Re: Peanuts vs. other nuts

[Guest guest]

Hi Al:

I didn't give the source since I believe I have posted it here

previously. Sorry.

But here is an excerpt from Cornell:

" In Raw Agricultural Products :

Aflatoxins often occur in crops in the field prior to harvest .

Postharvest contamination can occur if crop drying is delayed and

during storage of the crop if water is allowed to exceed critical

values for the mold growth . Insect or rodent infestations facilitate

mold invasion of some stored commodities.

Aflatoxins are detected occasionally in milk, cheese, corn, peanuts,

cottonseed, nuts, almonds, figs, spices, and a variety of other foods

and feeds . Milk, eggs, and meat products are sometimes contaminated

because of the animal consumption of aflatoxin-contaminated feed .

However, the commodities with the highest risk of aflatoxin

contamination are corn, peanuts, and cottonseed.

In Processed Foods :

Corn is probably the commodity of greatest worldwide concern ,

because it is grown in climates that are likely to have perennial

contamination with aflatoxins and corn is the staple food of many

countries . However, procedures used in the processing of corn help

to reduce contamination of the resulting food product . This is

because although aflatoxins are stable to moderately stable in most

food processes , they are unstable in processes such as those used in

making tortillas that employ alkaline conditions or oxidizing steps .

Aflatoxin-contaminated corn and cottonseed meal in dairy rations have

resulted in aflatoxin M1 contaminated milk and milk products ,

including non-fat dry milk , cheese , and yogurt . "

Note the word **often** in the first line of the above excerpt. Do

they *always* throw the stuff out every time it often happens? Some

will not, is my bet. And if corn is mouldy it cannot be sold

retail. And it may well be refused commercially unless at a huge

price discount. So how does one get a return from stale corn?

Perhaps from the oil where the problem is not visibly obvious. Or

from feeding it to the grower's animals. I am not saying this always

happens to infected corn. But if you use corn oil regularly you are

likely to be aflatoxinized occasionally, imo. So I avoid it, and

anything that contains it.

In addition aflatoxin in known to cause prostate cancer, and ALA

(corn oil contains it) is known to be associated with (a marker for)

prostate cancer as we have discussed here at some length in the

past. So (for me) this all represents a bit too much circumstantial

evidence to ignore.

Here is the Cornell link:

http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/toxicagents/aflatoxin/aflatoxin.ht

ml

or:

http://snipurl.com/gt0o

The source for my comment on the special risk for peanut *butter* was

a personal conversation with a faculty member at an agriculture-

specialized university.

Hope this helps.

Rodney.

>

> > Peanuts and corn are the most famous sources of aflatoxin.

>

> Hi All,

>

> Aflatoxin risks in Western countries are in my understanding

negligible.

>

> > That

> > probably explains why corn oil is a known carcinogen.

>

> Corn oil is believed to be bad for heart health risks, as I

understand, but is used

> in cancer studies that show only that high levels produce cancer,

even relative to

> " good oils " . Do not eat a diet of most calories from corn oil

seems to be the

> message.

>

> Also some

> > serious sources suggest that peanut butter may be the worst

because

> > the worst looking and stalest peanuts, which cannot be sold 'as

is',

> > sometimes find their way into peanut butter where their

deficiencies

> > are less obvious. I have seen a US government publication which

said

> > that excluding aflatoxin entirely from these products is pretty

much

> > impossible. Walnuts also suffer the same problem but in lesser

> > degree I believe. Since many of these products contain alpha-

> > linolenic acid (ALA), it may be the aflatoxin that explains the

quite

> > strong link between ALA and advanced prostate cancer. Also,

animal

> > products from animals fed corn infected with aflatoxin are

> > carcinogenic. Beef, milk, eggs ...........

>

> Again, where is the evidence? The levels of aflatoxin in these

foods seem to me to

> be trivial compared the other cancer-causing compounds.

>

> Al Pater, PhD; email: old542000@y...

>

> __________________________________________________

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Al:

I didn't give the source since I believe I have posted it here

previously. Sorry.

But here is an excerpt from Cornell:

" In Raw Agricultural Products :

Aflatoxins often occur in crops in the field prior to harvest .

Postharvest contamination can occur if crop drying is delayed and

during storage of the crop if water is allowed to exceed critical

values for the mold growth . Insect or rodent infestations facilitate

mold invasion of some stored commodities.

Aflatoxins are detected occasionally in milk, cheese, corn, peanuts,

cottonseed, nuts, almonds, figs, spices, and a variety of other foods

and feeds . Milk, eggs, and meat products are sometimes contaminated

because of the animal consumption of aflatoxin-contaminated feed .

However, the commodities with the highest risk of aflatoxin

contamination are corn, peanuts, and cottonseed.

