Carrageenan is a natural food additive that you may also find in food ingredients under the E407 label. It is most commonly used as a thickener and until recently was considered a rather neutral substance that has an effect at most on the consistency of yoghurt, ice cream and other desserts made from dairy products. Recently, however, there has been talk that E407 may be hazardous to health.

When you see the E407 label on a product, you probably don’t think twice about it. You’ll find it in desserts, dairy products and vegetable drinks. However, the popular additive has also recently come under the scrutiny of German scientists. The fact that we sometimes have intestinal problems after consuming dairy products is no exception. But research now suggests that carrageenan may be the reason for chronic inflammation of the intestines and a contributor to elevated blood sugar levels.

It is generally considered to be safe

Some people confuse carrageenan with degraded carrageenan, also known as polygeenan. The latter is harmful and should not be added to food. However, when we talk about E407, it is a substance that is generally considered safe, rather without any effect on human health. It is mainly used to thicken food, change its texture, prolong its shelf life and reduce the fat content of food without compromising its consistency.

Officially, E407 is approved in both the European Union and America. In general, there has never been any talk of the substance being significantly dangerous to health, although there have been suggestions that carrageenan causes bloating, diarrhoea, irritation of the bowels, which certainly do not sound like entirely harmless problems. However, in normal amounts for people who do not have sensitive bowels, carrageenan should be perfectly safe. At least that’s something that was true until recently.

Carrageenan is a substance that may contribute to chronic inflammatory bowel disease, according to recent research. ━━ Carrageenan is a substance that may contribute to chronic inflammatory bowel disease, according to recent research. ( Source: Tiard /  Unsplash+ )

He’s not as harmless as he seems

Although it is commonly used, it is only recently that scientists have raised concerns that carrageenan could be hazardous to health. German experts have found in research that the compound increases the permeability of the small intestine. This means that it can increase intestinal inflammation and lead to other problems in the digestive system. Given that for many years, the substance has been used without anyone addressing this, we may wonder how this is possible and what will happen next in terms of its regulation.

According to a study published on PubMed, carrageenan increases inflammatory markers in gut epithelial cells in patients with Crohn’s disease. Other data then show that diets high in carrageenan may reduce insulin sensitivity. This problem is particularly pronounced in the immunocompromised elderly.

As a result, although it is a substance that is in many foods and that we get into our bodies every day, it is actually quite harmless. However, as it turns out, the reality may be different and more attention needs to be paid to the whole matter.