Subject: Stesses in our diets (Food Toxins) - foodprob.txt [1/1]

From: [email-masked] (larry withers)
Date: 8 Sep 1995 17:00:22 GMT

Extracted from "Nutrition Therapy Vol.2"
By Stephen J. Gislason MD

Problems in our Food Supply 
 
There are many complicated issues influencing 
proper food selection. Media reports may  
focus your attention on single issues such as a 
food additive problem. A  TV report ( 60  
Minutes - Nov '91) on MSG suggested that this 
food additive was responsible for a wide  
range of food problems. Many packaged foods 
were shown with ingredients such as  
hydrolysed protein and it was suggested that the 
problem was that MSG was hidden in  
these materials. The reported was very far from 
any recognizable  biochemical truth. In the  
first place, MSG is not that bad. It is a scapegoat 
and a good example of the single- 
ingredient fallacy.  Hydrolysed proteins are 
potentially hazardous materials for a variety  
of reasons discussed in several chapter of this 
book.  Packaged foods have a long list of  
terrifying vices. MSG may be one of the least 
problematic ingredients. There are problems  
inherent in even natural, organic foods. The 
educated reader will need to develop a better  
perspective on food chemistry to make intelligent 
decisions. The remainder of this chapter  
addresses some of the many issues which face us 
when making food choices. While it  
matters what you eat, it matters more how you 
react to what you eat.  
Several chemicals used as food additives are also 
found naturally in many foods. Nitrates  
and nitrites  are ubiquitous in plants. They form 
part of the essential chemistry of soils and  
plants. As every gardener knows, nitrogen is 
essential for plant growth; nitrogen fertilizers,  
containing nitrates, are the most abundant 
agricultural chemicals. Beets, radishes, spinach,  
and lettuce contain the highest levels of nitrates. 
Daily consumption is estimated to be in  
the range of 100 mg/day.  
 
Nitrites are less common in the food supply, but 
are produced in the mouth and intestine by  
bacterial action on protein and nitrates. Daily 
intake is in the range of 2-3 mg/day. Nitrites,  
usually as sodium salts, have been used widely 
as preservatives, especially in bacon and  
other processed meats. Saltpeter is the best 
known nitrite with its undeserved reputation as  
the sex-drive inhibitor. Nitrites also occur 
naturally in foods. The chief concern is the  
ability of nitrites to combine with amino acids in 
GIT to form nitrosamines, potentially  
carcinogenic molecules. Vitamin C inhibits 
nitrosamine formation and is thought to protect  
against GIT cancer. Vitamin C is an antioxidant 
preservative, and can replace less desirable  
preservatives in some foods. Tobacco smoke is 
the major source of human exposure to  
nitrosamines.   
 
Salicylates are common in  vegetables and fruit.  
Medicinal salicylates came from plant  
sources such as willow-bark methylsalicylate. As 
oil of wintergreen, methylsalicylate has  
been rubbed on many cold-stricken chests and 
inhaled by coughing children for many years.  
Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), or aspirin, is one of 
the most popular and useful drugs of all  
times.  ASA is an effective drug, with diverse 
benefits, but it routinely causes GIT  
irritation and bleeding. It is a good allergen and 
causes many rashes and hives. Salicylates  
occasionally trigger asthma. The implication of 
ASA in Reye's Syndrome, a rare but  
sometimes fatal, allergic-type reaction following 
viral illnesses, has led to widespread  
substitution of acetominophen as a pain-reliever, 
which has fever-reducing characteristics.  
Dr. Feingold postulated that salicylates and food 
dyes produced hyperactivity in children,  
popularizong low salicylate diets. Feingold 
recommended avoiding foods that contained  
natural salicylates or chemically similar 
substances. His lists excluded such foods as  
peaches and cucumber, for example, which are 
low in our list of symptom-producing foods. 
 
Food colors and preservatives have been 
suspected of producing allergic reactions, and  
behavioral disturbance. Their exclusion was part 
of Dr. Feingold program for treating  
hyperactive children. Food colors are used 
liberally in all commercial food manufacture  
and have been popular in home use. The yellow 
dye, tartrazine, is definitely associated  
with hives (urticaria), as is the preservative 
benzoate. In the study of hyperactive children  
by Egger et al, tartrazine and benzoate were the 
most common substances to provoke  
abnormal behavior in children, although they 
were never the only cause of behavioral  
problems. Tartrazine is a yellow food color, 
common in a wide variety of manufactured  
food products. Tartrazine produces symptoms 
typically within 90 minutes of eating  
producing a variety of symptoms, including 
asthma, hives, generalized swelling, headache,  
and behavior change, usually hyperactivity. 
Colors derived from natural plant and animal  
sources are usually exempt from FDA control 
and are generally recognized as safe  
(GRAS). Beet pigment, beta-carotene, grape skin 
extract, paprika, saffron, turmeric, and  
vegetable juice are example of GRAS colors. 
While these substances are not known to be  
toxic or carcinogenic, there is no assurance that 
they are not allergenic or otherwise  
troublesome to some people. 
 
