Corn 101

The following is an article Lannie wrote for one of the forums she visits regularly. Although we have discussed the potential hazards of grains (corn being one of them) in past issues, I rather liked the way this article tells the story, so we are reprinting it here for your enlightenment.

OK, guys, here’s the scoop on corn (and other grains, but corn is the worst in my opinion).

Corn is a genetically modified food. The original grass (teosinte) that corn was bred from bears no resemblance to our modern corn, so there’s no such thing as “natural” corn to begin with. (See article following this one for a brief history of corn.)

When someone screws around with someone else’s DNA, that new DNA doesn’t have all the built-in defenses that it should have. Case in point: corn has a suppressed immune system. This makes it super-susceptible to fungal infection. Aspergillus is the most common, but it can have others too.

The mycotoxins (Aflatoxin B1 and Zearelanone being the two most common) are a byproduct of the mold (also called “fungal metabolites”). The mold has a very inefficient metabolism, and since it’s a parasite or symbiot, it doesn’t need one. It lives off the host, whether it’s the corn or you. So it can be inefficient and it makes no difference to the mold. But part of its inefficiency is the abundant toxic waste products (mycotoxins). Mold also uses its mycotoxins as self-defense, as anyone who’s had a Herxheimer reaction can attest to. When the fungus feels threatened or is about to die, it spews out poison to hopefully kill whatever is trying to kill it. It’s not evil – it’s just trying to survive.

Back to the corn. Even if the corn doesn’t get mold on it while it’s in the field, as soon as it’s harvested, it’s put in a silo, which is a big round metal building. Corn has a very high moisture content (that’s why it’s so juicy), as well as a fairly high sugar content (that’s why it’s sweet), and when you combine a dark, hot silo with moisture, you get mold. Then you give it loads of carbohydrates (the sugar) and it starts multiplying. Even corn that doesn’t go in a silo, instead getting piled up on the ground, still has those huge black patches of mold on it. And if it’s moldy in the field, it’s just worse once it gets put in storage.

The really nasty black stuff gets scooped out and used as animal feed. This goes into grain mixes for livestock, and also in pet food. (For an example of what this does to dogs, see Diamond Pet Food article in issue #66.) Once it’s dried and ground up, you can’t see the mold anymore, but you can bet it’s still chock full of mycotoxins. The point is, if they can’t see it, they don’t have to acknowledge it. It’s all about money and profit, and if they had to throw out all the moldy corn, the farmers would be broke.

The corn that doesn’t have visible black mold on it is reserved for human consumption. The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) requires that corn be tested for Aflatoxin (that’s the only “required” test, though), but it’s physically impossible to test every single kernel of corn. So the best they can do is spot-sample loads of grain. The requirement is 8 to 10 one-pound samples per railroad car of grain. How much corn does that leave untested in that car? And they don’t test every single shipment. It’s just a spot-check. So you could conceivably get a much higher dose of aflatoxin or zearelanone in a batch of corn, even though some samples were taken that showed it to be within the acceptable levels.

Are you still with me? Good.

Now, about the homegrown corn. All the homegrown corn has been grown from commercially produced seed. You buy a pack of seeds from Gurney’s (or wherever) and you’ve got some commercially produced seed. It carries the wonky DNA, making it sensitive to mold infections, and I’ve heard (but can’t prove) that most commercial seeds are already impregnated with mold. I wouldn’t doubt it, though. I actually grew some corn in my garden last summer (I planted it before I found out how bad it was for me), and I took very good care of it. There was nothing visibly wrong with it, but I ate just one ear and it undid all the work I had done in the past month. This was just a month after I went on a partial candida diet and had cut most of the sugar and grains out of my diet, when I told you I had finally got rid of all my pain. That had only taken me a month. So I ate this one little bitty ear of corn and I woke up the next morning with all my joints screaming again, and just to make it interesting and add to the fun, I also had a vaginal yeast infection (which I’d never had before).

So, if you’re tempted to try growing your own corn, thinking it will be better for you, don’t. Just give up corn. I know you think you can’t, but you can. I’ve had to really start reading labels, though, and anything with corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup solids, citric acid, corn oil, or anything remotely connected with corn, I don’t buy. I sometimes miss having corn chips and salsa, but not bad enough to actually eat any! I’d rather put the salsa on a nice green salad instead.

Short History of Corn

We, and no doubt everyone else reading this newsletter, have eaten corn and corn products all of our lives. We have accepted that corn is a natural vegetable (it’s actually in the grain category, being a grass) and we all believe corn has always been around because it has been here longer than we have. Wrong! Corn as we know it today would not exist if it weren’t for the humans that cultivated and developed it. It is a human invention, a plant that does not exist naturally anywhere in the wild.

