The Link Between Migraines and Carrageenan

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 6-8% of men, and 15-18% of women in Europe and America have migraines each year. A migraine is defined as a headache that lasts between 2 hours to several days, and pulsates on one side of the head. It's often aggravated by being physically active, harsh noises, and bright lights. A migraine can also be painless, instead creating visual impairment such as halos.

Many times a cause can not be found for migraine sufferers, although often it is triggered by stress, environmental conditions, or food.

Over the years I have suffered terrible migraines...the kind that have me throwing up, unable to do much else other than lie in a dark bedroom, forehead pressed into my pillow. Through mild experimentation I have come to find these foods as triggers: red wine, smoked aged cheese, and movie popcorn butter.

Recently I have made a discovery that's made a tremendous difference in my life. Carrageenan, a derivative of seaweed, brings on a 48-hour migraine for me.

What is carrageenan used in, you ask? (Even if you didn't ask, I'll tell you.) Ice cream. Yogurt. Many frozen dinners. Artificial crab (made from white fish, which is cheaper). Wisegeek.com explains that carrageenan is used as a food thickener--in place of animal-based gelatin, for example. Being that it's made from seaweed, it's considered 100% vegetarian.

Problem is...like anything that's been processed...it can have side effects for some people.

Again, I took a look at a study by the World Health Organization. Interestingly enough, one of their studies determined that carrageenan lowered cholesterol and lipid levels in humans (2003 study). A good thing, right? But it also mentioned gastrological problems in mice. WHO found carrageenan safe for consumption. And I found nothing on migraine problems mentioned in their studies.

However, if you look at other sites on-line, you'll find I'm not alone in my carrageenan discomfort. Considered a MSG, it brings suffering to others as well. (http://www.vanderbilt.edu/ans/psychology/health_psychology/msg.htm)

Would you like to know how I discovered carrageenan as a substance to avoid? I ate ice cream. Yes. Simple as that. I had a two day migraine (milder than the type I was accustomed to getting...no throwing up and I was able to function on a nearly normal level, though the pain was intense). Chalking the migraine up to having eaten late that day, I consumed the ice cream again. Same thing occured: two day headache. I checked the label and noted that the only item that wasn't in other foods I'd eaten in the recent past was carrageenan. Fast forward a week. I ate a seafood sub from Wegman's grocery. Migraine city. Two days. Again. Next time I visited the store, I checked the ingredient list on the imitation crab. Yep. You guessed it. Carrageenan. Since then, I've tried to check labels before purchasing. But a few times I'd been in a hurry and had forgotten. Every time I came down with a migraine, I discovered I'd consumed something with carrageenan in it.

What I'd like to know is why it does this to me and not everyone else. But that is something to discover another time. For now, I have made a calculated observation: carrageenan can cause migraines.

Comments

  1. This is very interesting. I'm looking forward to learning more. My daughter had migraines when she was 2 till she was about 4 or 5 when she could tell us a headache was starting and we could head it off. She still gets headaches, but not really migraines. I've had one true migraine in my life, and a few really bad headaches. They're awful.
    Wouldn't it be awesome if you never had another one because you cut out carrageenan?
    Is it in all ice cream?

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  2. It's in most ice cream. And soy milk. I can usually use soy milk in my cereal without getting a migraine, though, so I believe the amount in soy milk must be small (plus I don't use a lot of it...just enough to wet the cereal a little). Oh...and carrageenan is also in the Hormel preservative-free cold cuts. It's in so many foods.

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    1. Tyramine is also the culprit, in all processed meat canned or not old food and pretty well everything you eat. as for carrageenan the seaweeds or algeas are loaded with iodine which suractivate yor thyoid gland which in turn could cause a rise in blood pressure and headaches.

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  3. It's like a food allergy, it's not going to bother everyone. My one sister is allergic to fish/seafood. All fish and seafood. If it's in the ocean, it makes her ill. If her food such as a french fry is in the same bag as a fish sandwich, she'll be sick (even if she doesn't eat the fish). She can't eat fresh fish or bought fish. No seafood or you'll be pulling the car over so she can vomit and or crap in the bushes, repeatedly.

    My other sister is allergic to the tannens in red wine. Major migraines.

    My two brothers are allergic to cat dander.

    I'm allergic to almonds, processed aloe, and cranberries. I have a very mild allergy to cats.

    So I'm convinced my family has a pre-disposition to allergies...although the allergies vary.

    Usually allergies are due to the immune system over reacting to certain stimuli. Why they overreact? No one knows.