Monosodium Glutamate, well-known as MSG, is 
perhaps the most vilified of additives.  
MSG is blamed for almost everything that goes 
wrong in a Chinese restaurant, and many  
people scan food   product labels, rejecting any  
displaying  MSG. However, glutamate is a  
respectable, normal amino acid that is 
continuously present in all our cells and always  
available in the blood.  One possibility for MSG 
to act in a negative fashion would occur  
with the sudden absorption of a large amount. A 
rapid rise in blood glutamate may activate  
receptors which ring alarms, causing the 
headache and shooting pains that are associated  
with MSG. A variety of other symptoms are 
commonly reported, including flushing,  
numbness and tingling, chest pains, fast heart 
action, abdominal pains and behavior changes  
that include irritability, hyperactivity, and angry 
outbursts. In pure form, we would not  
expect MSG to trigger allergic effects. MSG 
products may contain allergenic contaminants  
>from  the vegetable source including corn, beets, 
and wheat.  
 
Often MSG is mixed with an enzyme in 
commercial food enhancers like "Accent". The  
most common enzyme is Papain, derived from 
Papaya. Papain is a protein allergen. It is  
possible that MSG is often blamed for the 
allergenicity of papain. Papain may be injected  
into ruptured intervertebral discs as an alternative 
to back surgery. The injection is  
potentially dangerous if the patient has been 
previously sensitized to papain by ingestion.  

Aspartame 
The popular artificial sweetener, aspartame, 
contains two normal amino acids:    
phenylalanine and aspartic acid. The sweetness 
of this combination was a surprise  
discovery.  Aspartame is well tolerated in 
reasonable doses. The only problem with  
ingesting large amounts might occur in people 
with known phenylalanine intolerance.  
Excess phenylalanine could affect brain function 
adversely by(see chpt. , increasing  
excitability of brain cells and, in the worse case, 
promoting seizures.  Occasional reports of  
"allergic" reactions to aspartame are surprising 
since this molecule should not act as an  
antigen. 
 
Chemical Stressors In Food 
Many non-nutrient natural substances in 
"natural" foods behave badly after we ingest 
them.  
We can think of their activity as chemically 
stressful. Chemical or molecular stressors  
increase chaos and decrease orderly,  sensible  
body function.  A chemical  stressor is a bit  
of nonsense, a substance with no meaningful role 
to play, or with a toxic role that is  
destructive. In this chapter, a brief profile of 
stressors and toxins is developed more to  
illustrate the role of natural chemical stressors 
than to exhaust this vast and complicated  
subject.  
 
Food is full of extra substances that must be 
prosessed in the body and then excreted, but  
which have no nutrient value and may have drug 
and toxic effects. Chemical stressors can  
found in  foods as native ingredients and are not 
necessarily additives or contaminants.  
These substances have exceedingly complex 
chemistry; they include inorganic and organic  
salts, toxic minerals, alcohols, aldehydes, 
alkaloids, polyphenolic compounds, salicylates,  
non-nutrient amino acids and peptides.           
 
A food chemical stressor becomes frankly toxic 
when ingested too often, in too large a  
dose, or when ingested by a person who lacks 
the metabolic machinery to detoxify it.  
Molecular stressors may simply require the body 
to handle and excrete it without harm.  
The metabolic work of this activity is the "cost" 
of  ingesting these substances. When we  
consume stressors in excess, the effect becomes 
toxic. Our capacity to handle chemical  
stressors is limited and varies from individual to 
individual. Chemical "sensitivity" is   
reported when small doses of known chemicals, 
such as cigarette smoke, engine exhaust,  
and even perfumes, household detergents and 
solvents, produce symptoms. Many chemical  
stressors compete for the same metabolic 
pathways for excretion. The liver is responsible  
for removing many toxins. One of its methods is 
to attach acetyl groups to toxic molecules  
which make them more soluble for kidney 
excretion. Some people are "poor acetylators"  
and report intolerance to a wide ranges of drugs, 
foods, and airborne chemicals. If many  
molecules compete for the same excretion 
pathways, it is easy to imagine that overloading  
occurs regularly in modern citizens who are 
exposed to a wide range of chemicals in food,  
water and air. Once overload occurs, even small 
amounts of extra  chemical stressors  
become toxic and produce symptoms and 
dysfunction. 
 
Chemical stressors are inhaled and ingested 
simultaneously. Air pollution will reduce  
tolerance for food pollution and visa versa. A 
typical dinner in a pleasant restaurant may be  
biochemically and metabolically chemically 
stressful, as inhaled  smoke and ingested  
alcohol, coffee, tea, spices, and sugar combine 
with the complex already in the food.  You  
may be  in more trouble if you are also coping 
with the effects of prescription drugs taken  
to relieve your symptoms of chemical overload! 
 
Plants are our most desirable food sources. We 
tend to think of vegetables and fruit as  
entirely friendly and benign; however this is not 
necessarily true. Vegetables, fruits, herbs,  
and spices are chemically complicated, and they 
contain a variety of chemical substances  
which are drug-like, toxic, and allergenic. Plants 
are inherently toxic since they have  
evolved chemical defenses which discourage 
predators from eating them.  

