Most crops are contaminated with fungal mycotoxins, but some foods are worse than others.
oats can to be considered as “uniquely nutritious”. One of the ways they improve human health is by providing prebiotics, which “enhance the growth of beneficial gut microbiota.” There are all kinds of oats, from steel-cut oats to, even better, whole-grain oats (the way they are before they’re cut), to highly processed cereals like Honey Nut Cheerios.
“Rolling breaks up the grain, which can break down the cell walls and break down the starch granules, making them more accessible for digestion.” This is bad because we want the starch to make it all the way into our gut to feed our good gut bacteria. Grinding oats into oatmeal to make breakfast cereal is even worse. When you compare blood sugar and insulin responses, you can see a significant reduction in steel cut oats, as shown below and at 0:54 in my video. Ochratoxin in some herbs, spices and wine.
What about ochratoxin? As seen here and in 1:01 videooats are The main source of food exposure to these pollutants is mold, but they are not the only source.
There is global contamination of food crops with mycotoxins and some experts estimate that up to 25% of the world’s crops are affected. This statistic belongs to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, but it turns out that the statistic is false. It’s not 25%. Instead, it can be more like 60% to 80%. “The high incidence is probably explained by a combination of better sensitivity of analytical methods (testing) and the effects of climate change.”
There were spices found to have the highest concentration of mycotoxins, but since they enter in small quantities, they are not considered a significant source. Of course we can to do though our part to reduce our risk. For example, we need to keep spices dry after opening the containers or closed packages.
What about dried herbs? Researchers in “Mycotoxins in Plant Dietary Supplements: Hidden Health Risks for Consumers” found that milk thistle-based supplements had the highest mycotoxin concentrations. It turns out that during the collection of milk, moist and wet air is needed, which is apparently why they get so moldy. “Given that milk thistle supplements are mainly used by people with liver disease,” high consumption of liver-toxic compounds may be a cause for concern.
Wine originated from the United States also seems to have a particularly high level. In fact, the single highest level ever found worldwide is in US wine, but there is widespread contamination. In fact, some suggests that’s why we see such constant levels in people’s blood—perhaps because most people drink.
Ochratoxin is a kidney toxin with immunosuppressive, birth defect and carcinogenic properties. So what about neutralizing ochratoxin in wine? That is, the removal of toxins? Ideally, we would like to try to prevent contamination in the first place, but since this is not always practical, there is increasing interest in finding effective methods of detoxification of mycotoxins already present in food. Here is the yeast enters as a “promising and friendly solution” because mycotoxins bind to the yeast cell wall. The idea is that we can tension yeast out. Another approach is to eat something like nutritional yeast to prevent absorption.
It works in chickens. Feed the yeast along with aflatoxin (another mycotoxin) and the severity of the disease will decrease. However, to use something like nutritional yeast as a binder “depends on the persistence of the yeast-mycotoxin complex through the gastrointestinal tract.” We know that yeasts can remove ochratoxin in foods, but we don’t know if it works in the gut until 2016. Yeast was found to bind up to 44% of the ochratoxin, but in reality it was probably only closer to a third because some of the bonds were not stable. So, if you’re trying to stick to your maximum daily intake and you’re drinking a glass of wine, even if your bar snack is popcorn with nutritional yeast, you’re probably exceeding your tolerable intake. But what does this mean? How bad is this ochratoxin? We will find out later.
Dr.’s comment
This is the second video in a four-part series on mold toxins. It was the first Ochratoxin in breakfast cereals.
Stay subscribed Should we be concerned about the effects of ochratoxin? and Should we be worried about aflatoxin?. You can also check: Friday’s Favorite: Should We Be Concerned About Ochratoxin and Aflatoxin?.