In Processed Foods :

Corn is probably the commodity of greatest worldwide concern ,

because it is grown in climates that are likely to have perennial

contamination with aflatoxins and corn is the staple food of many

countries . However, procedures used in the processing of corn help

to reduce contamination of the resulting food product . This is

because although aflatoxins are stable to moderately stable in most

food processes , they are unstable in processes such as those used in

making tortillas that employ alkaline conditions or oxidizing steps .

Aflatoxin-contaminated corn and cottonseed meal in dairy rations have

resulted in aflatoxin M1 contaminated milk and milk products ,

including non-fat dry milk , cheese , and yogurt . "

Note the word **often** in the first line of the above excerpt. Do

they *always* throw the stuff out every time it often happens? Some

will not, is my bet. And if corn is mouldy it cannot be sold

retail. And it may well be refused commercially unless at a huge

price discount. So how does one get a return from stale corn?

Perhaps from the oil where the problem is not visibly obvious. Or

from feeding it to the grower's animals. I am not saying this always

happens to infected corn. But if you use corn oil regularly you are

likely to be aflatoxinized occasionally, imo. So I avoid it, and

anything that contains it.

In addition aflatoxin in known to cause prostate cancer, and ALA

(corn oil contains it) is known to be associated with (a marker for)

prostate cancer as we have discussed here at some length in the

past. So (for me) this all represents a bit too much circumstantial

evidence to ignore.

Here is the Cornell link:

http://www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/toxicagents/aflatoxin/aflatoxin.ht

ml

or:

http://snipurl.com/gt0o

The source for my comment on the special risk for peanut *butter* was

a personal conversation with a faculty member at an agriculture-

specialized university.

Hope this helps.

Rodney.

>

> > Peanuts and corn are the most famous sources of aflatoxin.

>

> Hi All,

>

> Aflatoxin risks in Western countries are in my understanding

negligible.

>

> > That

> > probably explains why corn oil is a known carcinogen.

>

> Corn oil is believed to be bad for heart health risks, as I

understand, but is used

> in cancer studies that show only that high levels produce cancer,

even relative to

> " good oils " . Do not eat a diet of most calories from corn oil

seems to be the

> message.

>

> Also some

> > serious sources suggest that peanut butter may be the worst

because

> > the worst looking and stalest peanuts, which cannot be sold 'as

is',

> > sometimes find their way into peanut butter where their

deficiencies

> > are less obvious. I have seen a US government publication which

said

> > that excluding aflatoxin entirely from these products is pretty

much

> > impossible. Walnuts also suffer the same problem but in lesser

> > degree I believe. Since many of these products contain alpha-

> > linolenic acid (ALA), it may be the aflatoxin that explains the

quite

> > strong link between ALA and advanced prostate cancer. Also,

animal

> > products from animals fed corn infected with aflatoxin are

> > carcinogenic. Beef, milk, eggs ...........

>

> Again, where is the evidence? The levels of aflatoxin in these

foods seem to me to

> be trivial compared the other cancer-causing compounds.

>

> Al Pater, PhD; email: old542000@y...

>

> __________________________________________________

>

[Guest guest]

Rodney:

Maybe help is on the way. Break out your Doritos. That is unless you

don't like GM, Bt corn.

From the Agricultural Research Service:

http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/patents/patents.htm?

PATENT_NO=5776686

Bt corn: less insect damage, lower mycotoxin levels, healthier

corn. Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) corn that has been genetically

modified to prevent damage by European corn borers may also be less

likely to harbor mycotoxins, toxins produced by fungi on corn

ears. Mycotoxins, like fumonisin, a potential cancer-causing agent

often found at elevated levels in insect-damaged kernels, are a

health and an export issue. European and Asian markets can refuse

to import United States corn because of what they rate as

unacceptable levels of mycotoxins.

Scientists have suspected higher mycotoxin levels may follow

increased insect damage, but ARS scientists at Peoria, Illinois,

found fumonisin levels 30- to 40-fold lower in Bt corn than in non-

Bt varieties in Illinois cornfields. Environmental conditions and

the specific Bt corn hybrid play roles in the actual amount of

reduction seen, but corn varieties that expressed the Bt protein

throughout the plant rather than in specific areas were the least

likely to have significant fumonisin levels. While Bt corn is

modified mainly to resist European corn borers, Bt corn also showed

lower levels of mycotoxins when corn earworms were present in

fields, although not as significant a reduction as when European

corn borers were the primary insect pest. This may encourage the

creation of corn varieties with more resistance to a variety of

insects in order to provide more protection from mycotoxins.

And from the the ines, there's this:

http://www.checkbiotech.org/blocks/dsp_document.cfm?doc_id=9334

Biotechnology to end use of costly pesticides — experts

December 20, 2004

Philippine Star

A panel of Filipino scientists believes, according to this story,

that there will eventually be no need for expensive pesticides among

corn farmers following successful tests and subsequent cultivation

of genetically modified, disease-resistant Bt corn in many farms in

South Cotabato.

