I’ve been updating articles in the Detoxification and Medications hub this week, and I wanted to share a couple of detox discoveries: tying together mycotoxins, folate deficiency, and arsenic detoxification.
Folate transporter blocked by mycotoxins:
Fumonisins are a mycotoxin metabolite produced by Fusarium mold species that grow on corn, barley, oats, peanuts, and grapes. To give you an idea of the scope of exposure - the WHO estimates that about 50% of corn products worldwide have fumonisin contamination at low levels, and a US study found fumonisins in 86% of beer brands.
At higher levels, researchers have found that fumonisin exposure reduces both types of folate transporters that are used to bring folate and folic acid into cells. Researchers had noted that in populations with high exposure to fumonisins (eating contaminated grains), there was an elevated rate of neural tube defects, which are caused by a lack of folate in pregnancy. In one study, folate receptor expression was reduced by 43% after exposure to fomonisin B1.
The first question to come to my mind is whether fumonisin exposure from tortillas, oats, and barley is enough to have an effect on folate transport in kids or adults.
While the epidemiological studies showing a higher rate of neural tube defects in areas where pregnant women are exposed to higher levels of fumonisins are interesting, they don’t quantify where the tipping point is.
When could blocked folate transport from a mycotoxin be a problem? Well, the combination of genetic variants that decrease detoxification pathways for that mycotoxin, combined with variants that impact folate receptor function or folate conversion (MTHFR), added to a poor diet, may be the recipe for a significant effect from fumonisin mycotoxins.
Decreased folate transport into cells could then lead to decreased methyl groups.
Which brings me to arsenic...
Arsenic is naturally found in the water in certain areas of the world, and it is also a soil contaminant in areas with past pesticide use, mining, or emissions from certain industries. About 7% of wells in the US have arsenic levels that are of concern, and much of the rice grown in the southern US tests positive for arsenic.
Arsenic detox is methylation cycle dependent:
Arsenic is detoxified using the AS3MT enzyme, which adds a methyl group to arsenic to aid in excretion.
Without enough methyl groups - especially if combined with AS3MT genetic variants - arsenic detoxification is impaired.
Here’s a scenario:
A young mom with AS3MT variants and MTHFR C677T decides to go gluten-free. She ends up eating lots of gluten-free bread that uses rice flour (high in arsenic) and oat flour (fumonisin). She also likes to drink beer and eat tortilla chips (corn and barley containing fumonisin mycotoxins), doesn’t eat green vegetables (low folate diet), and drinks well water that contains arsenic.
People eating gluten-free have nearly double the urinary arsenic concentration because rice flour (used in gluten-free breads, pasta, and pretzels) concentrates arsenic from the soil.
The fumonisin mycotoxins from the corn and oats then decrease the folate transport and eventually limit methyl group production, especially if combined with genetic susceptibility to methylation pathway problems.
So - no folate for the arsenic detoxification pathway due to a combination of genetics, mycotoxins, and diet, combined with a higher-than-normal intake of arsenic from rice flour and well water.
What could go wrong?
Well, arsenic in drinking water is associated with a 10–15% relative risk increase for breast cancer at the population level. But for someone with AS3MT variants, that risk jumps to 2–3 fold. Combine that with a lack of folate for methyl groups, and the risk of breast cancer gets real scary, real fast.
This was a totally fictional scenario - just an illustration of how genes interact with your environment in complex ways. I don’t want any of you thinking that your gluten-free pretzel habit is necessarily going to give you cancer!
Check out the new detoxification genes hub page. I’ve organized all of the articles with genotype reports to make it easier to find where your susceptibility lies.
~ Debbie
Psilocybin reversing Alzheimer’s symptoms?
This is a fascinating case study. Psilocybin given to a severe Alzheimer’s patient reversed some of the symptoms. The woman had a 10-year history of Alzheimer’s and hadn’t really been able to talk for 5 years. The oral psilocybin-containing mushroom dose restored speech, recognition of family members, and even bladder function over several weeks.
I’m not sure what to think about this one. From Alzheimer’s studies, the damage to certain regions of the brain should be fairly permanent, with marked brain shrinkage in imaging studies.
SIRT6 and Reversing DNA Changes in Aging
A new study shows that SIRT6 may be key to reversing chromatin changes that happen to DNA in aging.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.