    Tirz

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    1. The potatoes are vegetable from the nightshade family and loaded with tyramine which could make you violently sick on different levels like meat I get a bad bout of arrhythmia and can't even sleep at night sometimes if I ate any potato or food contining tato starch, you should check all the vegetable from the nightshade family
      also the yam that can be had as french fries or sweet potatoes.

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  4. Yes, Tirz, not everyone has the same sensitivities to food. But I'm convinced people have sensitivities and don't know it. They have a headache after lunch and think it's stress, but it might be the red wine they drank. Or they have a sore throat and decide they're sick when really they've eaten dried apricots and are sensitive to the sulpher used on them.

    It seems food allergies are on the rise...but are they really? Or are we starting to understand it better?

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    1. Allergies are caused by modified supplements in food mostly produced through fermentation and soya and yeast just to name few thing...modified starch ect....so I would say allergies are on the rise cause of all that crap they put in food nowadays to which the human has not adapted to in the past and to my point of view that is mostly it...just saying.

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  5. Rather late to be commenting here but I am also someone who is highly sensitive to MSG (which is manufactured from seaweed). I eat very healthily and am vegetarian but my new love once a day is Pacific Milk in my organic coffee. For over two weeks, I have been so ill with migraines, and taking triptans almost daily. Nothing would stop the migraines, which had me puzzled as I went on a very strict diet five months ago and was able to keep the migraines away for a whole month. Idiotic I may be, but I just ASSumed that the milk would be just that...milk. So I just checked the label and it contains carageenan. I can't drink Trader Joe's coconut milk due to the carageenan. Ugh! Thanks for this post. Nothing is getting past my lips without reading labels in their entirety, ever again. Antonia

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    1. Trader Joe makes its own brand of soy milk in a green brick box called Plain Organic Unsweetened that only contains Organic soybeans and water. West soy makes an excellent product in a blue brick box called again Plain Organic Unsweetened that contains only non-GMO soybeans and distilled water. The West soy product costs about twenty cents more a brick than the Trader Joe version but both taste the same. These two are the real thing, only containing the two things required to make soy milk and may not be as creamy as what you are currently used to, but believe me, it is worth the switchover in terms of getting out the toxins, especially the neurotoxins like casein and carrageenan present in most soy milk which cause migraine and chronic daily migraine.
      I got used to the very natural thinner flavor in days and have consumed no other soy milk products in years. You mentioned coffee above. I had been advised by a prominent NYC headache specialist (neurol)that as long as I was consuming the same amount of coffee each day, that coffee consumption would not be a trigger. Accidentally, on a trip abroad, where I was unable to monitor exactly what I was consuming, I noticed that my chronic daily migraine had lifted astonishingly. When I determined how much coffee I was actually drinking there, in the one very large latte I was consuming each morning, I found it was one seventh the amount I was drinking here at home in NY. I had to make a drastic cutback in my coffee consumption, which I hated since I believed that it was my single vice, but I would estimate that my chronic migraine has been improved by 80% and am able to cut back on daily medication.. so coffee amount IS a factor. Good luck. TomUltranova/NYC

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    2. Good to know about Trader Joe's soymilk, TomUltra! I'm going to try it. Also, I know someone who had problems with headaches and it turned out to be the fact he drank inconsistent amounts of coffee daily. So I am in agreement with you about that. Maybe it doesn't affect everyone, but different people are sensitive to different things.

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    3. I experieced with that coffee thing and my arrhythmia and it turn out it had nothing to do with coffee in my case but most oé the sweeteners i may be using specially the one with Phenylalanine which is a hormone produced by you body and some to do with release of adrenaline and bla bla bla
      also the carrageenan (seaweds) loaded whith tyramine which i also sensitive to...so double whammo for me
      that is something should pay attention to.

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  6. Wow! I had a similar set of events after eating a small amount of SO Delicious coconut milk non dairy frown desert. No sugar added, should be healthy right?
    I only had a half day of fun, headache, neck ache, dizziness. I have had problems like this before with their stuff. It didn't make sense, so I took to the internet and Mr. Google dropped me off here. Imagine my surprise. So, no, you aren't the only one not to know. When I finish typing I am throwing all of their stuff out! I will leave the one small carton that I have previously written "Headache" on, just as a reminder for a while. Gheeeze!

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    1. I can use some soy milk or almond milk in my cereal, even though it contains a small amount of carrageenan. But I think it's because I consume so little of it that way. But the non-dairy frozen stuff? Migraine.

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  7. I also get crazy bad migraines when I eat anything with carrageenan. Also, spirulina, mushrooms grown in feces, sulfites, non-organic wheat (I guess it's either the pesticides or Round Up Ready formula causing migraines), and a newly discovered migraine trigger: water-injected meat (I'm guessing it's the sulfites in the water they inject into the meat). Basically it all seems to come down to an intolerance to certain bacteria (carrageenan, mushrooms, spirulina), sulfites, and pesticides. Hope this helps!