Oxalic Acid 
 There are many molecular substances in foods 
which offer no nutritional benefit, and must  
be processed and excreted. Oxalic acid, for 
example, is excreted in the urine, and its crystals  
are commonly found in microscopic urinalysis. 
Too much oxalic acid in the urine will  
result in kidney or bladder stones. Calcium 
combines with oxalic acid to form the less  
soluble salt, calcium oxalate, which is also found 
in kidney stones. Plant leaves, especially  
rhubarb, cabbage, spinach, and beet tops, contain 
oxalic acid. Oxalic acid is also found in  
potatoes and peas. Vitamin C is metabolized to 
oxalic acid; it contributes to oversaturation  
of the urine with crystals and possibly to stone 
formation.  

Aromatic Substances 
All plants contain molecules which have and  
impact on our chemical senses. They taste and  
smell.  It is often the aromatics that attract us to a 
food. The food industry uses large  
quantities of aromatics, both from natural and 
synthetic sources. The chemistry of these  
substances can be imagined by thinking of the 
shape of their molecular structure. The basic  
ring is a six-sided molecule, benzene. Different 
side chains attached to the ring change its  
color, taste, and smell. If benzene rings are linked 
together, a variety of ring structures give  
rise to different classes of substances. Molecules 
based on the benzene ring structure are  
common in nature. A casual name for many of 
the substances is "Phenolics". This is not a  
very useful family name since changes to the 
basic phenol (benzene) ring by different side  
groups drastically alter the biological 
characteristics of the molecules; there are more  
differences than similarities among these shape-
related chemicals. Molecules with  
aromatic ring structures include the food drugs 
caffeine and salicylic acid; the flavors  
camphor, cinnamic acid, eugenol (nutmeg and 
cloves), safrole, anethole (anise), tannin  
(tea), gallic acid, and vanillin (vanilla); and the 
vitamins ascorbic acid and niacin. 

Terpenes 
Another group of interesting plant chemicals is 
the essential oils of plants, which are also  
aromatic. We prefer the smell of turpenes and 
use them in our perfumes, garnishes, and  
teas. Common aromatic turpenes in food plants 
include complex turpenes, such as  
lanosterol (in lanolin), a second cousin of 
cholesterol, and squalene, found in yeast, wheat  
germ, and olive oil.  Some turpenes are frankly 
toxic but remain in our food supply as  
flavors. Alcohol extracts of plants often contain 
toxic turpenes. (see Chapter 7; absinthe  
poisoning). Other turpenes are positive molecules 
or at least benign. Vitamin A is not one  
substance; it is a family of related turpenes with 
shared biological activity. Beta-carotene is  
the yellow pigment in carrots which can be 
converted into active vitamin A (Retinols) after  
we ingest it.  Lycopene is a similar red turpene 
found in tomatoes. Excessive consumption  
of tomatoes and carrots may induce a colored 
complexion which will alarm friends but  
appears to do little harm.  

Garlic and Onions 
Garlic (Allium Sativum) and onions (Allium 
Cepa) are both members of the Lily family.  
Both contain strong aromatic substances which 
we use as flavoring for food. The medicinal  
properties of these foods have been used for 
centuries. Allicin is the principle aromatic of  
garlic.  Allicin is a sulphur-containing turpene. 
An intact garlic bulb has little odor. The  
strong odor of allicin appears only after a garlic 
bulb is cut or crushed. The trauma of air  
exposure excites an enzyme which changes a 
precursor odorless molecule, Alliin, to  
Allicin.  
 
The medicinal properties of the combined 
chemicals in garlic include antiseptic activity  
and an anticlotting (reduced platelet-stickiness) 
activity. The anticlotting factor has been  
called ajoene (4,5,9-trithiadodeca-1,6,11-triene 9-
oxide!). Garlic enthusiasts should note  
that no ajoene, or anticlotting activity, has been 
found in proprietary garlic preparations,  
including garlic oil or garlic tablets. Ingestion of 
freshly crushed garlic seems necessary for  
this drug effect. The anticlotting effect of ajoene 
is similar to the effect of aspirin (ASA).  
The unpleasant breath-odor following ingestion 
of garlic appears to be the smell of volatile  
sulphur-containing metabolites of allicin. 
 
Onions are famous for their tearing effect. The 
substance which makes us weep is  
propanethial S-oxide. The tearing effect can be 
reduced by chilling the onion prior to  
cutting, or by processing the onion under 
running tap water.  

Nutmeg, Drugs in Spices 
All plants contain a variety of chemical 
substances which act in us when we ingest them.  
Our food-plant selection is very specific, and we 
generally are reluctant to eat non-food  
plants for good reason. Herbs and spices tend to 
be chemically complex and drug-like in  
their activity. We probably get away with herb 
and spice ingestion only in small doses and  
infrequently. Nutmeg, a common spice favored 
in desserts and drinks, yields many  
chemicals and has been recently studied for the 
potential medicinal use of one or more of  
its ingredients. 
 
