 2-24 hours later, my skin as well as my lymph nodes would become inflamed and I was one miserable person. It also caused cysts behind my ears and patches of red, dry skin on other parts of my body that I was told would never go away, and they have. I have to admit, I was pretty skeptical at first, but could not refute the results of my own very thorough self-testing.

With some additional research, I also found that in these labs where they use carrageenan for testing, the interleukin-8 compound is found to be increased when testing with carrageenan on intestinal cells... coincidentally, that same compound is also found in the areas of the skin during an eczema outbreak when a biopsy is done. Is it just coincidence? Maybe... I'm not a doctor, but I did go to college (for something else) and was top of my class, so after testing myself by purposely consuming more amounts of this substance to see the effects, I was able to find the trigger for my stomach problems and my skin problems, both of which have completely gone away as long as I avoid that ingredient, which is still very difficult because of how many things it is in. What I also found interesting is that there are several people who have been diagnosed with IBS, Crohn's, lactose intolerance, Celiac disease, which still had problems after very restrictive diets of only Soy Milk and soy based products (which usually contain carrageenan) that as soon as they eliminated this substance, most if not all of their problems went away. The best diet so far has been all fresh foods and just making sure that I stick with brands I know don't manufacture or use this substance in their foods.

The tricky thing that other people need to be aware of is that this ingredient is not listed on every product that it might be included in, especially chocolate. I also found that several different chocolates cause similar yet milder problems, and it wasn't until I contacted companies and demanded that they find out what additional products might have been used but aren't listed (because of loopholes in the laws) that I found this same ingredient used as a thickening agent in chocolate processing. I found it in my toothpaste, my ice cream, my sour cream, my cherry pies, soy milk (from SILK), prescription pills, and several other cheeses and dairy foods. I'm sharing this information because I hope that you can pass this along to others and warn them about what kind of "natural" substances can also be harmful (carrageenan is made from Irish moss, or seaweed so it appeals to vegetarians and is used in many vegetarian foods like Tofu) and how to keep track of what you eat in a journal every single day for every thing you eat and drink. Write down all of the ingredients or keep wrappers and boxes. Immediately following an outbreak, look over the ingredients in the last 24 hours and compare them to everything else that has been safely consumed to find the ingredients that are upsetting the body. There is so much information available online, you just have to know where to look and find it.

Everyone has different allergies or foods that effect them, but this single ingredient is drawing a lot of attention, and I can personally testify to the fact that it is the one thing my body can't handle and have seen that others have had similar related problems. Even if carrageenan is not the problem for everyone, it is very easy to fully document every ingredient in every food you eat and keep track of them over time with outbreaks, and this was the key to solving my problems after 15 hard years. I hope this can help someone else and I will be sharing this with as many people as possible because I think it's a shame what companies will put into foods to save a buck, because that's really what this is about. It's cheaper to use less milk if you can use something to make it thicker that is "natural" because it came from the ocean, even though it is processed with acids that would melt the skin right off of someone's body - aka Carrageenan / Agar. Thanks for taking the time to read this and please keep the information flowing.

I was so thrilled to find this discussion, I discovered my allergy to carageenan a couple of years ago and I am anaphylactic, even hospitalized once. So many people thinks its harmless, I started to think I was crazy. Several people have asked for a list of things to be careful of, here's what I avoid in general: cream cheeses, sour cream, ice creams (except H-D thank goodness), puddings and custards, and ready made sauces. Read the label carefully if you have something fat-free or lite to make sure its absent. There are brands of all of the above that dont have carrageenan like H-D or Friendly Sour Cream, you just have to read the labels, if the ingredient list is short you are usually okay. The one thing that really surprised me was artificial-aspartame sweeteners, usually in the little packets, can have carrageenan so watch out for those. You can check the GFSA Online food additive index, somebody else said that too, you will see a pretty large list of potential products. I also discovered in my research that carrageenans are either classified as refined or semi-refined and that the semi-refined carrageenans have cellulose as a filler. This piece of information was valuable because I have trouble with some cheeses that come shredded, I put together that they all contained cellulose, and now I know why that's a problem. After I was anaphylactic last year, I was desperate for anything that might help. I read a research article about a study where Lifeway kefir (its a really strong yogurt that I get at my regular grocery store) blunted allergic responses, check it out on their website. I drink kefir everyday since I read that article and have not had a serious episode this year.

