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doTERRA's carrageenan claims


mbrinva

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I have been using doTERRA for about 6 months and have enjoyed some benefit from their products.  I had to stop using their On Guard soft gels and beadlets as well as the Omega soft gels once I started the Whole 30 due to the fact they have carrageenan in them.  My friend sent this link to me to demonstrate to me that I should not be worried.  I am skeptical but would love for someone with relevant knowledge to  sound off on this notion that there is a type of carrageenan that is not a concern since it is "not absorbed by the intestinal tract."

Thank you!

 

 

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This is a question I have that goes beyond the Whole30. While the Whole 30 is what made me decide to stop using any carrageenan for now, based on what I've read so far, I am wanting to eliminate it entirely from my family's diet going forward (beyond the Whole30) unless there is a basis to the claims made by doTERRA (shared above).  So, I'm wondering if anyone has expertise in the area of carrageenan specifically.  Thanks.

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Just because the FDA labels something as "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) doesn't just up and give it a pass. The FDA also says that propylene glycol is GRAS as a food additive. So are all those artificial colors in candies and other food products. 

The actual FDA ruling on carrageenan is pretty unsettling. The conclusion of the Select Committee on GRAS Substances (SCOGS) states this:  While no evidence in the available information on undegraded carrageenan demonstrates a hazard to the public when it is used at levels that are now current and in the manner now practiced, uncertainties exist requiring that additional studies should be conducted.

That was in 1973. There were uncertainties then, and there haven't been any updates that I can find. 

doTERRA is trying to sell products. Of course they're going to do everything they can to convince you their products are safe. They're in the business of making money. You can find better supplements out there. 

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Carrageenan is used in pet food, firefighting foam and personal lubricants... just as some background as to what it's in aside from food... 

As a personal anecdote, during my life after Whole30 at the very beginning of my journey, I added nothing back into my diet except for coconut milk from Whole Foods in my coffee... it was easier to get it at the coffee bar in my cold brew than clumpy canned coconut milk... I drank a coffee a day for 3 weeks and ended up with a brutal rash all over my arms... hot, stinging, itchy... I went back to Whole Foods and checked the ingredients and the one thing that was in it that was not Whole30 approved was carrageenan.  I stopped drinking it and the rash went away, so DoTerra can claim all they want that it's not absorbed by the intestinal tract but that's the only way it would have gotten into my body to create the rash... 

Just because something is 'from nature' doesn't mean it's good for you... cocaine is also 'from nature' and I woudln't recommend its consumption either.

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