Nutmeg oil relieves diarrhea induced by 
prostaglandins. Nutmeg contains many  
compounds: eugenol, isoeugenol, safrole, 
myristicin, elemicin, limolene. The effect of  
nutmeg oil on Prostaglandin G synthesis was 
tested in the laboratory.  The experiment  
was designed to observe the inhibition of platelet 
aggregation, triggered by arachidonic  
acid, which is converted to thromboxane B2. 
Eugenol was the most active fraction of the  
complex oil, blocking the platelet stickiness. This 
is a useful effect since thromboxane and  
sticky platelets may contribute to clotting in 
inflamed blood vessels. The therapeutic use of  
eugenol as an antidiarrheal, anticlotting, and anti-
inflammatory agent could be suggested;  
however, if we were to use nutmeg oil as therapy, 
we would face the stressor, drug, and  
toxic effects of the other chemicals in nutmeg. 
We would be most concerned about the  
hallucinogenic effects of the psychotropic, 
myristicin. We would also be concerned about  
the ability of safrole to induce liver cancer in 
mice. The proper pharmaceutical approach  
would be to isolate the medicinal substance, 
eugenol, and to decide, after careful testing of  
its efficacy versus its toxicity, if therapeutic use 
would be wise.  

Legumes 
Legumes are the bean-seeds of related plant. 
While these foods are staples world-wide and  
have desirable nutritional properties, several 
interesting biochemical problems arise with  
their use. Soybeans may be poorly tolerated 
unless well prepared. The process of making  
tofu illustrates the effort required to process a 
raw food to obtain a reliable nutrient source.  
Tofu is the protein curd derived by elaborate 
cooking and curd separation of soybeans.  
Soybeans contain indigestible carbohydrates and 
inhibitors of digestive enzymes (soybean  
trypsin inhibitor). Both problems contribute to 
difficulty digesting beans, excessive gas,  
and, occasionally, abdominal pain and diarrhea. 
 
Lima and kidney beans are toxic uncooked. Both 
beans contain cyanide producing  
compounds (cyanogenic glycosides), which can 
be destroyed by adequate cooking. Small  
amounts of cyanogenic glycosides will be 
detoxified by the liver. Cyanogenic glycosides  
are also found in fruit pits millet, sprouts, yams, 
maize, chick peas, and cassava root.  
Cassava (manioc) is an important vegetable of 
South East Asia, Africa and South America  
and is inherently toxic. These tuber contain 
linamarin which can be converted to  
hydrocyanic acid. They must be processed by 
soaking, boiling, drying, and fermentation to  
reduce toxic cyanide effects. Neurological 
disorders and thyroid enlargement occur in  
African peoples  who eat large amounts of 
inadequately processed cassava. 
 
Fava (broad) beans are toxic or allergenic to 
some people. An unusual genetic condition,  
"favism", makes some people sensitive to vicine, 
a nucleotide in the beans; these people  
develop red blood cell damage (hemolytic 
anemia) after eating the beans. Cooking the  
beans thoroughly can reduce this effect. This is a 
specific example of the cytotoxic  
mechanism of food molecules, and illustrates the 
advantages of cooking foods.  

Deadly Nightshades 
Plants of the nightshade family contain  toxic 
substances. "Deadly"  refers to  the toxicity  
of the leaves of this plant group which includes 
tomato, potato, peppers, egg-plant, and  
tobacco. We can eat tomatoes, potatoes, and 
green pepper, but there may be some  
limitations. Country lore tells us not to eat green 
potatoes and to store potatoes in the dark  
to avoid the greening effect of light. The green 
potato tissue contains toxic compounds  
(glycoalkaloids) similar to those found in the 
leaves. Solanine poisoning from green  
potatoes will produce throat-burning, weakness, 
diarrhea, and even convulsions with  
collapse and coma. Adverse and allergic 
reactions to tomatoes and peppers are common,  
and these vegetables are not on our most favored 
food list. Nightshades have often been  
implicated in arthritis. This connection, while not 
inevitable, has proven to be common. 

Non-Nutrient Amino Acids 
The occurrence of toxic non-nutrient amino acids 
is not unusual in plants who produce  
toxic compounds to deter predators from eating 
them. Over a 150 non-protein amino acids  
derived from plant materials have been 
chemically characterized. One of the problems 
with  
these amino acids is their ability to imitate and 
replace normal amino acids in protein  
synthesis. Canavanine, found in legumes, is one 
such amino acid which may replace alanine  
and cause trouble. The toxic agent in inky cap 
mushrooms (coprinus atramentarius)  
produces alcohol intolerance and is the amino 
acid, Coprine.  The toxic amino acids BMAA  
in cycad seeds, described in Chapter 7, resembles 
BOAA in the grass pea, lathyrus sativa.  
(BMAA). Carnosine and its methylated form, 
Anersine, in skeletal muscle, and brain.   
High levels of carnosine in plasma is associated 
with seizures and carnosinemia may lead to  
mental retardation.   

Fungi in Food 
Some vegetables also become undesirable when 
they are damaged or diseased. Fungal  
growth is the best recognized biological  
alteration of plant tissue. Sweet potato, for  
example, supports a fungal growth (Fusarium 
solani), especially when the tuber's surface is  
damaged. The fungus alters the potatoes' 
metabolism, and toxic stressors are produced.  
Ipomeanol is one such chemical which is liver 
and lung toxic. Lung disease in cattle is  
known to be caused by infected sweet potatoes. 
No similar human syndrome is described,  
probably because we are not looking for it on an 
individual level. 
 