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    1. That is so interesting. I may have to write a separate column about those other products. Thanks! I'd love to know how you found out about the mushrooms grown in feces, lol.

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  8. Most cottage cheese will contain carrageenan, which I didn't know. Also, almost all non-fat food will have it listed on the labels. Read those labels. I'm just starting on a restrictive diet for migraines so am new to this journey. Manufacturers disguise MSG under various names: natural flavors, natural spices, carrageenan, etc.

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    1. Good point. I want to know...what exactly is in the general heading of "natural flavoring", etc.

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  9. I just started the migraine diet too and a blog about it, carrageenan has been so hard to avoid it creeps in when you don't expect it!
    check out my blog- migrainemindest at blogspot dot com
    awesome post thanks soo much!

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    1. I think there was a typo...the site is migrainemindset at blogspot dot com. Thanks for sharing!

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  10. wait- anonymous spirulina really?
    i take that! hmmm may have to experiment with that!
    I think though its more of a MSG allergy here and with other foods its tyramine or histamine.

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  11. Thanks for commenting, everyone. You've all been very helpful! It's amazing that so many people have found carrageenan to be a migraine trigger, too. And it's in so many products you wouldn't think it would be in...even Healthy Choice TV dinners. Since checking food labels, I've had less frequency of headaches. We need to pass this information on to others.

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  12. Liftetime migraine suffererApril 14, 2012 at 1:11 PM

    I discovered the same problem with carrageenan causing migraines about 15 years ago. I am 43 and have suffered from migraines my entire life. Consumption of ice cream (several nights in a row!) which caused migraines made me take a look at the ingredients, and I figured it out. Also- some toothpastes like Colgate use it too! That was even worse b/c it gets into your bloodstream faster through the gums in your mouth! I thought if I didn't "eat" the toothpaste it would be ok but it was the worst migraine ever. Of course, the biggest offender is nitrates in processed meats (hot dogs, salami, bacon, etc.)

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    1. I never though about toothpaste, but it makes sense since it must have a thickening agent added. I used to think it was nitrates for me, but then I realized that a lot of processed meat has carrageenan in it. Though I don't eat much meat anyway, and if I do I usually stay away from the processed type. But I'm really angry that carrageenan is in ice cream because that means I can't have it at birthday parties. Few people buy the brand without carrageenan in it. Thanks for your reply, Lifetime Migraine Sufferer. I hope you discover all the triggers and can live pain-free.

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  13. I think I might have a sensitivity to it as well, but I'm not sure if it's that or Guar Gum, which is also in most ice cream and the coconut milk I was drinking. Have you ever noticed a pattern when you have guar gum? I'm a longtime migraine sufferer and have just begun to eliminate foods from my diet, so I'm still in the learning stages. Thanks for this post!

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  14. You know what, Elaine? I've been wondering about guar gum, too. I've noticed that's been on the ingredient list when I have a headache and carrageenan is not listed. It's not as strong of a headache as when I ingest carrageenan, but it did raise questions for me. Thanks. I will look into this!

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  15. Yep, it's carageenan. I just ate some crab dip from Earth Fare, which is supposed to be my healthy food place. Within 20 minutes, big headache out of nowhere. I looked at the ingredients, and bam: carageenan. I did a google search for carageenan and headache and found you. Now, I already new I should avoid carageenan because of all the bad stuff I've read about it (just do google search). But, it's Christmas time and I forget to check the labels, and Earth Fare allows this allergen, inflammatory toxin into its products. It's also in all whipped cream, so I'm screwed for special occasions. Even organic brands have it. Too bad.

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  16. Yes, Anonymous! It's amazing where they stick carrageenan, isn't it? Years ago I discovered that it's in most imitation crab. And I have only found one ice cream brand that doesn't contain it (Turkey Hill naturals). I use real heavy cream and make my own whipped cream with it...even when I need to replace Cool Whip in recipes. And since it's in buttermilk, I have to add vinegar to regular milk and make my own buttermilk. This post is my most popular, I receive hundreds of hits a month, so I know that many of us cannot tolerate carrageenan. I feel it should be banned from our food supply.

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  17. Last week I had a headache one day and a migraine the next. The only unusual thing I had eaten was mock crab. I will be looking over ingredient lists with a fine-tooth comb from now on. No more carrageenan for me if I can help it. Thank you, K.L.!!