Carrageenan:

I have been researching Carrageenan for the past 3 years. I developed an acute sensitivity to it that I now can trace back 20 years or more. Go to " GSFA online food additives" and search out carrageenan. You will not believe how many foods it is added to. You have to now start with the assumption that it is in everything, contact the company and say that you have an allergy to Carrageenan and its salts. You must tell them that it does not have to be listed in the ingredients list, or they won't look into it carefully enough. It is also used in raw meats and chicken to hold the moisture after cooking (chicken feed as well), almost all off the shelf baked goods (keeps fresh and moist longer). All of this is easily found out if you take the time to contact food manufacturers. The government claims that a certain amount of Carrageenan in our diet is harmless, but in the last 3-4 years it is used in almost all prepared foods. Does this now shove us all over the limit of consumption.

It seems a case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing. The medical world does not seem to know anything about problems Carrageenan causes when we are being silently over fed the product. And by the way: it is also in the Barium solution you get administered with a barium enema. It is not listed on the ingredients list there either!!

I had abdominal bloating and gas which started about 8 months ago. I had gallstones which were asymptomatic, but surgery was recommended. Since surgery in June, I continue to have the same symptoms. Doctors in my community were not able to find the problem, so I went to a new GI in a larger city. The first test he did was a blood test for celiac disease, which came back positive. I had an upper GI to confirm the diagnosis. Have faithfully eliminated ALL known gluten from my diet as directed. I continue to have painful bloating and gas in the middle of the night so I am up for hours at a time. After keeping a food diary and being an avid label reader, I think I have discovered the problem...Carrageenan! Not only is the medical community not familiar with celiac disease, but now I find out that food additives, which apparently are affecting many people, are another major problem that they are not aware of! When is the FDA going to start cracking down on all of the crap that is being put into our food supply? Everyone keeps saying, "Where is all the cancer coming from?" Duh! Why can't they connect the dots?!

Carrageenan is extracted from seaweed using alkali solvents. If you took high school chemistry, you probably remember the pH scale, 7.35 being neutral. 7.35 is alkaline. Alkaline will dissolve your skin as quickly and easily as acid. I check all labels now for carrageenan free products. No more gastric upset for me.

I had an allergic reaction to Baskin Robbins Peanut butter and Chocolate ice cream..tingling tongue, swollen lips, itching, shortness of breath. It was immediate and I ended up in the hospital...My Rast showed positive allergy for milk but I have noticed since going dairy free for 4 weeks I have had some mild reactions including severe GI problems and pounding heartbeat after eating soy milk and soy cheese. I tried Tofutti Ice cream and it severely upset my stomach...the only connection is Carrageenan.....I was not tested for this. I think it is the Carrageenan and not the milk. My RAST showed positive for moderate milk allergy and I have never had a problem with milk to my knowledge. It is all so confusing. I check for any dairy, milk or Casein but now will check for Carrageenan. There is lactose in many medications and now I will check to see if the Carrageenan is in any of my medications. Thanks for having this discussion.

I appreciate this discussion because I have had some intestinal discomforts that I couldn't explain in the past. Carrageenan could well be the culprit if it is in lunchmeats!

My recent problem with ZonePerfect Dark Chocolate Almond nutrition bars is what brought me here. On two separate occasions I had the diarrhea after eating two of these bars in the same day. The first time, I blamed something else because I couldn't imagine ZonePerfect products causing me any problem.

I had eaten their Chocolate Almond Raisin bars for a long time with no problem. Carrageenan is listed as an ingredient in the Dark Chocolate Almond bar and not in the Chocolate Almond Raisin bar. I will be reading labels more closely now.