A variety of fungi (Fusaria, Trichothecium, 
Cephalosporium, etc.) may contaminate grains,  
in particular, and produce illness with symptoms 
such as vomiting, diarrhea, headaches,  
chills, dizziness, and blurred vision. Aflatoxins 
are produced by molds which favor nuts,  
corn, millet, and figs. These toxins may produce 
symptoms like loss of appetite and  
jaundice (hepatitis) immediately, but they are 
also carcinogenic.  Some of these fungal  
metabolites are also neurotoxins which produce 
tremors as a conspicuous symptom. The  
same fungi which produce aflatoxin produce a 
tremorgen, known to cause "staggers" in  
sheep and cattle. The common fungi which grow 
on our food, even in the refrigerator and  
cupboard, are Penicillium, Aspergillus, and 
Claviceps. Over 15 tremorgenic mycotoxins  
have been isolated from these fungi. We do not 
know the role of these mycotoxins in  
human brain dysfunction, but we should assume 
its relevance. Aspergillus is a ubiquitous  
fungus that can fatally infect  patients with 
reduced immunity.   
 
Brassicas 
The common and popular cabbage or Brassica 
family is not without  problems. The gas- 
producing properties of Brassica vegetables are 
well-known. Some Brassica (broccoli) have  
high vitamin K content, which is not always 
beneficial. The therapeutic effect of  
anticoagulant drugs which interfere with the 
conversion of vitamin K to prothrombin may  
be reduced by brassica ingestion. Brassicas also 
contain high levels of chemicals which may  
interfere with thyroid function, promoting 
thyroid enlargement (goitre). Cabbage, brussels  
sprouts, and kohlrabi contain progoitrin (in the 
range of 65-140 mg per 100 gram of fresh  
vegetable). Cooking reduces the  goitre effect of 
these vegetables. Goitrogens are also  
found in turnips, soybeans, radishes, rapeseed, 
and mustard. On the plus side of the Brassica  
profile, there is some evidence that regular 
ingestion of Brassicas may offer protection  
against bowel cancer. 

Fish-Odor Syndrome 
The fish-odor syndrome illustrates another 
interesting facet of the interaction of food with  
intestinal microorganisms and body chemistry. 
An unpleasant fishy breath and body odor  
manifest the presence of a metabolite 
Trimethylamine (TMA). TMA is usually 
produced  
by gut bacteria acting on food, like choline, eggs, 
and legumes. A liver enzyme (TMA  
Oxidase) usually oxididizes TMA, eliminating its 
odor. Liver disease, or any other cause of  
deficiency of this enzyme, will produce the fishy 
odor. The progoitrins in the Brassica  
vegetables may inhibit this enzyme and promote 
TMA production. The dietary solution to  
the fish-odor syndrome is to eliminate eggs, 
legumes, fish, and probably Brassica  
vegetables from the diet. 

Herbs and Teas 
Many patients enquire about the use of herbal 
teas and herbal treatments. From a medical  
point of view, all plant materials are potentially 
allergenic. From a biochemist's point of  
view, plant materials contain many active 
substances in complex combinations whose  
body-effects are generally not well-known. 
Beneficial effects of plant materials are likely  
to be associated with negative metabolic and 
toxic effects which need to be considered  
when any plant is used with increasing intensity, 
especially on a daily basis. 
 
Medicinal herbs are drug-containing plants which 
should not be used everyday. Like other  
drugs, medicinal herbs have side effects, toxic 
effects, and allergenic effects, and they may  
not be helpful. The problem with whole-plant 
medicines is that the active ingredients are  
mixed with everything else in the plant. This 
means that the control over the drug effect  
which is achieved with purified substances is not 
possible with plant preparations.  The  
sudden appearance on the market of many 
"natural" and "herbal" teas is unprecedented. The  
safety of these products is in question.    A quick 
review of toxicity reported to occur  
with popular tea-plants follows. 
 
Cathartic teas, including those with senna leaves, 
flowers and bark, buckthorn bark, dock  
roots, or aloe leaves, do cause diarrhea. If used 
continuously, these herbs may induce  
laxative-dependence, often with abdominal 
discomfort, bowel dysfunction, and  
malabsorption of nutrients. Laxatives, herbal 
allergenic teas, such as those from camomile,  
goldenrod, marigold, and yarrow, can cause 
allergic reactions in persons that are sensitive  
to ragweed, asters, chrysanthemums, and other 
related plants. Delayed allergic reactions  
and sun sensitivity can follow consumption of 
tea from the leaves of many plant products.  
St. John's Wort is known to be photosensitizing. 
Tannins in tea, including ordinary tea and  
peppermint tea, are surface irritants to the 
gastrointestinal tract and have been linked to  
cancer of the esophagus and stomach. Adding 
milk to the tea binds the plant tannins and  
may protect the digestive tract from irritant 
effect. 
 
Diuretics are present in teas made from buchu, 
quack grass, and dandelion. Diuretics  
increase urine production with water and mineral 
losses. Coffee and tea are potent  
diuretics; the other plant teas are similar in their 
stressful diuretic effects. 
 