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  18. It seems to be especially prevalent in organic foods. :( I have been having a lot of trouble with migraines and the Dr just wants to prescribe more and more medicine. I'm not a pill popper and have a pretty high threshold of pain tolerance, but the migraines have really become increasingly worse and debilitating. I have two small children to care for so I'm very interested in getting this under control and am interested in reading more about how the diet might be affecting the headaches.

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  19. Anonymous, I'm glad this has been helpful to you. :)

    Jennifer, yes, you're right...since carrageenan is derived from seaweed, it can be found in organic food. I have a heck of a tough time finding ready-made products that don't contain it! I feel bad for you...as a mom of two young children myself I know how hard it is to parent while in pain. I'll have to do some research and discover what other ingredients might be a hidden trigger for migraines.

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  20. Magnesium taurate and fish oil may help to prevent migraine headaches.

    See PubMed.gov

    "Magnesium taurate and fish oil for prevention of migraine"

    Abstract
    "Although the pathogenesis of migraine is still poorly understood, various clinical investigations, as well as consideration of the characteristic activities of the wide range of drugs known to reduce migraine incidence, suggest that such phenomena as neuronal hyperexcitation, cortical spreading depression, vasospasm, platelet activation and sympathetic hyperactivity often play a part in this syndrome. Increased tissue levels of taurine, as well as increased extracellular magnesium, could be expected to dampen neuronal hyperexcitation, counteract vasospasm, increase tolerance to focal hypoxia and stabilize platelets; taurine may also lessen sympathetic outflow. Thus it is reasonable to speculate that supplemental magnesium taurate will have preventive value in the treatment of migraine. Fish oil, owing to its platelet-stabilizing and antivasospastic actions, may also be useful in this regard, as suggested by a few clinical reports. Although many drugs have value for migraine prophylaxis, the two nutritional measures suggested here may have particular merit owing to the versatility of their actions, their safety and lack of side-effects and their long-term favorable impact on vascular health."
    PMID: 8961243

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8961243

    I've used the Cardiovascular Research brand of Magnesium Taurate on Amazon.com. When I stopped using it and the fish oil, my migraines returned. I thought I'd outgrown migraines but after a few months of not taking these supplements they have returned with a vengeance.

    This information may help someone.

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  21. Thanks, Anonymous! I'll look into this further. I appreciate the advice. If this works for anyone else, please let us know.

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  22. Thanks K.L Gore for all this helpful information! Haven´t heard about it before but will be paying more attention and I really hope it will work for me. Can´t stand another M. (I don´t even want to name it)

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  23. Thanks for dropping by to read, Manu. Anything you can try to make them go away can only benefit you. Good luck!

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  24. Hi,
    I've isolated this as a migraine trigger as well.
    I moved to a new city and my diet changed, and I was in bed three out of four days a week with migraines, sometimes throwing up until I was dry-heaving. I've had them my whole adult life, but this episode was particularly bad. I started keeping a journal of what I was eating and when I was sleeping, and I was eating cream cheese and ice cream. I know I'm not sensitive to dairy, so I isolated carageenan as the problem. I cut those things out and my headaches went away. I can drink milk with no problem, but it's in every ice cream or sorbet except haagen dazs, which is kind of expensive.
    Until yesterday, I decided for some reason that could't possibly be it--at ate a bagel with cream cheese. This time, I could feel it right away. My head is killing me, and my stomach is upset.
    A couple of months ago, I broke down and ate a piece of cheesecake, and had the same thing happen. It caused me to miss two day of work. Ridiculous.
    Hope this info is useful for others.

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    1. Thanks for your comments, Anonymous. It seems more and more products are being made with carrageenan, and yet I cannot find any medical evidence to support the claim that it causes migraines. With all the research being done, why isn't this one a priority? So many people are needlessly suffering. At least you, like me and the rest of the commentators on this post, have made the connection. I rarely get migraines anymore now that I'm cautious about my food. And I used to have headaches most of the month.

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  25. I have painless basilar migraines and my current episode is now in it's 10th week with no break. I just discovered the connection to carrageenan for me. I love flavored coffee-mate but it's now on my taboo list because of the carrageenan. I also realized I was in advertently eating aspartame in cough drops. Since I've dropped these two I've started to get better. Today I was able to drive for the first time in 10 weeks.

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    1. I'm so sorry, Anonymous. 10 weeks, how terrible! I'll have to take a look at aspartame too. I avoid aspartame because it's on my list of "caution" foods. Thank you for sharing your story. I wish we could have carrageenan banned.

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  26. Haven't had a migraine for several months, so I was quite surprised when I woke up yesterday with a doozy. Nausea, aura, extreme pain, light sensitivity, etc. Thinking about what I ate the day before - boom imitation crab salad. I had read somewhere that imitation crab can cause migraines.
    It caused a hell of a migraine. I still have a headache today. I won't be eating that crap again!!

