Honey Circumvents the Negative Effects of Mycotoxins

Recently I've been researching mycotoxins and their carcinogenic/immunosuppressive effects in humans. I found this interesting study about how honey might circumvent these negative effects:

Background
Bee honey is a functional food which has a unique composition, antimicrobial properties and bifidogenic effect. In order to assess whether honey can inhibit the toxic effect of mycotoxins, the present study was undertaken.

Methods
Production of biomass and toxins by Aspergillus parasiticus and Aspergillus ochraceus were followed in media without and with honey. Although aflatoxins and ochratoxin A. were administrated to male Swiss albino mice up to 1 μg and 10 ng/kg body weight/day respectively. The experimental animals were fed diets without our with 10% honey for two months. The changes in colonic probiotic bacteria, determintal colon enzyme glucuronidases, and genotoxicity were followed.

Results
Addition of 32% in its media increased the biomass of A parasiticus, while the biomass of A. ochraceus decreased and Ochratoxin A. was not produced. When the honey was added at the ratio of 32 and 48% in the medium. No relationship was found between mycelium weight and production of mycotoxins. Oral administration of aflatoxins (mixture of B1, B2, G1 and G2) and Ochratoxin A. induced structural and numerical chromosomal aberrations in bone marrow and germ cells of male mice, whereas, honey treatment reduced the genotoxicity of mycotoxins. Also both toxins induced histopathological changes in liver and kidney. Feeding on diet supplemented with honey improved the histopathological changes in case of aflatoxin group, but not in the case of ochratoxin A. group (except of kidney in two cases). No significant differences were found in the activity of colon β-glucuronidase between group fed diet with or without honey. On the other hand, the colon bifido bacteria and lactobacilli counts were increased markedly in group receiving diet supplemented with honey.

Conclusion
Substituting sugars with honey in processed food can inhibit the harmful and genotoxic effects of mycotoxins, and improve the gut microflora.

This justifies my recently adopted habit of adding a couple teaspoons of honey to my green tea .

Awesome! Thanks for posting this! I love honey and use it in oatmeal and on chicken and stuff almost every day!

Honey increases probiotic bacteria, which then prevent the absorption of the mycotoxins.

I find this pretty interesting because I remember reading a post from CS about how many of the health problems associated with consuming grains are due to the amount of storage time. I suppose modern agricultural practices allow for extended periods of storage time, and thus increases the chances of fungal colonization (and thus mycotoxin production) in the grains.

I imagine that mycotoxins have been compromising human health ever since storing grains became common practice...

This is true, it's pretty much just decomposing matter when it's stored like that, allowing bacterium and fungus to flourish. Also a lot of the life energy of the plant is lost over time too, making the consumption less valuable. And yeah, I bet it's stored for long periods of time... farms gather so many acres of grains, and need to store it, I'm sure it's not all trucked away and used at once.

A useful post. Interesting study, although riddled with some bad grammar. How are people able to publish in such badly constructed sentences? Rhetorical question, they obviously did

good week ahead to everyone,
-9r5-

You are saying that mycotoxins are created because of the storage procedures of the grains?
For example, if I take the corn directly from the field (wrapped in that "silk" and green leaves), the corn is ok for one's health?

Hmmm, I failed Grammar Nazi 101 class, so I don't usually catch grammar errors in published reports.

Is it alright to drink milk with honey? Maybe add a little honey to coffee?

Yeah, mycotoxins are generated by the various species fungi that colonize the grains. I'm not so enthusiastic about the study on honey, though, because they stated that the mechanism of action is actually just increasing probiotic bacteria. This can be done without honey.

It does reiterate the point of how important it is to have healthy intestinal microbiota.