A variety of brain-active chemicals are also found 
in catnip, juniper, hydrangea, jimson  
weed, lobelia, and wormwood. Teas made from 
the petals of flowering plants (rose,  
hibiscus, hydrangea) are also neurotoxic and 
cause headaches, thinking disturbances,  
irritability, and depression. Alfalfa tea contains 
saponins which can disrupt digestion and  
respiration. While the saponins of alfalfa have 
been found experimentally to clear the  
arteries of fatty plaques in monkeys, the 
ingestion of  alfalfa teas  may have adverse 
effects. 
 
Liver toxicity has been linked with a number of 
herbal teas. Comfrey is a popular herb that  
is potentially hepatotoxic because of 
pyrrolizidine alkaloids, known to cause 
hepatocellular  
adenomas and increased incidence of bladder 
tumors in rats. Sassafras contains safrole (as  
in nutmeg), another potentially hepatotoxic 
substance.  
Ginseng has caused breast enlargement in men 
(gynecomastia), due to the presence of an  
estrogen-like substance. Licorice has been found 
to have substances that aid healing of  
stomach ulcers; however, it also causes sodium 
and water retention and loss of potassium.  
High blood pressure may result from excessive 
consumption of licorice. Mistletoe contains  
alkaloids, small proteins (viscotoxins), and lectins 
(which collectively have hypotensive,  
diuretic, and antispasmodic properties).  
Mistletoe has been used by some herbal 
therapists  as an anti-cancer drug. The 
complex of alkaloids may be cytotoxic.
 As well, hepatitis has been reported with 
mistletoe ingestion. Pennyroyal extract has 
long been recommended to produce 
abortions, a doubtful effect, but death 
due to liver damage has been blamed on  
regular pennyroyal ingestion.  
 
There are many possible interactions of herbal 
medicines and prescription drugs. Lily of  
the Valley, for example, contains cardiac 
glycosides and may lead to digitalis toxicity in a  
person taking adequate doses of the prescription 
drug. Horse chestnut contains natural  
anticoagulants and may increase the effect of 
coumarin anticoagulants. Ink Cap is a natural  
source of disulfiram, with the risk of an 
"Antabuse" reaction with alcohol. Disulfiram  
interferes with the metabolism of alcohol and 
increases the accumulation of a toxic  
metabolite, acetaldehyde. 
 
Because of the complex and often unknown 
chemistry of herbs, herbal teas, plant  
medicines, and even spices, we routinely make 
the following recommendations to patients: 
 
Coffee and tea are the prototypes of plant brews 
with toxic and allergenic effects.  
Removing the caffeine is not an adequate 
measure to reduce their toxicity. When  
discontinuing the use of these plant brews, it is 
not advisable to substitute other plant  
materials without due consideration. New non-
caffeine teas are not recommended. Use  
herbal teas and medicines with caution.  

Nucleotides and Gout 
The non-nutrient cell components probably 
should have their own molecular classification  
or be a well-recognized sub-group of C. If we 
look at nutritional literature, the problem of  
the non-nutrient cell component is not directly 
addressed. Nucleotides, the components of  
cell nuclei, are examples of this surplus. The 
metabolic fate of some ingested nucleotides is  
to be metabolized into uric acid and excreted by 
the kidneys. Increased uric acid production  
leads to gout, a  painful arthritis which occurs 
when uric acid crystalizes inside joints. The  
big toe is the favorite spot for this to occur. 
Reducing the ingestion of high nucleotide  
(purine) foods is the dietary treatment of gout. 
Uric acid production can be correlated with  
total protein intake; 10 grams of food protein 
result in 7 mg of uric acid excretion in the  
urine. Alcoholic beverages tend to increase uric 
acid by direct metabolic interference.  
Several amino acids will increase kidney 
clearance and reduce serum levels of uric acid;  
these include glycine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid 
and orotic acid. The sugars, sucrose and  
fructose, may increase uric acid levels.  
 
Reduced protein consumption, especially meat, 
and abstention from alcoholic beverages  
will reduce uric acid production. Increased uric 
acid and gout may occur with internal  
overproduction, and diet restriction of meat, 
alcoholic beverages, sugar, and yeast may not  
control the problem completely. The addition of 
glycine and/or orotic acid to the diet may  
be helpful. Drugs to control gout include 
allopurinol, a designer drug which inhibits the  
enzyme hypoxanthine oxidase and limits the 
amount of uric acid produced; this  prevents  
gouty attacks, and also protects the kidney from 
damage by crystallization of uric acid. 

The diagnosis of  food-related illness always 
raises the question of food contaminants. The  
problem is that we never know what role 
contaminants play, and we have no technology  
readily available to find out. The postulate that 
Agent X in the food supply is causing the  
problem, or promoting the problem, is always 
viable. The neglect of imponderable factors  
in our food supply is surely one of the 
contributors to ignorance about, and denial of, ill- 
defined illnesses in contemporary populations. 
 
Surveillance may detect chemical contamination 
before the food reaches consumers, but it  
is unrealistic to expect that government 
monitoring alone can assure an uncontaminated  
food supply. It is also unrealistic to believe 
official reports that the incidence of  
contamination-related illness is very low, since 
the majority of the potential problem is  
concealed from official view. Systematic 
population studies relating illness patterns to  
food selection as well as to tissue levels of 
different environmental contaminants are  
needed to assess the prevalence of contaminant 
illness.  
 
