Irish Moss Health Concerns
Go figure, I finally jump onto the Irish Moss train, which has been touted as a super food in the raw food community for years, only to wake up to a weekly email in my in-box from Dr. Andrew Weil warning about the dangers of carrageenan. What does this have to do with Irish Moss? Carrageenan is extracted from Irish Moss.
Alarmed, I started digging and emailing. I even went to the woman who is considered to be the one of the top experts in carrageenan research, Dr. Joanne Tobacman of the University of Illinois. Dr. Tobacman has been studying the effects of carrageenan for over a decade.
It seems that carrageenan can cause inflammation (one of our greatest enemies) and intestinal distress. Even more alarming, when carrageenan is extracted from the irish moss, this form of carrageenan has been associated with human cancers.
But wait, haven’t we all read about the wonderful health benefits of Irish Moss? Isn’t it supposed to be great for us? I wondered if there was a difference between consuming Irish Moss in it’s whole form vs an extraction, the carrageenan.
I asked Dr. Tobacman if we needed to be concerned with consuming Irish Moss in it’s whole form. While the extraction is the most dangerous form (and widely found in many organic and non-organic products for sale), Dr. Tobacman stated, “When we tested Irish moss, we found that it also caused inflammation, similar to the effect of the derived carrageenan. The degree of inflammation was less, probably due to reduced availability of the carrageenan, due to the other ingredients in the seaweed. The answer to your question is yes, I think that Irish moss should be avoided, due to the likelihood that the carrageenan in the Irish moss will lead to inflammation.”
So there you have it. Armed with that information, you will not see Irish Moss used in any more recipes designated for consumption on this website. I am also redoing the Lemon Raspberry Souffle Tart that I published last week, replacing Irish Moss on the ingredient list.
Because of the prevalence of carrageenan in so many of the products that we use, including many organic varieties, I am including some links that I think are important for you to visit to educate yourselves on this dangerous food additive.
Dr. Tobacman’s studies can be viewed here: Studies on Carrageenan (these are published medical studies)
Another excellent, easier to read article by Rodal Press: Carrageenan, The Natural Ingredient that is Wrecking Your Gut
From the Cornucopia Institute: Carrageenan: Linked to Gastrointestinal Inflammation and Colon Cancer This article also discusses the attempts to get carrageenan removed from organic foods and the push-back the ensued.
After researching, reading and communicating with Dr. Tobacman, I would suggest that you remove Irish Moss from your raw food pantry and also make sure you look for carrageenan on your food labels and avoid it. Cornucopia has compiled a list of food producers that use carrageenan and those who don’t. You can find that list here: Shopping Guide to Avoid Carrageenan.
rose wrote on October 18, 2012
what about Dulse? Dulse is a red seaweed the same as Irish moss. There are aricles on the internet about Dulse containing carrageenan the same as Irish moss but there seems to be zero danger reports on Dulse. Does anyone know anything on this please?
Rose
Susan wrote on October 18, 2012
I have no information on Dulse.
amber wrote on October 16, 2012
Yes, yes, yes! This is very true. I have Crohn’s disease and stay far away from this stuff. A few years ago I read a study linking flares to carageenan. Yikes!
Thanks for his great post.
Be Well,
–Amber
pattie lacefield wrote on October 16, 2012
Hello Susan,
So greatly appreciate you contibution and research on this product.
Thank you kindly, pattie 🙂
Sarah wrote on October 15, 2012
Thanks so much for this interesting post! I’ve never been a big irish moss person, but I do get smoothies with it at the local juice place sometimes. Yummy, but not necessary–it seems like if it’s possible for something to cause inflammation, it’s DEFINITELY going to cause it in me!
I have a question, though–have you looked into the problems caused by nightshade veggies? My understanding is that not everyone is sensitive to them, but if you are it can cause inflammation, joint pain, etc. I am starting a really strict elimination diet today (no nightshades and no seeds/nuts of any kind) to see if it helps me with some chronic pain and fatigue issues. However, even if I find that nightshades are a problem for me, I don’t know that I would recommend that everyone cut them out completely because tomatoes, eggplants, etc. do have plenty of health benefits. I wonder if Irish Moss is the same–some people are more sensitive to it than others…
Paul B wrote on October 15, 2012
Susan,
I think we can agree to disagree though I’m open to the evidence whichever way it lies. I respect Dr. Tobacman. However, several of the things Harlan raised about her study in the Elaina Love article give me pause. And in general, no matter how good a single researcher is, it is the weight of evidence in total that should guide health decisions. Often studies are conflicting and this very true in the field of nutrition. I will spend some time looking if I can at Dr. Tobacman’s research if it is published. I prefer to read the study or abstract in its entirety if possible.
@Ann, agree to disagree. I think edameme and tofu are fine. Studies have shown women who eat whole soy products or minimally processed ones do better with breast cancer than those who do not. see http://www.veganhealth.org/articles/soy_wth#bc I like Jack’s summary a lot.
@Sunny, my understanding is that Irish Moss is harvested in the Atlantic rather than the Gulf or the Pacific where the sources of contamination you site occured. Even if it were harvested in the same water body, you would still need more in term of evidence of contamination.
Nobody agrees on everything. And Susan still makes the best raw recipes I have ever tried. 🙂 My main concern on the Irish Moss is that there is no corroborative evidence that I can find that Irish Moss in its whole form is inflammatory and Dr. Tobacman’s study on whole food Irish Moss is unpublished and not peer reviewed.
