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Mycotoxins: the hidden danger in the usual food
More than thirty years ago, scientists observed how mycotoxin-contaminated grain feed affected the sexual development of female pigs, resulting in estrogen imbalance and leading to early puberty. Recent studies in humans confirm that the presence of fungal toxins in food negatively affects the sexual development of adolescent girls.
Grains, previously considered the basis of the pyramid of nutrition (a scheme of principles of healthy eating developed by nutritionists, note mixednews.ru), have recently become the object of scrutiny due to their alleged evolutionary incompatibility (paleodiet), their unconditional introduction by biotech and agricultural corporations, plus the fact that in the body they are converted into “sugar”. This is not a complete list of such difficulties. But an even deeper problem for all grains could be what Mother Nature produces: mycotoxins.
What are mycotoxins?
These are the secondary metabolites produced by the plants of the fungal kingdom, better known as mold. If your diet includes cereals or meat of animals that eat them, then there is a considerable probability that you are already a carrier of fungal, because mycotoxins affect a quarter of all cereals grown in the world.
Contamination of food with mycotoxins can cause acute, sometimes life-threatening diseases. Not so long ago, in April 2004, an outbreak of aflatoxemia occurred in Kenya, caused by an infection of corn. There were 317 cases and 125 deaths. When corn samples were tested for aflatoxin, an excess of twenty percent aflatoxin was found to be up to 35 percent.
Even low concentrations of mycotoxins are known to have fatal consequences. The absence of painful signs and symptoms does not necessarily mean that you are not affected. Low, difficult to detect concentrations of mycotoxins can significantly disrupt the body’s endocrine system and contribute to the development of chronic disorders.
Mycotoxins and endocrine disorders
A groundbreaking study published in the journal The Science of Total Environment in 2011 suggests that an estrogen-disrupting mycotoxin called zearalinone (ZEA) produced by the microscopic fungus Fusarium graminearum.
It was found in urine samples taken from girls living in a US state. These girls, ages nine to ten, had a “proneness to stunted growth and, apparently, a slowdown in mammary development.”
ZEA mycotoxins are not only found in crops such as corn, barley, oats, wheat, rice, and sorghum, but also roam the entire food chain, found in the meat of animals fattened by these crops, as well as in dairy products, eggs and even beer. Researchers were able to find a link between the presence of ZEA in the urine of girls and their consumption of contaminated foods such as beef and popcorn.
Interestingly, ZEA derivatives are patented as oral contraceptives. In addition, according to recent reports, “[zearalenone] has been widely used in the United States since 1969 to improve the fattening of cattle in order to increase the growth rate and efficiency of feed use. Proof of the harm of this method to human health here is premature puberty. This practice is therefore prohibited in the European Union.” Similarly, many other studies have also found a link between mycotoxins and early puberty.
According to studies conducted more than thirty years ago, in pigs receiving zearalinone-containing food, various estrogenic disorders were observed: uterine enlargement, swelling of the external genital organs and mammary glands, as well as false pregnancy.
Molecular studies of ZEA regarding potentiation of endocrine disorders indicate that this substance binds to both subtypes of estrogen receptors much more actively than other similar toxins - DDT or bisphenol A. In addition, unlike DDT and bisphenol, the intestinal microflora of a healthy person is not able to neutralize zearalinone.
Surprisingly, the above study involving girls was the first of its kind in history. Information on the effects of zearalinone on estrogen receptors indicates the need for further research, as it is a question of human health. Already, more than forty different mycotoxins have provided enough cause for concern to become grounds for official restrictions in more than a hundred countries. And yet, most of them are still not fully understood and there is still insufficient information about their possible health threats.
What do I do?
Unfortunately, both organically grown and agrochemically processed grains are equally susceptible to mycotoxins. Heat treatment in the preparation of dishes from contaminated cereals also does not contribute to reducing their concentrations or neutralization. The solution may be to abandon such crops, especially not always consumed fresh, like corn in the cobs. Given that much of the world’s corn is contaminated with agrochemicals such as glyphosate (the main ingredient in the Roundup herbicide), plus DNA recombination technologies, which can cause the crop to contain potentially dangerous transgenes, it will not be too problematic to abandon corn. However, avoiding other grains, such as wheat, can be difficult.
One way out is to change your diet from cereals, often contaminated, to high-nutrient, starch-low vegetables, such as cabbage, to fresh rather than long-term, mycotoxin-contaminated cereals.
In addition, there is evidence of the ability of garlic to reduce the negative effects of zearalinone toxicity. Thus, garlic can be an excellent seasoning for dishes made from potentially contaminated grains or their derivatives. It is possible that the almost universal use of spices in the cuisines of different countries is associated with the ability to reduce the harmful effects of mycotoxins and pathogenic vegetation similar to them.