The major contaminants in our food supply are:  
 
*Pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides 
*Antibiotics and hormones in animal tissues 
*Environmental contaminants 
*Metals - lead and mercury  
*Radioactive isotopes  
*Organic acids, 
*Hydrocarbon residues  
*Processing chemicals 
*Bleaches, solvent residues, waxes, dyes 
* Biological contaminants - endotoxins 
* Insect and parasite eggs, rodent feces 
* Bacteria, fungi, and viruses 
* Contaminants from shipping and storage  
   Chemicals  
 
There are several groups of pesticides in use.  
Their effect on our health is unknown, but it  
is certainly not beneficial. It is sad to think that 
the chemical extravaganza of the 20th  
century has done much harm but little good. The 
National Academy of Sciences suggests  
1/5th of  USA crops were lost to pests before 
chemicals and 1/5 of the crops are lost to  
pests after spraying. In their study, Alternative 
Agriculture,  they show that  farmers   
can reduce their reliance on chemicals while 
maintaining crop yields, and profitability too. 
 
Ill-defined illness and possibly cancer causation 
is  linked to dioxins  Dioxins are highly  
toxic chlorinated hydrocarbons, originating in 
agricultural and industrial chemicals, and  
persisting in the environment for many years. 
PCB's (polychlorinated biphenyls) are one   
source of dioxins.  

David Steinman reviewed pesticide 
contamination of in his book Diet For A 
Poisoned  Planet .  He rated foods by their 
content of  pesticide residues in green, orange and red  
categories, basing his ratings on 1982-86 
measurements carried out by the USA FDA. In  
the FDA "Total Diet Study", food samples from  
four geographic regions in the U.S.A.  
were analyzed for up to 100 chemical 
contaminant.18 Steinman's best vegetables and 
fruit ("green light") are Core Program food choices, 
although they are distributed through the  
four phases of the program because of other 
considerations. Steinman points out that  
pesticide contamination of fresh fruits is often 
alarmingly high. Canned produce is often  
less contaminated than fresh! Canned peaches 
and pears have low pesticide residues and  
have been the best tolerated fruits in our 
experience;  fresh peaches  did not do as well in  
the FDA analysis with up to 97 chemicals 
residues; fresh pears had 79.  Phase 1 vegetables  
on Steinman's  moderately contaminated food 
list include  broccoli, parsley, sweet potato,  
and winter squash. You should buy these 
vegetables from an organic source if possible.  
Washing with hot water and complete cooking 
are essential safety measures. Phase 2 foods  
on the moderate list include blueberries, 
cantaloupe, celery, cucumbers, lettuce,  plums,  
spinach, turnips, and strawberries. Steinman 
recommends avoiding peanuts and raisins.  
 
Rice receives high marks with low concentrations 
of chemicals. Malathion is the most  
likely contaminant.  Cereal grains have more 
contaminants; pesticide residues in breakfast  
cereals and bread were in the 30-50 range. Wheat 
and other grains were contaminated  
during the 80's with ethylene bromide, a 
fumigant used to retard grain spoilage in storage  
and transport.  This chemical may have 
contributed substantially to the apparent increase 
in  wheat disease in the past decade. Ironically, 
fungal contamination of grains is an equal  
threat to the chemicals used to control it. 
Aflatoxins  may be produced by fungi, and the  
ergot fungi  produce a host of neurotoxic 
alkaloids closely related to LSD. 
 
These contamination values are out of date (pre 
'86 measurements) but give us an idea of  
the problems in the food supply. Measurements 
of food need to be routine, both to inform  
us about best food choices and, more 
importantly, to encourage food producers to 
make  
changes in their methods to reduce our exposure. 
Contact your local health department and  
ask for up-to-date information on pesticide levels 
in the food you buy. If this information  
is not available, begin political action to get better 
information and better protection. 
 
What does the presence of industrial and 
agricultural chemicals in our tissues mean? If you  
have a toxin in your body, which should not be 
there, what assumption are you going to  
make? These chemicals are good metabolic 
poisons, and so you are going to assume that  
they will in some way alter the way your body 
works. Agricultural chemical residues in the  
body mean increased risk of illness until proven 
otherwise. The people who deny the  
problem (until proven otherwise) are not 
credible. Pesticides have a special proclivity to  
alter the way our brain works and, therefore, the 
way we think, feel, remember, and act.   
The same chemicals may be carcinogen and you 
are going to assume that you  have a higher  
risk of cancer. Rather than despairing, there are 
practical steps to be taken individually and  
collectively to reduce the pollution hazard. 
 
