From: mannj@southern.co.nz (Jay Mann)
Newsgroups: misc.health.alternative,sci.med,sci.med.nutrition
Subject: Re: Cancer and Peanut Butter
Date: 25 Oct 1997 21:21:17 GMT

Thorne Palmer (tpalmer@tempelbooks.com) wrote:
: Brian Manning Delaney wrote:
: >
: > Steven B. Harris wrote:
: >
: > > Aflatoxins.  These are nasty carcinogenic toxins
: > > made by fungi that grow on peanuts.
[[snip]]
: >
: if you stick to organic peanuts you should be ok. they have less of the
: chemical residue and aren't as subject to aflitoxins. however, people
: who are overweight, have yeast infections or have cancer should avoid
: them. they slow the metabolic rate of the liver.

What chemical residue?  I don't know anything about peanut farming, but do
know that the problem is fungal infection of the seeds, initially while they
are developing in the soil.  (Peanut flowers are in the air, but then the
pods are pushed into the soil while the seeds develop.)  For aflatoxins to
develop, the "right" fungus has to be present, in a pure form without other
fungi, and the temperature must be quite warm.  The climate is the reason
why Thai-grown peanuts are worse for aflatoxins than U.S.-grown nuts.  I
suspect the Thai products have not been sprayed with anything, i.e., are
"organic".

You have the cancer connection a..-about-face.  Aflatoxins are suspected of
causing liver cancer.  Certainly countries with high levels of aflatoxin in
the diet have higher rates of liver cancer.  Some workers, though, believe
that you have to have chronic hepatitis infection of the liver before you
have to worry about aflatoxins. Certainly if I had hepatitis, I wouldn't
touch peanuts.

Jay D Mann  <mannj@southern.co.nz>
Christchurch, New Zealand