Source: mixednews.ru
Source: /users/1077
Grains, previously considered the basis of the pyramid of nutrition (a scheme of principles of healthy eating developed by nutritionists, note mixednews.ru), have recently become the object of scrutiny due to their alleged evolutionary incompatibility (paleodiet), their unconditional introduction by biotech and agricultural corporations, plus the fact that in the body they are converted into “sugar”. This is not a complete list of such difficulties. But an even deeper problem for all grains could be what Mother Nature produces: mycotoxins.
What are mycotoxins?
These are the secondary metabolites produced by the plants of the fungal kingdom, better known as mold. If your diet includes cereals or meat of animals that eat them, then there is a considerable probability that you are already a carrier of fungal, because mycotoxins affect a quarter of all cereals grown in the world.
Contamination of food with mycotoxins can cause acute, sometimes life-threatening diseases. Not so long ago, in April 2004, an outbreak of aflatoxemia occurred in Kenya, caused by an infection of corn. There were 317 cases and 125 deaths. When corn samples were tested for aflatoxin, an excess of twenty percent aflatoxin was found to be up to 35 percent.
Even low concentrations of mycotoxins are known to have fatal consequences. The absence of painful signs and symptoms does not necessarily mean that you are not affected. Low, difficult to detect concentrations of mycotoxins can significantly disrupt the body’s endocrine system and contribute to the development of chronic disorders.
Mycotoxins and endocrine disorders
A groundbreaking study published in the journal The Science of Total Environment in 2011 suggests that an estrogen-disrupting mycotoxin called zearalinone (ZEA) produced by the microscopic fungus Fusarium graminearum.
It was found in urine samples taken from girls living in a US state. These girls, ages nine to ten, had a “proneness to stunted growth and, apparently, a slowdown in mammary development.”
ZEA mycotoxins are not only found in crops such as corn, barley, oats, wheat, rice, and sorghum, but also roam the entire food chain, found in the meat of animals fattened by these crops, as well as in dairy products, eggs and even beer. Researchers were able to find a link between the presence of ZEA in the urine of girls and their consumption of contaminated foods such as beef and popcorn.
Interestingly, ZEA derivatives are patented as oral contraceptives. In addition, according to recent reports, “[zearalenone] has been widely used in the United States since 1969 to improve the fattening of cattle in order to increase the growth rate and efficiency of feed use. Proof of the harm of this method to human health here is premature puberty. This practice is therefore prohibited in the European Union.” Similarly, many other studies have also found a link between mycotoxins and early puberty.
According to studies conducted more than thirty years ago, in pigs receiving zearalinone-containing food, various estrogenic disorders were observed: uterine enlargement, swelling of the external genital organs and mammary glands, as well as false pregnancy.
Molecular studies of ZEA regarding potentiation of endocrine disorders indicate that this substance binds to both subtypes of estrogen receptors much more actively than other similar toxins - DDT or bisphenol A. In addition, unlike DDT and bisphenol, the intestinal microflora of a healthy person is not able to neutralize zearalinone.
Surprisingly, the above study involving girls was the first of its kind in history. Information on the effects of zearalinone on estrogen receptors indicates the need for further research, as it is a question of human health. Already, more than forty different mycotoxins have provided enough cause for concern to become grounds for official restrictions in more than a hundred countries. And yet, most of them are still not fully understood and there is still insufficient information about their possible health threats.
What do I do?
Unfortunately, both organically grown and agrochemically processed grains are equally susceptible to mycotoxins. Heat treatment in the preparation of dishes from contaminated cereals also does not contribute to reducing their concentrations or neutralization. The solution may be to abandon such crops, especially not always consumed fresh, like corn in the cobs. Given that much of the world’s corn is contaminated with agrochemicals such as glyphosate (the main ingredient in the Roundup herbicide), plus DNA recombination technologies, which can cause the crop to contain potentially dangerous transgenes, it will not be too problematic to abandon corn. However, avoiding other grains, such as wheat, can be difficult.
One way out is to change your diet from cereals, often contaminated, to high-nutrient, starch-low vegetables, such as cabbage, to fresh rather than long-term, mycotoxin-contaminated cereals.
In addition, there is evidence of the ability of garlic to reduce the negative effects of zearalinone toxicity. Thus, garlic can be an excellent seasoning for dishes made from potentially contaminated grains or their derivatives. It is possible that the almost universal use of spices in the cuisines of different countries is associated with the ability to reduce the harmful effects of mycotoxins and pathogenic vegetation similar to them.
Source: mixednews.ru
Source: /users/1077
Edible flowers against chronic diseases
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