Common Food Additive Contributes to Diabetes!

Carrageenan is a food additive and made from red seaweed. It is commonly used a gelling agent in food such as ice cream and as emulsifiers in baked good and vitamin supplement shakes and powders. Some studies have shown the use of this additive is safe while others have shown negative health effects such as inducing colitis and a possible role in tumor growth.

In a new study, researchers set out to find if there would be any health impacts on mice exposed to carrageenan and a high-fat diet or each of the two factors alone for one year. During the study, it was found that the mice exposed to carrageenan exhibited glucose intolerance after 6 days and elevated glucose levels at 23 weeks. The effects of carrageenan were more severe in mice fed a high-fat diet. It was demonstrated that in mice fed both the carrageenan and a high-fat diet, they exhibited an earlier onset of hyperglycemia and higher glucose levels and worse dyslipidemia. From this study, the researcher's concluded that the additive carrageenan may contribute to the higher prevalence of the Western diet's development of diabetes and the other effects of high-fat consumption. (Bhattacharyya)
   

Exposure to Common Food Additive Carrageenan Alone Leads to Fasting Hyperglycemia and in Combination with High Fat Diet Exacerbates Glucose Intolerance and Hyperlipidemia without Effect on Weight. Journal of diabetes research, Vol. 2015 (2015) by Sumit Bhattacharyya, Leo Feferman, Terry Unterman, Joanne K. Tobacman. http://www.citeulike.org/user/kimberlykramer2015/article/13585976