A Fungus Among Us

Gitane

I came across a reference to "aflatoxin".  It comes from a fungus that is commonly found in corn, peanuts, rice, sunflower seads and wheat (and other stuff).  When these foods are processed it gets into the general food supply, for example eggs, milk, and meat.  Aflatoxin is less a health concern in U.S. compared to some other countries, but it is still a concern here.  It is more of a concern to those with HIV/AIDS or Hepatitis B. I don't want to alarm anyone because the FDA monitors for this and humans have a high tolerance for aflatoxin exposure.

However, as we have been treated for cancer, maybe we should pay more attention to it.  What caught my attention was this:

Aflatoxin acts as a mutagen, not only mutating DNA randomly, but specifically mutating the p53 gene.  It has been shown to cause liver cancer.  It can hamper the tumor suppressing effects of p53 and its role in apoptosis.  Chronic low level exposure can cause impaired immunity.  It affects monocytes and some types of NK cells.

One thing we can do about this is include apiaceous vegetables in our diet.  These include carrots, parsnips, celery and parsley.  These have been found to reduce the carcinogenic effects of aflatoxin.

Not a biggie, but every bit of knowledge that can help our immune system is important.