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    1. I know...who would think carrageenan would be in imitation crab meat???? And I love that stuff. I was bummed to have to give it up. Thanks for your reply.

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  27. I'm on a mission to pin point and avoid my headache triggers, and now I know its likely that Carrageenan should be on the 'high offender' list along with MSG and nitrates which I've known about for a while.

    My boyfriend made me a quesadilla last night and immediately after I ate it, BAM, eye pressure, tingly head, and headache coming.. I checked the label of the cheese and corn tortilla he used and noticed Carrageenan on the corn tortilla list (cheap store brand)! I'd heard to avoid carrageenan from others who avoid MSG and now I have strong reason to believe it was the trigger. Other corn tortillas haven't given me the same instantaneous strong reaction, so I'm thinking it was that. (???)

    I wonder what it is about my brain/body that allows the headache to occur. Its like my body lacks a defense or something.

    Thanks so much for making this blog and keeping up with it! Sometimes I feel lost about food and so its good to learn from others.. Makes me feel more hopeful. :)

    -Baltimore's anonymous :)

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    1. Hi there, Baltimore's Anonymous! I never thought to look for carrageenan in corn tortillas! Yet another label I'll have to read every time I go to the supermarket. Thanks for the head's up. :) Years after I posted this article on the seaweed-derived substance, I have learned that carrageenan can cause artery inflammation, hence the link to migraines.

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  28. Boxed stuffing mix gave me a 4 day migraine. Either the soybeans or maltodextrin were the culprit. I made burritos with sour cream and got a two day migraine. Sour cream is loaded with carrageenen. I made them without sour cream, and got a less severe headache. Then I made them without pinto beans(just beef), and got no headache at all. I had a blood test done for allergies and the results came back negative (go figure)! I spoke to someone in the medical profession and they speculated the test must have been for antibodies in the blood stream. Since I avoid everything I am aware of that causes reactions, I probably didn't have any measurable antibodies. Ask what's being measured before spending money on a blood test.

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    1. Thanks, Alfred Neuman. Yes, sour cream is another one of those dairy products that separate, therefore must have an emulsifier to "look pretty" in the package. Interesting that you had trouble with boxed stuffing. And I'm guessing that whatever is used to preserve the canned beans (assuming you used canned) causes headaches or migraines as well. I have two cans on beans in front of me right now, and I see they both use Disodium EDTA to "promote color retention." Looks like I have another riddle to solve. Thanks for writing about your issues with migraines.

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  30. I found out years ago that MSG gives me migraines. I was mad that the FDA allowed it to be disguised under different names i.e. natural flavors, autolyzed yeast, autolyzed protein, etc. It could be added to another ingredient first and then that ingredient added to the recipe with no mention of the MSG. Why was the food industry hiding this info? Most likely so the public couldn't make informed decisions and steer away from their products. The MSG lobby fought against full disclosure for years. I don't know if MSG can be disguised like this anymore? I didn't know about the carrageenan though I suspected it. Years ago I had the worst migraines I ever had, with massive headache pain and throwing up. I had been eating pies made from Jello pudding mixes. These mixes are full of carrageenan. I normally don't eat much processed food anymore. I bought a gallon of generic ice cream from ALDI grocery food store. Now on my 3rd day of non-pain migraine auras. I really don't get the painful type migraines very much anymore, just the "fuzzy eyes". What usually knocks out my migraines is (1) 200mg tab of caffeine, 2-3 feverfew capsules & 400-600 mg of ibuprofen. You can add in more feverfew if you need it....not really toxic or anything. I've heard feverfew can be taken prophylactically as a preventative for some people. The best prevention though, is avoiding the crap the food industry puts in our food to start with. Sometimes I get lax with my label reading. My bad!!

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    1. Thanks for your reply. Yes, I get tired of having to read labels...especially labels on food I have been buying for years because suddenly they've changed the ingredients and added polysorbate or carrageenan to it. Good to know about the feverfew.

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  31. Hello, My experience is just like yours..I have known about this for about a year..I was drinking low fat half and half with carrageenan and experienced the same migraines i get from msg..my migraines are always on the lt side for some reason, and they last for 24 to 48 hrs. Now I am xtra careful..would love to exchange information with you..Di

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    1. Hi, Di. Yes, mine lasted 48 hours. And mine come on very soon after I consume the product. Have you found out anything more about it? I still can't find one scientific study on it.

