Aflatoxins in Food and Liver Damage

[Guest guest]

Reading on toxic liver subject I got this article from someone else,

no so link. I thought is would be interesting here since it

mentions damage by aflatoxin, however author says this is rare in

the " developed world " . I think many here might disagree with that.

Quote:

" Perhaps the only notable

cause of liver damage caused by

eating foods is contamination by aflatoxins.

Although virtually nonexistent

in the developed world, aflatoxins are a common

cause of chronic liver

disease in some areas, especially tropical

regions. They are produced by a

mold that contaminates a variety of nuts

(commonly peanuts), beans, and

grains. Chronic aflatoxin ingestion can cause

cirrhosis and primary liver

cancer. "

Dr Marinkovich suggests in his diet not to eat these things but says

if you do, soak them in a solution of water and Vitamin C powder.

He says this detoxes them (I believe) but diet and this

recommendations are on his website, mold-survivor.

Complete article (long):

-------------------------

Drugs, Diet, and the Liver

By: J. Worman, MD

Introduction

One of the most common causes of liver

problems is drugs, of both

over-the-counter and prescription variety. These

can affect the liver in

predictable and unpredictable ways. Many herbal

or alternative remedies

taken for medicinal purposes can also cause liver

damage. And although many

people believe otherwise, with the exception of

alcohol, certain diets or

foods do not directly cause liver toxicity.

However, obesity can lead to

liver problems.

Drugs

Drugs can have many different effects,

causing hepatitis or

inflammation of the liver, cholestasis, or

decreased bile flow within the

small bile ducts. Others may cause abnormal fat

accumulation in the liver or

fatty liver (alcohol can also cause this). Then

there are drugs that can

directly cause severe liver cell damage or cell

death. Some cancer

chemotherapy drugs are responsible for the

obstruction of veins in the

liver.

The signs and symptoms of drug-induced

liver disease can vary

tremendously. Often, they are only detected in

laboratory test

abnormalities. The blood aminotransferase (ALT

and AST) activities are

usually elevated in drug-related hepatitis. The

blood alkaline phosphatase

and gamma-glutamyltranspetidase (GGT) activities

are usually elevated in

cholestasis. The bottom line is that a detailed

drug history is an essential

part of the evaluation of all patients with liver

diseases, and doctors must

always consider drugs as a possible cause.

Overdoses of certain drugs that are safe at

therapeutic doses can

cause liver damage. For example, the

over-the-counter prescription drug

acetaminophen (known as paracetamol in Europe) is

used by millions of people

and extraordinarily safe at recommended doses.

However, an overdose can

cause liver failure.

Some drugs routinely affect the liver in a

given percentage of

individuals. About ten percent of individuals

treated with isoniazid, or

INH-which is used in the treatment and prevention

of tuberculosis-develop

transient blood test abnormalities suggestive of

liver disease. About one

percent of individuals develop severe hepatitis.

The risk of hepatitis from

isoniazid increases with age. The statin class of

drugs-used to lower serum

cholesterol concentrations-can also potentially

cause liver damage.

Hepatitis, as presumed from increases in blood

aminotransferase activities,

occurs in about one to two percent of patients

who receive them.

Certain individuals may have unpredictable

or idiosyncratic reactions

to drugs. This can occur with normal doses of a

generally safe drug. One

example is the liver toxicity caused by the

anesthetic halothane. In cases

of idiosyncratic drug reactions, the goal is to

identify the drug as the

cause of the liver disease, immediately stop it,

and support the patient

until liver function recovers.

Doctors should periodically perform blood

tests to be on the lookout

for problems. If a drug is established to be the

cause of liver disease, the

decision to stop or continue its use requires the

judgment of an physician.

There is no substitute for the judgment of an

experienced physician in

deciding if the risk of continuing a drug

affecting the liver outweighs its

potential danger. A patient should also not stop

taking a prescribed

medication without consulting a doctor. For

example, mild drug-induced

cholestasis may be less significant than the

repercussions of stopping a

medication to prevent seizures or psychosis. In

contrast, continued use of a

particular drug to treat high blood pressure that

is causing hepatitis is

probably not reasonable if equally effective

alternatives are available.

Different commonly used drugs can cause a

variety of liver disorders.