Here's another short excerpt from the study which explains that mycotoxins are a significant problem:

The occurrence of mycotoxin (aflatoxins and ochratoxin) contamination is global. It's estimated that one quarter of the world's crops are contaminated to some extent with mycotoxins, especially prevalent in developing countries. Generally, mycotoxins are commonly found in foods [7,8]. Mycotoxins are of great concern because of their detrimental effects on the health of humans and animals. Aspergillus flavus and A. parasiticus produce aflatoxins. Ochratoxin A was discovered to be a metabolite of Aspergillus ochraceus. Of the Aspergillus toxins, only ochratoxin (a natural carcinogen and nephrotoxin) is potentially as important as aflatoxins (a natural carcinogen). Both of them are associated with both toxicity and carcinogenicity in human health. A leading figure in the risk assessment field ranked mycotoxins as the most important chronic dietary risk factor, higher than synthetic contaminants, plant toxins, food additives, or pesticide residues [7, 9].

tonyj wrote:Hmmm, I failed Grammar Nazi 101 class, so I don't usually catch grammar errors in published reports.

I'm not being a prude. Did you read that excerpt carefully? There're no 'respectively'-ies where they should have been, which leaves the reader guessing. There's no percentage sign after one numerical figure while it is present after another. There's one sentence containing 'though' and stopping curiously. This is just from what I remember from yesterday, not even trying to scan it for errors right now. If this is the attention the authors paid to what the wrote for publication, one cannot be blamed if one wonders at the quality of their research.

It's not a forum these guys are writing to, it's a research study, probably a scientific paper. It shows the publication/ journal in a poor light as well. Usually, your grammar nazi argument will not work when you submit your research/ study for a paper publication/ journal- such a badly typed one is usually rejected summarily by a reputed journal.

Anyway, I'm not going to debate the point further. What do I care how someone writes his publication?

-9r5-

Just updating some new info I came across about honey. According to ayurveda, honey should never be heated by itself, or mixed in a hot liquid like tea. Room temperature is best, lukewarm (slightly above body temperature) is ok, any higher temperatures are a strict no. Reason given is that potential toxins are activated at higher temperatures, and instead of beneficial, hot honey becomes poisonous.

In any case, whether true or not, it hardly hurts to avoid using honey in hot beverages. I'm stopping mixing honey in my tea from today. MP, you might wish to take note.

Edit-
The Hydrogen Peroxide Producing Capacity of Honey
http://www.prlog.org/10227103-the-hydrogen-peroxide-producing-capacity-of-honey.html

Mercola warns that a lot of fake or low quality honey products are being flooded into the U.S market from China. These products are inferior, at best. So, do consume honey, but be sure that the source is reliable.

Thanks 9rugrats5,

I have noticed that adding honey to hot tea reduces its effectiveness at improving oral health. Adding the honey to hot water essentially is pasteurization (ie., deactivation of the important enzymes).

I've experimented with a few different types of raw honey, including raw mountain honey and raw monofloral honey (eucalyptus and sage). There was a huge bottle of raw mountain honey that my grandfather sent from India ten years ago, and it had been forgotten in the fridge until this last summer. I spread the honey on my teeth/gums with my tongue, and interestingly there's a great warming sensation that lasts for a few seconds - maybe it's the hydrogen peroxide. Seems hard to believe, but I notice that plaque formation is substantially decreased for up to a week afterward. None of the other types of honey I've tried are as effective.

Purely speculating here...but it seems likely that plaque formation (bacterial overgrowth) would only occur when there's a thriving bacterial population in the crevice between the gingival lining and the enamel of the tooth. Some researchers believe that gingivitis/periodontitis are caused by inadequate bacterial clearance, ie. the immune system is not eliminating the bacteria effectively. If the immune system is doing a good job preventing overgrowth at the gingival crevice, then saliva alone should be adequate for keeping the rest of the tooth free of plaque.

There are two possible explanations...(1) the direct anti-microbial effects of the honey, and also (2) the honey might have immune-modulating properties. I've seen studies showing that honey improves NK cell function.

Just an update about me...
later this week, my ENT surgeon is going to excise the enlarged lymph node(s) in my neck and soon afterward they'll find out what it is. Hoping for the best.

IR, I'm going to try the gum application as you mentioned.

The antimicrobial properties of honey, with a cursory look at google scholar, seems to be due to a) H2O2 b) enzymes and other chemicals, present in honey.