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  32. It gives me migraines and messes up my vision for a few days afterwards. It also causes my feet to feel numb. I found this out by tracking carrageenan to Kroger brand Ice cream and other dairy, as well as Nestle Quick strawberry milk and colgate toothpaste. 72 hours of hell after I eat it and within 30 mins I start having abdominal cramps and the squirts.

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    1. Another culprit that gives abdominal cramps and diarrhea is polysorbate. I have a post on that here as well. You will often find it in products that also contain carrageenan. It's also an emulsifier. You may want to check into that as well.

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  33. Stumbled across this blog and just wanted to share that I too am afflicted by carrageenan. It took me 5 years to figure out what was making me sick, since it's sometimes only in a lowfat or sugar-free food and not the regular. My episodes typically begin about 4-12 hours after I eat (making tracking what I ate when even more challenging). 1) Distinct migraine that gradually worsens. Lasting 8-10 hours minimum. Does not respond to aspirin or caffeine and cannot sleep this one off. 2) Often accompanied by "food poisoning" type reaction: diarrhea, sometimes violent vomiting (as if from a fire hose). 3) Overall lethargy and dullness. Unable to concentrate due to migraine brain fog blur. I too have missed many days of work waiting these out. And now read every label, including what's not on the label. Beware of organic soups that list "organic milk", and not the ingredients in the milk. Beware of beer and wine, many (most?) of which are now clarified using carrageenan. Beer was one of the first things years ago that begin making me seriously ill. I've read through most of these comments and learned a few new things. Thanks to all who've shared.

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    1. Thank you for the information, Anonymous. I had no idea that beer and wine can become contaminated with carrageenan. (Yes, I used the word "contaminated." It feels as if it's deserving of that status.) Also, never thought "organic milk" might have carrageenan as a hidden ingredient. Very helpful, thank you!

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  34. I'm finding I might have migraine issues with carrageenan too. Interestingly, I looked it up on Wikipedia, and it says all carrageenan forms produce sulfates. I wonder if that's where the trouble arises?

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    1. Hi Margaret. I think you might be mixing up sulfates and sulfites, which is easy to do and actually a good thing to point out, so I'm glad to posted this. Sulfites are used as a preservative or flavor enhancer, much like salt. People may be sensitive to sulfites and have a reaction to it. Sulfates, however, are an organic substance often found in drinking water and occasionally the air. It's not used in our food supply. From what I surmise, when seaweed breaks down, it produces sulfates, which are mineral salts that contain sulphur. So almost as if the seaweed is decaying, thus giving off sulfates. Great thought, though. It gave me the opportunity to differentiate the two items.

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  35. I was able to isolate this as a trigger for my migraines after eating Ice cream and 20mins later getting a migraine from hell. May of 2013 I switched to Colgate brand toothpaste and was getting migraine in the middle of the night and in the early morning......Why? Carrageenan is in it. Beware it may be in used in your food as an ingredient to the ingredients listed. I wilI give an example. I try to avoid all dairy products when eating out because of the use of this in a lot of products. Unless I can get a list of the ingredients used. One time I asked about some banana pudding that was made from "scratch", the ingredients listed cream. I asked to see what the ingredients for the cream were and they went back to the cooler an brought a carton of it out for me to read...bingo carrageenan. 43 years old and just figured this out last year. Oh and the gastrointestinal issues it causes....in me within 2 hours I will get the worse diarrhea along with a migraine. Subway seafood and crab and their turkey...bingo it's in those too! Check the ingredients I find the fewer listed the better off I will be and especially no carrageenan!

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    1. Yes! I always have problems with imitation crabmeat. Bummer, because I absolutely love it. For some reason, I can eat soft serve ice cream, but that may be because there is less carrageenan in it than store bought ice cream? Ben & Jerry's ice cream seems to affect me the most. I can handle small amounts of carrageenan, like in my Almond Milk. But again, I probably use a consume a quarter of a cup and it may have trace amounts in it. Still, usually if I see it listed in the ingredients, I put it back on the shelf. It's not worth the chance. Thanks for your response!

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  36. Thank you. I have had a splitting headache today due to some coconut milk drinks with carageenan and the same thing happens with almond milk drinks with carageenan listed in the ingredients. Boo hoo! I feel so yuchhy and wated my money! I thought I was paranoid but it is such a consistent problem for me and makes me so mad! I appreciate the validation! it helps me be a smarter shopper. When I buy Westsoy organic non GMO soymilk with just soybeans and water I dont have the same problem. But if I buy another brand with it listed... BAM! Thanks so much everyone! I hope I can feel better tomorrow!