Some include:

a.. acetaminophen (when taken in

overdose)

b.. alpha-methyldopa (old blood pressure

medication)

c.. anabolic steroids (used by body

builders)

d.. anticonvulsants such as phenytoin and

valproic acid

e.. cancer chemotherapy

f.. cardiovascular drugs (especially

amiodarone)

g.. estrogens (birth control pills)

h.. halothane (anesthetic)

i.. isoniazid (INH)

j.. methotrexate (used to treat psoriasis

and arthritis)

k.. psychiatric medications (various

ones)

l.. statins (used to treat high

cholesterol)

Herbs

Herbs or alternative medical therapies are

gaining widespread

popularity in the U.S. Many people actually use

herbal remedies in an

attempt to treat liver disease or strengthen the

liver. Milk thistle, which

contains silymarin, is one of the most common.

Users of herbal or

alternative therapies should realize that none

have ever been shown to be

effective or up to the safety standards applied

to drugs by the U.S. Food

and Drug Administration.

Many so-called herbs are actually toxic to

the liver. The wild

mushrooms known as death caps (Amatina

phalloides) can cause fulminant

hepatic failure (catastrophic liver failure) or

even death. Jamaican bush

teas, often used locally for medicinal purposes,

contain pyrrolizidine

alkaloids that cause veno-occlusive disease of

the liver. This disease is

characterized by obstruction of the small veins

that drain the liver. A

similar condition is caused by some forms of

high-dose cancer chemotherapy.

Diet

There is really no such thing as a

" healthy-liver diet. " There are no

foods, assuming you don't consume toxins or

contaminated foods, that

directly cause liver disease. One obvious

exception is ethyl alcohol, if you

consider it a food. Perhaps the only notable

cause of liver damage caused by

eating foods is contamination by aflatoxins.

Although virtually nonexistent

in the developed world, aflatoxins are a common

cause of chronic liver

disease in some areas, especially tropical

regions. They are produced by a

mold that contaminates a variety of nuts

(commonly peanuts), beans, and

grains. Chronic aflatoxin ingestion can cause

cirrhosis and primary liver

cancer.

If there is a healthy liver diet, it would

be a general good-health

diet. Such a diet is low in fat and of reasonable

caloric intake. Regular

exercise is also important and alcohol should

only be used in moderation.

One liver disease that can indirectly result from

diet is fatty liver of

obesity, which is abnormal fatty infiltration of

the liver in overweight

individuals. If severe, fatty liver can lead to a

condition known as

nonalcoholic steatohepatitis or NASH, which can

progress to cirrhosis. Fatty

liver or NASH can also be seen in patients with

diabetes and rarely in

non-obese individuals (for unclear reasons).

Fatty liver can also be caused

by excessive alcohol intake and, when examining a

liver biopsy under the

microscope, NASH looks identical to alcoholic

hepatitis.

In other words, being overweight or having

diabetes can lead to liver

disease that in many ways resembles the effects

of excessive alcohol

consumption.

Chronic-liver-disease diet

What about diet for the patient with

chronic liver disease? Alcohol is

a contentious subject in this regard. For

example, how much alcohol can a

person who has liver disease caused by hepatitis

C drink? There is no

generally agreed upon answer to this question,

although most doctors

probably would recommend that two drinks a day

would be the absolute

maximum. Some doctors are adamant that people

with liver disease should not

drink any alcohol at all.

Besides eliminating alcohol consumption

and maintaining an ideal body

weight by eating right and exercising, there are

no special foods that

should be avoided or consumed. A generally

healthy diet as recommended to

all individuals is appropriate for most patients

with liver diseases.

However, an exception to this rule is the

patient with cirrhosis.

Patients with cirrhosis tend to retain salt and

water which, in advanced

cases, can cause edema (swelling) and ascites

(severe accumulation of fluid

in the abdomen). Patients with cirrhosis should

therefore be on a low-salt

diet and those with advanced cirrhosis should

consume virtually no salt. In

subjects with advanced cirrhosis and confusion

caused by hepatic

encephalopathy, it may also be necessary to

restrict protein intake.

Patients with cirrhosis should consult a doctor

or registered dietitian

regarding an appropriate low-salt or low-protein

diet.

Conclusion

Many over-the-counter and prescription

drugs can cause liver problems

ranging from minor to very serious. Doctors and

patients should always be

aware that medications may be contributing to

abnormal liver blood test

results. Many herbal and alternative medications

may also cause liver

disease, and patients who ingest these types of

medications should realize

that there may be serious risks. Overweight

patients are at risk for fatty

liver, which can often be avoided by maintaining

an ideal body weight with a

healthy diet and exercise. Patients with chronic

liver diseases should also

maintain a generally healthy diet; there are no

special foods that should be

consumed or avoided other than those recommended

for the general population.

An exception is cirrhosis, in which case salt may

have to be restricted.

Individuals with liver disease caused by alcohol

should never consume

alcohol. Those with nonalcoholic liver disease

may be able to consume

reasonable, limited quantities of alcohol.