I am lactose intolerant. I have known this for some time. (Which is really very sad since I love coffee made with hot milk and not water.) It wasn't until my son started eating solid foods that I realized that milk wasn't the only problem. He would get hives, diarrhea, and blistering diaper rash from milk products. I removed all milk products from our diets (I was still nursing) I tried soy milk but that only helped the hives. I tried RiceDream plain and no screaming at changing time! By the time he was 2 I took him to an allergist for testing and told the doctor that he seemed to be allergic to milk, carrageenan and possibly dust mites (was taking Zyrtec nightly to prevent breathing problems). She tested him and it showed only a mold allergy. When I specifically asked about carrageenan she spoke to me like I was an idiot said that carrageenan is a chemical and it was impossible to have an allergy to it. If my son reacted to it, it wasn't because of allergy and there was nothing she could do.

Several people stated that they were positive for allergy, are they able to take medication for carrageenan reactions?

Are we talking about 2 different kinds of reaction? One an allergy and one an intolerance?

Things I have been reading on other sites make it sound like that most if not all people should have negative reactions to consuming carrageenan.

I have been diagnosed with food intolerances recently. I have an intolerance to brewers or bakers yeast and anything that is fermented including msg. I have found that carrageenan is actually another form of msg. So if any of you are experiencing any symptoms it is probably an allergy to the highly intolerant and toxic msg!

"How dangerous is carrageenan? Is it dangerous at all?"

It's not dangerous at all, if you're not allergic to it.

"Carrageenan is or can be from seaweed."

Carrageenan is ALWAYS from seaweed, not algae. Seaweed is simply a plant that grows underwater. There are many kinds of carrageenan-producing seaweed, similar to how there are many varieties of lettuce.

"...this horrible additive..."

The word "additive" makes it sound so chemical-y. and it's not horrible in and of itself, any more than peanuts are. Carrageenan is a completely natural product, and like many things from nature (nuts, shellfish, strawberries, tomatoes, bee stings, etc.) some people's systems cannot tolerate it. If you've never had an adverse reaction to a product containing carrageenan, don't think it's something you need to avoid on principle. But if you do know or believe you're allergic to it, the foods where you're most likely to find it are anything gel-like (from toothpaste to fruit filling) or liquids that would normally settle if you made them at home (like salad dressing and chocolate milk). You might also keep an eye out for "alginate" on product labels, as it is another seaweed-derived product.