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    1. Thanks for your comment! It's still so surprising to me how many "hits" this post gets...there just isn't enough information out there regarding this. Even my own doctor never heard of this issue before I brought it up to her. I'm glad everyone is sharing their stories...it's not just "in our heads," (so to speak) and this long line of comments proves it.

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  37. Kim - Thanks for creating this blog. It's nice to know that others have an issue with Carrageenan. I've been able to figure this out within the last two years after a lifetime of unexplained headaches. I've done a lot of research on this lately and would like to share some of my results. The most bothersome thing is why we have this issue, and nobody that I know - and no one in my family has this issue. After reading Russel Blaylock's book I have an idea why.

    Again - thanks for creating this blog. I have more info I'd like to share.

    Geno

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    1. Thanks, Geno. I'm going to have to look at that book. I'd love to hear any more information you have on this topic if you'd care to share.

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  38. This is awesome!

    Jumper

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  39. Breyers natural vanilla icecream has no gums in it, animal cookies w icing do
    I also noticed lately that some of the fresh chicken at the grocery store had a 2% water or flavor solution When i asked what it was I found out its carrageenan. Also Reddi Whip and I'm sure a million other things

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    1. It seems to me that there isn't enough information on carrageenan. Obviously, it causes a reaction in a lot of people. I know because a lot of people search "carrageenan and migraines," according to the search results on this site. So why is it that nothing is being done to eliminate it or point it out to consumers? Soy, peanuts, dairy, gluten...many foods are labelled with these. I want to find a way that foods can also be labelled with warnings when a food has polysorbate (another big offender people don't realize is potentially harmful) and carrageenan.

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  40. Wow this is amazing that I'm finding all this. I'm suffering from almost daily migraines and am realizing that in an effort to get around my lactose issues I've been ingesting almond milk with carrageenan almost every day along with the non dairy creamer with carrageenan. This is really enlightening.

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    1. Yes! It's amazing how few articles can be found about this. Glad you find this helpful. :)

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  41. http://www.marinalg.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Do-carrageenans-contain-MSG.pdf

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  42. Kim - the Cornucopia Institute is doing their best to rid our food of Carrageenan. Here is a link to their website - it is very informative. You can find a nice report on Carrageenan here. You can sign their petition to the FDA.

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    1. oops - forgot the link - http://www.cornucopia.org/carrageenan-how-a-natural-food-additive-is-making-us-sick/

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    2. Thank you for this! When I first wrote this post, I could hardly find any information about it on the web. At last, it's becoming recognized as a problem.

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  43. I found your site because I wanted to find if anyone else was having a problem with migraines and coffee creamer. Oddly I don't get them from 7-11's little International Delight creamers. But the Nestle Coffee Mate creamer at the office can send me home from work early, almost unable to drive myself home. The strange thing is that the one that doesn't cause a problem has carrageenan and the killer one doesn't list anything but "artificial flavor". I think that it is hiding in there - the unelaborated-on "artificial flavor".
    This issue is so frustrating...and finding answers to my migraines is so tricky. But your triggers are also mine. I used to think I was allergic to corn but it is just the microwaved & movie popcorn that does it. MSG is very bad for me - no matter what the studies have "shown."
    The up side is that I garden and make my own yogurt and bread from scratch and I've lost 3 dress sizes. Yay!

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    1. That's great that you have made healthy choices and learned what triggers your migraines. Another problem emulsifier is polysorbate. (I've written an article on this site about that as well.)I do wonder what, exactly, is in "natural flavoring" and "artificial flavoring." It does feel as if it's one big corporate secret.

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  44. Thank you for posting this! I have been trying to find out why every time I eat ice cream I get migraines. Now I know!

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    1. You are welcome! Glad you found it helpful.

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  45. I am recently diagnosed as celiac (4 months ago) and now in the last week I realized that carrageenan was actually causing worse symptoms than gluten. Thank you for writing about this. It turns out that the migraines are the worst part, and I realize I can get them from carrageenan, gluten, and/or MSG. The big 3. The guy with the box stuffing - MSG. It is going to be hard to avoid all 3 of these but I think I finally found all of my triggers. And, of course, the digestive stuff is better. It took so long to figure this out and doctors have not been terribly helpful, especially with the carrageenan piece of the puzzle. Best of luck to everyone!

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    1. It's so difficult to find scientific evidence on this...but hopefully more of us can pass on the word and help others. Thanks for your reply!

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    2. I cut gluten out over 5 years ago, and through experimentation have discovered that the gluten/wheat may not have been the whole problem. Yeast was also a major component for me, and now I am finding other migraine triggers as well.