Led by Science and Technology Secretary Estrella Alabastro, the

experts were cited as saying that Bt corn, which uses the soil

bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis and was initially cultivated in 129

hectares of farms in South Cotabato in 2002, is resistant to borers,

which destroy up to 80 percent of the corn produced in the country.

Bt corn was developed to resist borers at the genetic level, meaning

that its gene carry the code to reject borers. Corn borers are also

the single reason why aflatoxin, a confirmed carcinogenic, has

contaminated local corn. The story says that aflatoxin comes from

the molds that borers create in corn.

Speaking at the weekly Kapihan sa Sulo at the Sulo Hotel in Quezon

City last Saturday, Alabastro said that the cumulative savings for

farmers would be great if Bt corn is cultivated in most farms

nationwide.

To date, she revealed, 5,000 hectares of corn farms are now

cultivating Bt corn from the initial 129 hectares allowed by the

Department of Agriculture (DA) for experimental use.

The particular Bt corn variety that has shown positive results is

MON 810, which was field tested and later distributed by Monsanto, a

US multinational.

Alabastro noted the fears expressed by farmers on the use of Bt corn

has been diminished by scientifically verifiable results showing no

debilitating effects among cultivators.

Mike

- In , " Rodney " <perspect1111@y...>

wrote:

> Hi Al:

>

> I didn't give the source since I believe I have posted it here

> previously. Sorry.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Rodney:

Maybe help is on the way. Break out your Doritos. That is unless you

don't like GM, Bt corn.

From the Agricultural Research Service:

http://www.ars.usda.gov/research/patents/patents.htm?

PATENT_NO=5776686

Bt corn: less insect damage, lower mycotoxin levels, healthier

corn. Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) corn that has been genetically

modified to prevent damage by European corn borers may also be less

likely to harbor mycotoxins, toxins produced by fungi on corn

ears. Mycotoxins, like fumonisin, a potential cancer-causing agent

often found at elevated levels in insect-damaged kernels, are a

health and an export issue. European and Asian markets can refuse

to import United States corn because of what they rate as

unacceptable levels of mycotoxins.

Scientists have suspected higher mycotoxin levels may follow

increased insect damage, but ARS scientists at Peoria, Illinois,

found fumonisin levels 30- to 40-fold lower in Bt corn than in non-

Bt varieties in Illinois cornfields. Environmental conditions and

the specific Bt corn hybrid play roles in the actual amount of

reduction seen, but corn varieties that expressed the Bt protein

throughout the plant rather than in specific areas were the least

likely to have significant fumonisin levels. While Bt corn is

modified mainly to resist European corn borers, Bt corn also showed

lower levels of mycotoxins when corn earworms were present in

fields, although not as significant a reduction as when European

corn borers were the primary insect pest. This may encourage the

creation of corn varieties with more resistance to a variety of

insects in order to provide more protection from mycotoxins.

And from the the ines, there's this:

http://www.checkbiotech.org/blocks/dsp_document.cfm?doc_id=9334

Biotechnology to end use of costly pesticides — experts

December 20, 2004

Philippine Star

A panel of Filipino scientists believes, according to this story,

that there will eventually be no need for expensive pesticides among

corn farmers following successful tests and subsequent cultivation

of genetically modified, disease-resistant Bt corn in many farms in

South Cotabato.

Led by Science and Technology Secretary Estrella Alabastro, the

experts were cited as saying that Bt corn, which uses the soil

bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis and was initially cultivated in 129

hectares of farms in South Cotabato in 2002, is resistant to borers,

which destroy up to 80 percent of the corn produced in the country.

Bt corn was developed to resist borers at the genetic level, meaning

that its gene carry the code to reject borers. Corn borers are also

the single reason why aflatoxin, a confirmed carcinogenic, has

contaminated local corn. The story says that aflatoxin comes from

the molds that borers create in corn.

Speaking at the weekly Kapihan sa Sulo at the Sulo Hotel in Quezon

City last Saturday, Alabastro said that the cumulative savings for

farmers would be great if Bt corn is cultivated in most farms

nationwide.

To date, she revealed, 5,000 hectares of corn farms are now

cultivating Bt corn from the initial 129 hectares allowed by the

Department of Agriculture (DA) for experimental use.

The particular Bt corn variety that has shown positive results is

MON 810, which was field tested and later distributed by Monsanto, a

US multinational.

Alabastro noted the fears expressed by farmers on the use of Bt corn

has been diminished by scientifically verifiable results showing no

debilitating effects among cultivators.

