Hello there. This is Monica Reinagel and you're listening to the nutrition divas quick and dirty tips for eating well and feeling fabulous.

Karakienin has been the subject of a eating well and feeling fabulous.

Karakinin has been the subject of a lot of controversy,

and several of you have asked me to comment,

so that's the topic of today's show.

And now, for those of you who may not be up to speed on the Karagenen conundrum,

let me start with a quick overview.

Karagenen is an extract from a red seaweed, commonly known as Irish moss.

This edible seaweed is native to the British Isles,

where it's been used in traditional cooking for hundreds of years.

It's also widely used in the food industry, mostly as a thickener and a jelling agent.

You'll find it in ice cream, cottage cheese, non-dary milks, jelly, pudding, also an infant formula.

Unlike gelatin, which is made from animal products, caragienin is appropriate for vegans. Who would have thought that this ancient,

natural plant-based ingredient would become the center of a swirling controversy, but it certainly has.

Some scientists have presented evidence that Karaginin is highly inflammatory and toxic to the digestive tract

and claim that it may be responsible for

colitis, IBS, rheumatoid arthritis, and even colon cancer.

Equally respected scientists have detailed the reasons that this evidence is flawed and misleading,

concluding that there is no valid reason to ban its use.

For example, the anti-Kereganon folks point out that caragenon is routinely used to induce

inflammation in animals as a way of testing various anti-inflammatory drugs. Now this is true, but the protocol calls for injecting

caragenen into the animals not feeding it to them. And there are many

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