I am really glad to have discovered this site in my quest to find validation for my belief that I am highly allergic to carrageenan. I also believe that I'm lactose intolerant (for, let's say, 55 years now, not to date myself...), but now this discussion group casts some doubt on that. I'm not sure that I want to test the theory, though, considering the violent cramps, bloating and explosive diarrhea that have always resulted when I consume any dairy product. However, I've noticed, as some people have said, that there are certain brands of ice cream that I've tried in the past that do not create the problem. A glass of milk, though, does do it, so perhaps I AM lactose intolerant. Anyhow, I digress...I have also been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, after a horrendous 8-week episode of rectal bleeding. The gastroenterologist has prescribed six tablets of Asacol per day, 2 pills 3X daily. This, along with cutting out all dairy, seemed to calm down my digestive tract. Then, I had some flare-ups and was totally confused because I was simply using soy or rice milk. I purchased The book "Natural Health, Natural Medicine," by Andrew Weil, MD, in an attempt to try to figure myself out. Lo and behold, in the section about IBD, Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's Disease was the advice "Avoid foods made with carrageenan." Additionally, the book says: "[Carrageenan] is suspected of causing ulcerations and possibly cancers of the gastrointestinal tract." Yikes! I had never heard of this ingredient, but I started checking my pantry. Yup, the seemingly "soothing" soy AND rice milk I was using contained carrageenan (Warning: it also can be listed as Irish Moss or Red Moss ~ it's the same as carrageenan ~ if you see it, run for the hills!!). Also, the salad dressing I thought was bland had the thickening agent carrageenan listed!! ALSO, a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket listed carrageenan as an ingredient in its poultry rub! I was crazed, but also felt like I was experiencing an epiphany! I wasn't "nuts," I was definitely allergic to this ingredient. Other people, including, at first, my husband, looked at me like I was wacky. they didn't have any problem with this seemingly innocuous item, what was the big deal? Hello! Try ingesting it and then suffering intestinal distress to the point where you're homebound! So, I started scouring the supermarket shelves and found that there definitely ARE soy and rice milks without the carrageenan added! They're hard to locate, but keep checking every container's ingredient list. Thank the Lord that it appears to be required to be listed! I've discovered that, most times, the soy/rice drinks noted as "organic" do not contain the carrageenan, aka "red moss" or "Irish moss." Also, I looked at cottage cheese, yup, carrageenan ~ haven't located one that doesn't contain it. Now I'm completely afraid to eat anything in restaurants that isn't just a straight, unadorned baked potato or vegetable. Also, as some people in the discussion have noted, lunch meats can contain it ~ where do we find the ingredients on the lunch meats sliced in the deli? I've just been avoiding any of them at all. Saves money ~ you just never eat out! :) also, I noted that one person mentioned that their child can eat a batter-coated product from one fast-food place but not from another. An educated guess would be that the thickening agent in the batter that upset the stomach was the dreaded carrageenan. On my next gastroenterolgy check-up, in April, I plan to bring this up with my doctor ~ I am hoping that he is aware of a test for carrageenan allergy, just to confirm my belief. He has tested me for celiac disease, with, thankfully, negative results. I am also hoping that he doesn't look at me like I'm nuts when I start talking about this.... Thanks so much for the opportunity to "vent" and share about my situation! I'm sorry that others suffer from this allergy, but I am glad to have found some outlet for discussion.

I thought this was interesting.

A new study by the National Cancer Institute has revealed that a seaweed extract called carrageenan can prevent human papillomavirus (HPV) -- a sexually transmitted disease linked to cervical cancer -- from entering human cells.

Researchers found that carrageenan -- derived from red algae -- strongly inhibits HPV from attaching to human cells, which prevents it from entering and infecting the cells. "We were floored by how much better it worked than anything else we have tested," said researcher John Schiller of the National Cancer Institute.

Carrageenan is already in use in sexual lubricants as a thickener, and researchers hope to eventually develop the seaweed extract into an inexpensive gel that could help curb the spread of HPV, which infects 50 percent of sexually active women between the ages of 18 and 22.

The researchers said carrageenan was shown to somewhat affect HIV and herpes, but that genital HPV was a thousand times more susceptible to the seaweed extract. While Gardasil comes with possible side effects including pain, swelling, erythema (redness of the skin), pruritus (itching) and fever, carrageenan is widely used in baby formula as a thickener, and is completely safe to ingest.

Washington, DC

About 2 years ago I determined, via at-home food-elimination dieting, that I was allergic to CARRAGEENAN. When I eat anything with even a tiny trace of Carrageenan I get horrible acne around my mouth within a few hours. So, please take note for those of you who may also be allergic -- that not only is carrageenan in most soy milks and soups, but it is added to almost every deli meat, i.e., ham, bologna, roast beef, salami, pastrami, pepperoni, corn beef, hot dogs, et al., and it is added to many other prepared foods like stews, meat & poultry rubs, salad dressings, etc. yikes!! Read those labels before you buy.

If you are allergic to carrageenan, as am i, then I thought you may be interested in learning some other items to which I am allergic ...

red & yellow food dyes -- I get diarrhea w/in hours.

legumes, ie., peas, beans, peanuts -- I get gas.

dairy & eggs (no mayo!) -- I get acne + gas + diarrhea.

citrus fruits (including tomato) -- I get diarrhea.

fish, i.e., tuna, salmon -- I get excessive gas

bananas -- the skin on my heels became hard & thick!

seeds & nuts -- I get a terrible rash on my back

As you may have guessed, all these allergies do present a problem, ie., I now have a very limited range of diet. but, I am now free of gas, acne, rashes and diarrhea!