Mike

- In , " Rodney " <perspect1111@y...>

wrote:

> Hi Al:

>

> I didn't give the source since I believe I have posted it here

> previously. Sorry.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Jw, Not really. Love the taste of kidney beans from the pan! (I eat

them like peanuts Eat tomatoes right out of the fridge! I don't

need to smear peanut butter on everything to make the " medicine go down "

Here's an interesting overview:

Nutrition and cancer: A review of the evidence for an anti-cancer diet

It has been estimated that 30–40 percent of all cancers can be

prevented by lifestyle and dietary measures alone. Obesity, nutrient

sparse foods such as concentrated sugars and refined flour products

that contribute to impaired glucose metabolism (which leads to

diabetes), low fiber intake, consumption of red meat, and imbalance of

omega 3 and omega 6 fats all contribute to excess cancer risk. Intake

of flax seed, especially its lignan fraction, and abundant portions of

fruits and vegetables will lower cancer risk. Allium and cruciferous

vegetables are especially beneficial, with broccoli sprouts being the

densest source of sulforophane. Protective elements in a cancer

prevention diet include selenium, folic acid, vitamin B-12, vitamin D,

chlorophyll, and antioxidants such as the carotenoids ( & #945;-carotene,

& #946;-carotene, lycopene, lutein, cryptoxanthin). Ascorbic acid has

limited benefits orally, but could be very beneficial intravenously.

Supplementary use of oral digestive enzymes and probiotics also has

merit as anticancer dietary measures. When a diet is compiled

according to the guidelines here it is likely that there would be at

least a 60–70 percent decrease in breast, colorectal, and prostate

cancers, and even a 40–50 percent decrease in lung cancer, along with

similar reductions in cancers at other sites. Such a diet would be

conducive to preventing cancer and would favor recovery from cancer as

well.

http://www.pubmedcentral.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed & pubmedid=15496224

> For the same reason you made vegetarian " chili " .

>

> Variety.

>

> [ ] Re: Peanuts vs. other nuts

>

>

> I eat huge raw salads w/vinegar, fruits like big juicy strawberries,

> peach, apples, mango etc; vegetarian chili w/tons of lush kidney beans

> and tomato, various hearty vegetable soups.. etc.. all delicious and

> very satisfying.

>

> I wonder what do you eat that you need to add flavor? I can't imagine

> anything more tasty than what I eat now, ie foods in their natural

> states. Maybe I am lucky to have such a palate (I think raw broccoli

> tastes delicious; the sprouts I adore, they taste " nutty " to me)

>

>

[Guest guest]

Jw, Not really. Love the taste of kidney beans from the pan! (I eat

them like peanuts Eat tomatoes right out of the fridge! I don't

need to smear peanut butter on everything to make the " medicine go down "

Here's an interesting overview:

Nutrition and cancer: A review of the evidence for an anti-cancer diet

It has been estimated that 30–40 percent of all cancers can be

prevented by lifestyle and dietary measures alone. Obesity, nutrient

sparse foods such as concentrated sugars and refined flour products

that contribute to impaired glucose metabolism (which leads to

diabetes), low fiber intake, consumption of red meat, and imbalance of

omega 3 and omega 6 fats all contribute to excess cancer risk. Intake

of flax seed, especially its lignan fraction, and abundant portions of

fruits and vegetables will lower cancer risk. Allium and cruciferous

vegetables are especially beneficial, with broccoli sprouts being the

densest source of sulforophane. Protective elements in a cancer

prevention diet include selenium, folic acid, vitamin B-12, vitamin D,

chlorophyll, and antioxidants such as the carotenoids ( & #945;-carotene,

& #946;-carotene, lycopene, lutein, cryptoxanthin). Ascorbic acid has

limited benefits orally, but could be very beneficial intravenously.

Supplementary use of oral digestive enzymes and probiotics also has

merit as anticancer dietary measures. When a diet is compiled

according to the guidelines here it is likely that there would be at

least a 60–70 percent decrease in breast, colorectal, and prostate

cancers, and even a 40–50 percent decrease in lung cancer, along with

similar reductions in cancers at other sites. Such a diet would be

conducive to preventing cancer and would favor recovery from cancer as

well.

http://www.pubmedcentral.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed & pubmedid=15496224

> For the same reason you made vegetarian " chili " .

>

> Variety.

>

> [ ] Re: Peanuts vs. other nuts

>

>

> I eat huge raw salads w/vinegar, fruits like big juicy strawberries,

> peach, apples, mango etc; vegetarian chili w/tons of lush kidney beans

> and tomato, various hearty vegetable soups.. etc.. all delicious and

> very satisfying.

>

> I wonder what do you eat that you need to add flavor? I can't imagine

> anything more tasty than what I eat now, ie foods in their natural

> states. Maybe I am lucky to have such a palate (I think raw broccoli

> tastes delicious; the sprouts I adore, they taste " nutty " to me)

>

>