(12-04-13) Mycotoxins are contaminating these 10 food staples

by Lance Johnson

(NaturalNews) Fungi produce secondary metabolites called mycotoxins.
Mycotoxins were discovered in 1962 in London, England, when a peanut ground
meal was found to have caused approximately 100,000 turkey deaths. Metabolites
from the common fungi Aspergillus flavus had contaminated the peanut meal. This
led to many studies on mycotoxins, especially on aflatoxins, which derive from
the Aspergillus species.

Aflatoxin's damage to the human body
Studies have shown that when humans are exposed to small amounts of aflatoxins
over an extended period of time, they develop a wide range of serious health
problems including growth impairment, liver cancer due to DNA mutation, and a
suppressed immune system.

Aspergillus, the most common fungi consumed
Aspergillus often grows in damp harvested grain but can also grow on grain
before it's even harvested. Aspergillus grows on substances like corn,
cottonseed, peanuts, and hay. The American Food and Agriculture Organization
estimates that 25 percent of the food crops in the world are affected by
mycotoxins.

10 common sources of mycotoxins

Corn

Most corn is contaminated with fumonisin and other fungal toxins such as
aflatoxin, zearalenone and ochratoxin. Fumonisin and aflatoxin possess known
cancer-causing effects, while zearalenone and ochratoxin cause estrogenic and
kidney-related problems.

Wheat

Wheat products like bread, cereals, and pasta are often contaminated with
mycotixins. In pasta, much of the mycotoxin is discarded when the boiled water
is drained, but more harmful, heat-stable, fat-soluble aflatoxins remain.

Barley

Barley, used in the production of several cereals and alcoholic beverages, is
commonly contaminated with mycotoxins, especially when harvested in times of
drought and flood.

Sugar

Crops like sugar cane and sugar beets can be contaminated with mycotoxins.
Sugars also feed fungi. Consuming sugar is like spoon feeding the fungus in the
body.

Peanuts

In 1993, a study revealed that peanuts harbored 24 different types of fungi
that colonized even after the peanuts were sterilized.

Alcoholic beverages

Alcohol is the mycotoxin of the Saccharomyces yeast-brewer's yeast. This fungi
may play a significant role in the development of arteriosclerosis and
diabetes. Both ailments are provoked using yeast fungi, according to studies.

Sorghum

Sorghum is used in a variety of grain-based products intended for both humans
and animals. It is also used in the production of alcoholic beverages.

Cottonseed

Cottonseed, usually found in the form of cottonseed oil, is also used in the
form of grain in animal food and is often contaminated.

Cheeses

Many types of cheese are an excellent substrate for mold growth.

Antibiotics

Antibiotics contain penicillium which is actually a mold found commonly in
soil and many fruits. This fungi excretes substances called mucotoxins which
are chemicals fungi produce to kill the growth of other organisms, like
bacteria. When you ingest antibiotics, they kill bacteria in the gut, both bad
bacteria and good. The human body's immune system relies on a good balance of
beneficial gut bacteria. Antibiotics destroy that harmony.

Detoxification is key
Many of the substances listed above are often consumed in day to day life.
This means most people are contaminated with some form of mycotoxin. This makes
it imperative that each and every person take responsibility and detoxify their
body now and routinely. There are many different approaches to detoxification.

Here are seven ways to detoxify on a budget: http://www.naturalnews.com

Here is a newer approach to detoxifying the body with zeolites. Zeolites trap
microbes such as pathogenic bacteria, viruses, and yeasts into their matrix
where they are eliminated through the bowels and urine.

http://www.naturalnews.com/035814_zeolites_detox_heavy_metals.html

Sources for this article include

http://www.drjohntafel.com/?page_id=619
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC164220/
http://blackmold.awardspace.com/aflatoxin-mycotoxins.html
(Council for Agricultural Science and Technology. Mycotoxins: Risks in Plant,
Animal and Human Systems. Task Force Report No. 139. Ames, IA. Jan 2003).

News

---

In evidenza

"L'informazione presente nel sito serve a migliorare, e non a sostituire, il rapporto medico-paziente."

Per coloro che hanno problemi di salute si consiglia di consultare sempre il proprio medico curante.