In general for breakfast I eat instant oatmeal with water and some sort of pastry made w/o dairy. I also have tea or coffee with carrageenan-free rice milk.

I almost never eat lunch, but if I do, it's usually a burger or chicken.

For dinner, I'll have either steak, burgers, chicken, and/or pork chops. I also have some veggies, potato, and salad (w/o cheese or tomato).

Snacks: plain corn chips, rice cakes, et al.

Hope some of the above helps you figure out what's bothering you. Good luck!

I too am severely allergic to carrageenan... It typically presents itself as hives, swelling of the hands, feet, lips, eyes and occasionally esophagus. The reaction is related to the amount that I consume. As a result of the allergy, I take Zyrtec everyday and scrutinize most everything I eat to ensure that it doesn't contain carrageenan. When a breakout happens I have to take varying amounts of Prednisone to counter the reaction. Milkshakes were my favorite snack until I discovered my allergy. since then I haven't had a shake... I find that Hagen-das doesn't use carrageenan as a thickener, since this discovery, we have become very good friends...

If you are allergic to carrageenan, you may be allergic to seafood(shell fish), and barium, which is used for gastrointestinal test. My allergist gave me a skin test after I suffered a severe allergy episode at a hospital. (I was short of breath, and had the itchy red eczemas after drinking barium). Prior to that I did experience terrible stomach cramps and explosive diarrhea any time I had some milk products. Now I read labels, avoid carrageenan and my problems have been solved. It is sad to say, but the health care community is not aware of carrageenan allergies. When I mention it at a hospital or even at my other doctors office, I'm ask "What is that".

Your allergist can give you a skin test for it, mine did.

I just experienced a "silent migraine". In past years, this was caused by estrogen meds but at age 78 I do not take estrogen any more. These usually last 20 to 30 minutes and cause distorted vision and intense "tummy pain". Trying to find the cause of this unusual occurrence, I realized I had eaten couple pieces of Hershey's Pot of Gold. They seemed too sweet and thankfully quit with 1 1/2 pieces.

In checking the ingredients I came across CARRAGEENAN. I have known for years that creme de menthe chocolate mints triggered migraines but why?? Perhaps years of diarrhea are related to carrageenan. Going to try eliminating soy products.

Never too old to learn new helpful things.

I was just doing a search on ingredients of milkshakes and cappucinos for a common ingredient in both besides the milk factor. I found carrageenan in both and discovered this website. I knew I wasn't lactose intolerant since I could drink milk just fine but every time I drink a cappuccino or drink a milkshake I get terrible intestinal cramping and cold sweats accompanied by 3-4 hours of diarrhea. I saw the last posting and realized I was not alone in this allergy. Thanks for this great website. I will be watching for carrageenan in everything I eat and drink from now on.

Re: soy is a toxin

I am Asian and I know for a fact that soy milk - unfermented and in all its beany goodness - has been in Asian diets since almost 2000 ago...long before it was ever introduced into Western diets. However, there has never been a strong correlation between soy milk consumption and breast cancer. In fact, you will find on Wikipedia that:

1. Plant estrogen intake, such as from soy products, in early adolescence may protect against breast cancer later in life.[23]

2. Plant estrogen intake later in life is not likely to influence breast cancer incidence either positively or negatively.[24]

See Soybean under Wikipedia for more information. The data is linked to some fascinating research on phytoestrogens.

Don't be fooled by internet myths. Always check your references for legitimacy.

I have done a personal study about carageenen and I have educated many coffee stands about soy. when asking for non dairy all they offer is Soy and the least expensive ones which are most have this ingredient in them. I know people that think their lactose intolerant and really its just caregeenen. I would love to enjoy sour cream and salad dressings in a restaurant but of course that not so great ingredient is in all. I think food companies and restaurants and coffee shops should have alternatives. Rice milk or almond milk instead of soy!! Keep educating as many as possible and keep reading labels to stay healthy.

I was having migraines a lot more than usual, then I started noticing that a lot of the food I was eating contained carrageenan. I started reading the labels more, and started purchasing items without carrageenan in it...ice cream, cottage cheese, yogurt and coffee creamers, just to mention a few, and my migraines decreased.