Dr. Tobacman herself stipulates it’s less inflammatory than carrageenan due perhaps to other protective factors in the seaweed. My point. I guess the other point is that many whole foods we use can be potentially inflammatory provided they have the right Omega 6 fatty acids. Many nuts and seed or grains (sprouted) can be inflammatory but offer other benefits. And the inflammatory effect is managed by raw fruits and vegetables and nuts with a good omega 3/6 ratio. If there were credible risks of irish moss with colorectal cancer, I would feel differently. But testing for inflammation is pretty easy. And if Irish moss is incorporated with other ingredients, many of them anti-inflammatory, then I see a different picture. Again, agree to disagree. I think Harlan’s point’s on Elaina Love’s site swayed me on this one.
Paul
Sheleana @ YoungandRaw.com wrote on October 14, 2012
For anyone concerned about Irish Moss, it’s unprocessed state is perfectly safe and healthy. I highly recommend you read this article to learn the difference before removing it from your foods.
“Carrageenan is extracted from red seaweed by powerful chemical alkali solvents – capable of removing skin as quick as any acid. It’s used for food thickening and its fat and gelatin qualities. In its natural state it’s healthy; in its processed state, it’s highly antagonistic to humans. It’s the vegetarian equivalent of casein – protein isolated from milk to thicken foods. Carrageenan is the magic ingredient used to de-ice frozen airplanes sitting on tarmacs…oh great, and we’re ingesting this stuff!… If you don’t believe a food additive is also an aircraft de-icer, check out the “official” explanation for de-icing aircraft by US Patent Office website here.”
Susan wrote on October 14, 2012
Sheleana, with all due respect to Elaina, she commented on one article that was published by Dr. Tobacman. Dr. Tobacman has published numerous articles and researched Irish Moss and carrageenan for over a decade. I communicated directly with Dr. Tobacman and she stated that they have tested Irish Moss and found it to be inflammatory and she would not recommend eating it. I did not approach this subject lightly. I do not agree that it is safe or healthy in it’s unprocessed state.
sunny wrote on October 14, 2012
Thanks for your heads up and for going to the source.
Guys Irish Moss is unhealthy for several reasons. It comes from the sea which is now very polluted with Industrial and Medical waste and radiation.
Since the Tsunami the radiation fallout has been down played but it is in the fish and seafood.
It has spread to California and beyond http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/46932480/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/fukushima-radiation-headed-across-pacific-ocean/#.UHrxNLRgPFI In Florida the medical waste washes up onshore regularly.
The oil spill on the gulf coast has not been stopped. It is still spilling oil and the currents have moved the toxins and even deadlier chemicals dispersants around the world. There is no safe food coming from the sea at this time in my opinion.
Agar agar comes from the sea.
http://www.fishchannel.com/fish-news/2012/04/20/deformed-fish-turning-up-in-gulf-of-mexico.aspx
I have first hand reports the whales and dolphins are going blind because of the contamination of the oceans.
Soy: All soy has to be considered contaminated with GMO’s especially in the USA.
Isn’t it amazing that soy touted as a main reason women in China did not get breast cancer .. (nor do they even have a word for hot flashes in their culture) now is not recommended for women experiencing breast cancer.
There are more allergies to soy than ever before on this planet now that it is man made and not nature made.
Fermentation of soy changes the chemical structure to be enzymatically more available to the body but if it is GMO it is still poison to our cells.
As a physician I see first hand what the tampering of our food has done on the body. A seven year old is about to start her period her breasts developed at 6 years old. Yes she was fed a high diet of dairy and chicken and beef. She practically lived off of chicken nuggets (fried) and milk drinking 6-8 glasses a day.
Agave: Look for “Raw ” blue agave from Mexico that is dark amber in color. Wholesome foods sells one that I can find in Publix and health foods stores. If agave is light amber or honey colored or does not say “RAW” it is heat treated and the body reacts to it the same way as it does High Fructose Corn Syrup.
By the way they changed the name HFCS to corn sugar now to avoid the bad press. The name change has not been approved but they are insisting on going forward with their campaign to convince us that it is safe. Have you see the commercials asking what’s wrong with corn? Don’t just yell at the TV tell your legislators you demand labeling of our food.
With the cross pollination all corn in North America has to be considered GMO. Corn in Mexico has been cross pollinated and contaminated now. They are a main supplier to the US and Canada.
BTW do not buy Vitamin C made in the USA it is made from GMO contaminated corn.
Xylitol originally made from birch which tested with great reviews is now made with corn so beware. Please research how they are changing our food to support Monsanto and Roundup products. We desire every state to demand labeling laws like California is doing now.
I too do not feel that just because someone raises a flag about the dangers of fill in the blank that we should buy into it. When you hear of these reports look to see who sponsored the study. Could they have an ulterior motive or invested interest in the outcome? How long was the study done? How was the study conducted? Who is publishing the reports?
I do not take anyone (including Dr. Mercola’s site) for face value all the time. Mercola gives the references and I follow-up and read them in whole. Beware of the headline and top 7-8 paragraphs the meat of the study is usually buried towards the end and may conflict with the headline.
Most doctors only skim the headline and first few paragraphs which is why they get away with so many misleading facts.
It is time for us to take control of our foods. It is wrong to let greedy corporations like Monsanto destroy our world.
Ann wrote on October 13, 2012
Paul B, You are misinformed about soy in its whole form, it is very unhealthy! Read Dr. Mercola’s articles about soy. Soy has to be FERMENTED to be safe to eat and even then eaten only in very small amounts (tempeh, miso and natto are the only healthy forms of soy).
Susan wrote on October 13, 2012
Paul, I understand what you are saying. I am not an alarmist. Read this blog and you will find that I choose to take a very common sense approach to raw food. That is why I went directly to Dr. Tobacman and asked about WHOLE Irish Moss. I quoted her response above. While it is true that isolates can be more dangerous in soy, soy is not Irish Moss. And whole Irish Moss has demonstrated inflammation causation properties. If the top researcher (who obviously cares about people’s health due to the nature of her work) says don’t eat it, I am listening.