Regarding immuno-modulation, I don't even know what to make of it at this time. I mean, I do not even understand the term now. Is never falling ill a good or a bad sign? Could such a person be immuno-suppressed? What are auto-immune diseases- are they really immune system disorders, or biofilm, fungal, nano bacteria related problems? The boundaries seem fuzzy as to the realms of immune system related problems and chronic infections.

How in your opinion could honey influence the immune system, please do elaborate.

Indian honey bee, the native species is said to be much hardier and tropical disease resistant. The Indian honey bee population, though, is much too small for commercial honey. What has happened is that a lot of european bees are used to now make honey in India. These newer bees fall ill easily, and are susceptible to infections. Ergo, a good dose of various antibiotics are given to them. Also, it is claimed that the 'real, native' Indian honey is very beneficial, but no one knows where to get it. It is certainly not sold in markets as such.

MP is your earlier avatar, isn't it? Good luck for doc's appointment, do keep us posted. Always informative to read your posts.

IR, how are things going with you? Hope things are well, do keep posted.

Hey 9rugrats5,

I had the surgery on February 1st, and a week later the pathology report came back negative. However, several days later I noticed that the mass was still there. It turns out that the surgeon made the incision 1 cm off target, and so he failed to actually remove the mass. he must have cut out normal tissue and sent it to the lab. I consulted another ENT specialist who recommended an ultrasound-guided needle biopsy. I had it earlier today, and the pathologist said all of the cells looked normal under the microsope. However I'll have to wait a couple days for the formal lab report.

It's looking like everything will be OK. The good thing about the whole experience is that I have an entirely new outlook on life. I'm not particularly bothered about my hair loss anymore. I am still interested in general health issues though, so I still read the forum.

Regarding immuno-modulation, I don't even know what to make of it at this time. I mean, I do not even understand the term now. Is never falling ill a good or a bad sign? Could such a person be immuno-suppressed? What are auto-immune diseases- are they really immune system disorders, or biofilm, fungal, nano bacteria related problems? The boundaries seem fuzzy as to the realms of immune system related problems and chronic infections.

I guess this is the question of the decade. Just one example...the term "inflammation" has negative connotations, but inflammation is just a function of the immune system. Based on my limited understanding, I'd say that our immune systems are thrown off balance by environmental stress (poor diet, emotional and psychological distress, pollution). I'd say that emotional problems are the most overlooked determinant of overall health.

Elevated WBC has been shown to be a predict the onset of insulin resistance and diabetes. "Digestive leukocytosis" refers to the elevation of circulating WBC following the consumption of cooked food. It's possible that cooking food produces all sorts of different molecules which erroneously activate the immune system.

I've read about several mechanisms by which honey can affect the immune system. For example, it can increase the cytotoxic potential of natural killer cells, which are a special class of white blood cells. Honey enhances the cells' ability to destroy bacteria.

Inadequate bacterial clearance has also been implicated in COPD. CS wrote an article about how sulforaphane can restore the immune system's ability to eliminate the bacteria which cause the chronic inflammation of the lung surface tissues.

Interestingly, chronic bacterial infection of the scalp has also been implicated in the pathogenesis of MPB.

I would love an answer to that question about being sick as well. I never get sick.
And I am not just saying that. I just don't get sick, not since a bout with pneumonia back in
7th grade. Everyone will say, oh you must have a wonderful immune system.
And all I can think is "Nope".

Is it that my immune system is overreactive, and the inflammation it is causing is autoimmunity, meaning my MPB is the result of an attack by the immune system?

Or is it that my immune system is underactive and all sorts of infections/pathogens have been able to invade and evade it?

Answering this question will be key for me I think. Up until this point I've only considered it as being underactive and have been trying to deal with pathogens, but I haven't seen much success in terms of trying to increase it. Any ideas would be awesome.

IR, sounds like the surgeon was not a very careful one. I've had my share of ill luck with surgical procedures as well, there would be many 'ayes' here if we put that question to vote. Glad to hear of good progress in the tests.

The immune system and pathogen interaction requires a lot of reading to do on my part. Hope to see more posts on the forum on this topic in coming days.

Interesting info on WBC's.

Honey improves gut barrier function:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2716596/