Over the years I've noticed an odd sensitivity after eating certain foods. First my teeth & gums hurt, my tongue itches and my insides quiver. I have a terrible nights sleep (tossing & turning & clenching my teeth). I was told by my doctor that I suffered from anxiety, but I was certain it was a food allergy, as it only happens after eating certain foods like ice cream & yogurt, and drinking certain types of beer & wine. I thought maybe it was sulfites, but after checking labels whenever I have one of these episodes, the ingredient that I kept seeing is Carrageenan. Thanks for the information on your site, now I know I'm not crazy.

Do an Internet search, and you will find a connection between carageenan and arthritis! It seems to cause it in lab rats!

Here it is Halloween again and trying to make it this year without my 3 yr old having breathing problems from carrageenan - breathing problems that take nearly a month to clear after an incident. Does anyone have information on how candy is made because I believe you cannot trust the ingredient list. A teacher tried to give her candy corn today and although it was not listed as an ingredient I asked her not to try it since the package had a disclaimer that said may contain peanuts, milk, whey and listed every other allergen they could think of. So I guess that means some candies re-use machines and could contain any other ingredient used in any of their other candies, right? I know M&Ms are carrageenan free but don't trust any others yet. Poor baby what's the point of trick or treating...

First, this in in reference to the woman about how she cut her diet down when she was feeding. I noted that your diet included oatmeal...a wheat! Kick that out of your diet and see what happens.

Second, for all those soy-lovers out there, soy is a toxin! Please don't say, "well all the Asians eat it and they are healthy" because they only eat minimal amounts. And soy sauce is fermented, which is completely different.

Also, soy is a phytoestrogen- it mimics the hormone, estrogen. When a male eats large amounts of tofu and other food high in soy, he will begin to form mammary glands. Women, when they eat a lot of soy, they are ingesting the equivalant to 5 birth control pills!!! And the vegetarians wonder why they have a hard time getting pregnant and why they do not have a menses cycle!!!

Do a little research. Remember, the producers of soy will show you their research, not everyone else. They just want to sell a product!

Mothers! Please try and feed your babies a non-soy formula is you cannot breast feed. Breast feeding is best for your babies and gives them a better start. Also, you breast milk passes on antibodies from your immune system because your child cannot make is own right now.

I have been eating "Fruit by the Foot" and it has carrageenan in it. I have been experimenting with different food that I eat, because I was not sure what was causing me to itch all over. I stopped eating these fruit roll-ups and it went away. Just to make sure that it was the source of my itching problem, I ate another one today and within 10 minutes I started to itch all over. So I looked at the label to find out what was in the ingredients that could cause this and found that it contained Carrageenan. I googled this, which brought me to this website. Thanks for this information on this site, I think I may have found the source of my problem.

I just received the labs back on my daughter's blood work, which confirm an allergy to carrageenan. I'm now in the process of confirming which foods I think she has a problem with and which ones do contain carrageenan. She's had many problems with "jellied" type candies, especially Swedish fish. Any other lists that people know of?

Has anyone ever had migranes as a reaction to carrageenan?

I just realized tonight that carrageenan is the only possible ingredient I could be allergic to. I bought this ice cream that is little dots. I noticed that I was having to use my asthma meds more often since buying it, but tonight, my face is swollen, including my throat and I have small red bumps on my face, neck, and chest. this has never happened before, and I have eaten things with all the other ingredients before... goodness, just what I need, another allergy. thanks for all your sharing, that is how I found the information.

I went into anaphalaxis after drinking soy milk for the first time. The only things I can be allergic to are soybeans and carageenan. My tests for soy came back positive but not so severe that it should have put me in the hospital. My allergist said there is no way for him to test for carageenan but it seems that some of you have been tested for it. If you have, can you tell me where you were tested?