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  46. Here is my remedy for a carageenan headache: 1 tablespoon vitamin C, ascorbic acid, in 24 oz. water, stirred to dissolve, then 2 1/2 teaspoons Arm and Hammer baking soda to neutralize the acidity. It will bubble. Drink over 5 minutes. Purging will begin after 30 to 60 minutes. This gets rid of the offending food and neutralizes the toxins. Headache will be gone in 2 hours after completion of purging.



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    1. Wow. That sounds awful, but I know people are desperate enough to get rid of the pain and won't mind trying this. Although I suggest people discuss this with a doctor before trying it, just to make sure their bodies can handle the concoction and the subsequent purging. Thanks!

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  48. I just found this thread. I had a severe migraine yesterday, and I was combing through the foods that were unusual over the last couple of days. I had a pre-packaged Indian Masala sauce that contained carrageenan. Almost everything else I had eaten was something that I regularly eat, so the carrageenan is very suspect at this point. Thanks for the info!

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  49. I don't know if anyone is still reading this blog. I've recently been feeling lousy and have had three to four awful headaches lasting two days each. I decided that they must be triggered from food, as I used to have dreadful, daily headaches from bananas, and will get 48 hour migraines from milk. I thought I was going to have to do a full elimination diet to figure it out. I don't drink dairy milk at all, and would frequently feel a little nausea from half-n-half in coffee, so I use whole cream and don't get sick or have headaches. I usually buy organic cream, but had bought a store brand the last few weeks out of convenience. That's the only thing that I thought I was doing that was different. The store brand creamer contains carageenan and a couple of other ingredients. The organic is straight cream. So I switched back the day before yesterday (I was still not feeling well yesterday). Today is 48 hours since switching back and so far I'm feeling better. It would stand to reason since I'm somewhat allergic to seaweed as well.

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    1. Yes! I get the two-day migraine, too, which makes me think it takes 48 hours to clear the body of the toxin.

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  50. Carageenan is used in a wide variety of foods. Daisy sour cream does not contain it. Many Butterball Turkey products contain carageenan. It is used as a clarifier for some beer and wine, and enough remains to cause a headache. The vintners and brewers are not required to list it as an ingredient.

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    1. That is VERY interesting. I do get two day migraines when I drink some wines. I think I need to take a closer look at this. Thanks for your response!

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    2. I also just discovered the caragreenan migraine connection as well. I have suffered from headaches since I was a child. Over the years I have been illuminating foods that seem to trigger headaches. I learned pretty quickly I had a sulfa allergy when prescribed sulfa for a UTI. Then MSG, which was brought to my awareness because my brother gets severe HAs and That got me investigating. I have been a vegetarian for years but as others have mention caragreenan is a common additive to thicken vegetarian products because it is derived from algae. I was going to treat myself to a Keto desert and had a nice bowl of heavy cream and blue berries. Boom! Didn’t associate the HA until the next day I used the cream to make broccoli cream soup. Yep HA again. I began researching and saw that caragreenan has a sulfate component. Since I know I’m allergic to sulfa I assume there is some connection. I am now trying eliminate sulfates from my soaps and shampoo as I also have terribly itchy skin and scalp. I am definitely have become a label reader!

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    3. Carrageenan is in so many products, although I've noticed that some manufacturers are seeing the link between this emulsifier and negative reactions in their consumers, so they've taken it out or substituted it with something else. Interesting about the sulfate link to it. Thanks for sharing that!

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    4. Had my migraine headaches under control for 3 months. Today I had a half of a liquid protein drink…and boom 30 minutes after my migraine returned along with the dreaded vertigo. Has to be the carrageenan. I have been staying away from foods with that ingredient in them for months and have been headache free. Is there a coffee creamer or ice cream without carrageenan?

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    5. I would suggest trying low histamine diet, it helped me. Search for "SIGHI food list". Eye opener.

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  51. 48 of migraine after everytime I eat ice cream. That is why I googled it. It took me a while to figure it out. I suspected the carrageenan. It gives my kid GI symptoms too. Thank you for this blog. Nice to know while I am recovering here that it is not just me.

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    1. I've noticed that more and more manufacturers are becoming aware that carrageenan causes problems for people. It's definitely not just you! Glad this information helped. :)

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  52. CoQ10 supplement that I use ( Q10 coenzyme ) or some fiah oil capsules' coatings are made of a softgel made of carrageenan , this causes potentially to have headache or migraine for many people. Ironically CoQ10 itself is described as a helping supplement against headaches/migraine development. Found via trials and errors and observations through time.

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    1. Interesting! I take that sometimes...wonder if it correlates with some of my "oddly-timed" headaches?

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  54. Thanks for sharing such beautiful information with us. I hope you will share some more information about migraines.Please keep sharing.
    Health Is A Life

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  55. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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