Alar is a chemical (daminozide) sprayed on apple 
orchards to keep ripening apples on the  
trees and to improve appearance of the apple 
after picking. The U.S. Environmental  
Protection Agency proposed a ban on Alar which 
was subsequently withdrawn - they had  
evidence of a cancer-causing effect of a 
breakdown product UDMH. Apple juice was  
especially suspect because the heat used in juice 
production created UDMH. Shortly after  
Consumer Reports published an article on Alar,  
its manufacturer, Uniroyal, withdrew it  
>from  the market. The article states: "Consumers, 
especially parents, should not accept Alar  
in the apple juice and should not be required to 
rely on industry promises that aren't always  
kept...it's the governments job to protect all 
consumers. The EPA should ban daminozide  
sooner rather than later." 

Shopping and Food Preparation 
The avoidance of most food additives is a good 
idea. The avoidance of only specific  
additives, like food dyes, sulphites, and 
salicylates, has been advocated by some authors.  
This avoidance turns into a game which requires 
the player to carry rather long lists of  
foods and food ingredients to stores, where 
elaborate list-reading and screening procedures  
are carried out. The Core Program policy is less 
entertaining but more practical. You are  
advised to avoid manufactured, boxed, bottled, 
packaged, preserved, and processed foods.  
Packaged and processed meats are given an "X" 
rating. If this rule is followed, most  
additives are gone, and the sugar, fat, and salt 
load is dramatically reduced.  
 
Shopping strategy is simple; avoid the middle 
aisles in supermarkets.  Most stores place   
vegetables, fruits around the perimeter of the 
store, and these are the foods we want the  
most. Frozen vegetables, fruits, poultry and fish 
are also desirable. You are allowed one or  
two dashes into the middle aisles for toilet paper 
and soap. 
 
You seldom read labels because you seldom buy 
labelled food.  Some canned foods such as  
peaches and pears have the least chemical 
contaminants and are preferred over fresh fruit,  
unless the fruit is organically grown, transported 
and sold without chemical spays 
 
Frozen foods tend to be of high quality and can 
be ecologically sound. Frozen food values  
are well-preserved, spoilage is reduced, and year-
round availability is assured. Improved  
refrigeration technology, more efficient and 
without Freon, will make frozen food options  
even more attractive.  
 
The problem of contaminants can be reduced by 
two simple kitchen procedures, washing  
and peeling. All fruit and vegetables should be 
thoroughly washed with clean, hot water,  
then double-rinsed, first in hot, then cold water. 
If the food has a skin, peel it and throw  
away the peel. If anyone says that you are 
throwing away precious nutrients, tell them that  
it is okay; you are happy to throw out the 
nutrients with the waxes, dyes, fungicides,  
pesticides, insect eggs, fungi, radioactive 
isotopes, bacteria, and viruses.  
 
Bacterial contamination of poultry, other meat, 
and fish is a concern.  Food poisoning is  
usually caused by bacteria from 3 groups; 
salmonella, campylobacter, and E.coli. These  
bacteria actively infect  after an  incubation 
period of 1-3 days with acute diarrhea,  
abdominal pain, and fever as the chief 
symptoms. This acute gastroenteritis may alter 
the immune reactivity of the GIT surface, leaving 
new food allergy in its wake. Many patients  
report an acute "food poisoning" episode at the 
onset of a long bout of digestive symptoms,  
often with typical food allergy downstream 
(fatigue, aching, headache, difficulty  
concentrating, memory loss.) Other bacteria 
incubate in improperly stored food and  
produce toxins in the food before it is eaten.  
 
Staphylococci contaminate the food from the 
skin or secretions of food handlers and   
produce a potent toxin which triggers explosive 
vomiting, crampy pain, and diarrhea; these  
bacteria especially like cream puffs stored at 
room temperature.  
 
Botulism is a life-threatening food poisoning 
produced by a potent toxin usually found in  
home-canned foods; the botulinus bacteria are 
found widely in soils and easily contaminate  
canned fruit and vegetables. The toxin is 
destroyed by heat so that often the mother is the  
victim, sampling pickled beets out of the bottle, 
for example, before cooking them for her  
family. Botulinus spores are found in honey and  
may incubate in the intestines of infants,  
less than one year old; older GITs usually can 
destroy the spores. The list of  food-borne  
infections is very long. The following food-
selection and kitchen strategies are always  
indicated: limited use of poultry meat is 
recommended, with skinned,  breast meat as the  
preferred portion. With all animal products, avoid 
cooking the bones and never use organ  
meat.   
 
Proper handling of food can reduce the risk of 
bacterial food poisoning. Adequate cooking  
destroys the bacteria. Proper refrigeration retards 
the growth of bacteria. Bacteria grow  
best at room temperature; therefore raw foods 
should be kept refrigerated (or frozen) until  
used. Wash hands well before and after handling 
meat, poultry and fish. Keep raw flesh  
away from other food and especially away from 
cooked food, ready to serve. Clean kitchen  
counters and utensils. To kill bacteria you must 
remove all food residues, wash surfaces  
with hot, soapy water, and disinfect with chlorine 
bleach. Many people with allergic  
disease will want to avoid the chlorine, but 
thorough washing with hot water and detergents  
will  suffice. Cook fish, poultry and meat well to 
an internal temperature of 180 degrees F.  
Ensure that hot foods are hot and cold foods are 
cold, when served.  
 
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1983;629-632 
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 American Academy of Allergy and Immunology 
Committee on Adverse reactions to  
Foods. Adverse reactions to foods. NIH 
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