My 3 yr old daughter is allergic to carageenan - it was an ingredient I suspected since she reacted to even a bite of ice cream - except Haagen Daaz, no carageenan :). My doctor found a lab to test for carageenan and confirmed it. She was adopted from China and previously only one other carageenan allergy I found on the web was also adopted from China. She also reacted badly to a mint once that did not list carageenan as an ingredient so I now worry about candies infected with it during its manufacture. We are sticking with m&Ms only for now. Anyone have other candies they reacted to?

What an odd allergy. My daughter gets violently sick when eating BW3 and Chickfila nuggets but McD, BK and Wendy's are fine. She also had problems with pre-made formula which contains this horrible additive. I am glad that I am not crazy.

I was diagnosed with a carrageenan allergy at the age of 30. I was misdiagnosed for many years before learning of this allergy and a peanut allergy. When I was first diagnosed, 5 years ago, it was not yet required that carrageenan be listed on food labels. Now, from what I've heard, companies do need to list it. Does anyone have a list of foods/products that carrageenan is in? I have some, but am often surprised when I have a reaction to something and don't find carrageenan on the label.

I had thought I was allergic to soy...as a vegan that would put me "up a creek." But I realized the only soy products that give me the horrible stomach pains and cramps are soy milk and soy ice cream. Tofu, tempeh, and other soy products (that do not have carrageenan) do not give me any problems. I have no other food allergies that I am aware of, so this is very surprising to me.

My son is allergic to milk, eggs, beef, oranges but not soy. He can drink soy formula, but when I give soy milk, he gets diarrhea and a raw heinny, I believe it is the carrageenan, I am glad to have figured it out, but what do I feed him besides formula?

I think I am allergic to Carrageenan and/or seaweed. I am not sure which it is or both. At first I noticed it in foods with seaweed. My reactions increased in severity overtime with the worst being passing out and being sent to a hospital Emergency Room. Most recently I have had gum pain after eating ice cream. I checked the label and saw Carrageenan. I just recently learned that Carrageenan is or can be from seaweed. I have had allergy testing, but don't believe that they tested for Carrageenan. I hope one day it is added to allergy testing.

I think my 7 month old son may be allergic to carrageenan. He has confirmed egg and milk allergies, but something is still causing him very itchy eczema that disturbs his sleep. I am nursing him and cut my diet down to rice, oatmeal, lamb, turkey, and rice milk--and he is still reacting! I saw that one of the ingredients in the rice milk is carrageenan--Any other info on this topic would be much appreciated!

My son had a terrible time with formula (issue with breast feeding) and we went down the "hypo-allergenic" road of baby formula--less lactose, soy, chemical, highly chemical. He got better as we went back "up" the formula chain. The biggest change was the carageenan and where it fell in the list of ingredients. I have to assume that as we went to less carageenan he had fewer issues. I accidentally fed him some eggnog (lots of carageenan) instead of milk and he projectile vomited on me within a minute. Lots of carageenan.

I also believe that I am affected by it. Both my son and I can drink milk made with chocolate syrup but have a terrible time with pre-made chocolate milk. What's the difference? Carageenan.

I put it down as an allergy for him and people look at me funny. Heck, I'm allergic to rosin. No one knows how to diagnose and deal with the odd allergies.

Looking for anyone that is allergic to the food additive carrageenan.

I discovered about 7 years ago that what I thought for several years was lactose intolerance was actually a severe reaction to carrageenan. I could eat all I wanted of an ice cream that was carrageenan-free. But, even a small bowl of ice cream with carrageenan could be followed by cramps and diarrhea.

Whenever I tell anyone about this I am generally made to feel stupid or feeble. Anymore I just feel embarrassed and usually just try not to ever say anything to anyone about it. But, over the course of the last 7 years or so I have proved to myself over and over again that my reactions are carrageenan induced.

All I know for sure is that I can guarantee myself a massive stomach ache and often even hours on the toilet whenever I eat anything with much carrageenan in it. I had an episode several months ago and didn't even realize it was carrageenan until several days later when my wife pointed out that some lunch meat I had purchased contained carrageenan.

How dangerous is carrageenan?

Is it dangerous at all?