According to the scientists who have attempted to trace the origins of corn/maize [1}, there was a plant called teosinte (see Figure 1), a wild grass occurring naturally in isolated patches, currently restricted to elevations between 1300-5600 feet (400-1700 meters) in the area now known as the Mexican western Sierra Madre (Michoacan and Jalisco). About 6,000 years ago (yes, long before any of us were born J), the ancient Pre-Columbian culture of that region (waaay pre-Olmec) decided this was a potential food plant, but apparently the grain ends weren’t large enough to feed their civilization, so they crossbred it with other plants to create a hybrid plant with larger grain heads (and you thought genetic engineering was a new thing?), which was later named Maize (see Figure 2). Today’s corn plant has been even further hybridized, but you know what today’s plant looks like, so I won’t include a picture here.

Fig. 1: Teosinte.                                                       Fig. 2: Maize.

Both social and plant scientists regard maize agriculture as a prime example of the co-evolution of a plant and its domesticators; as both the plant and human society evolved, they each exerted strong influence on one another. The Mexican anthropologist and maize historian, Arturo Warman, has referred to maize as a thoroughly cultural artifact, in that it is truly a human invention, a species that does not exist naturally in the wild and can only survive if sown and protected by humans. Likewise, the domestication and improvement of maize is strongly correlated with the development of cultural complexity and the rise of the high civilizations of pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica.

Corn/Maize is a really just a gigantic domesticated grass. The plant is used to produce grain and fodder that are the basis of a huge number of human foods, animal feeds, pharmaceuticals, and numerous organic chemicals used in other food manufacturing applications. The cultivation of maize and the elaboration of its food products are inextricably bound with the rise of pre-Colombian Mesoamerican civilizations. Due to its adaptability and productivity, the culture of maize spread rapidly around the globe after Spaniards and other Europeans exported the plant from the Americas in the 15th and 16th centuries. Maize is currently produced in most countries of the world and is the third most planted field crop (after wheat and rice). The bulk of maize production occurs in:  1) the United States, 2) Peoples Republic of China, and 3) Brazil, which together account for 73% of the annual global production of over 450 million tons. Mexico, where maize originated is the fourth largest producer.

Note 1: The domestication of teosinte predates the historical Mesoamerican period, with most extant oral traditions alluding to this cultural milestone in highly encoded mythical tales and folklore. Lacking a reliable historical record, the issue of maize origins has long been a controversial ethno-botanical problem. Recently, a number of new techniques have been applied to this question. These methods include, in addition to traditional archeological excavation, numerical taxonomy (cladistics), analysis of chromosome and allozyme homologies, and accelerated mass spectrometry dating techniques. Application of these procedures has permitted scientists to narrow the general date and location of teosinte’s domestication to about 4,000 BCE in Michoacan’s Balsas river drainage. However, there is still uncertainty regarding whether this momentous achievement was, in the words of Hugh Iltis, “a process or an event.”

Why We Shouldn’t Eat this Stuff

There are approximately 13 fungal genera that are commonly found on corn kernels, which is why we say it is “universally contaminated.” Because only one species usually grows on live corn kernels at a time, the genus is also easy to identify (I list a couple dozen below, restricted only to those on/in kernels), but there are always exceptions to the rule. Fusarium, Penicillium, and Aspergillus can be difficult to determine exactly which classification they fall under (see notes for chart below) due to the common qualities in each.

Under certain conditions of temperature, relative humidity, and grain moisture, molds can grow within the kernel as well as on the outside of the kernels, silks, and the plant stems and leaves. The infection on/in the kernels and cob will spread during transportation and storage. Mold causes several issues, such as: lowering the grain quality, negative effects on human health, and negative effects on animal health and reproduction.

Grain molds produce mycotoxins that can be toxic to farm animals, wildlife, and humans. A combination of corn that was 20% infected with Penicillin rubrum and 80% clean grain was fed to a pen of 55-pound pigs and resulted in their death in less than 32 hours (Christensen, 1969).

Note 2: These are some fungi that do not sporulate readily on potato dextrose agar containing chlortetracycline and Tergitol NPX such as Diplodia and Fusarium roseum (G. zeae). There are others that will not sporulate readily in total darkness and include Trichoderma, Fusarium roseum, and Epicoccum. Aspergillus glaucus will barely grow on PDA or PDTC, G. zeae is fast growing with usually deep red reverse. Might need to be distinguished from Fusarium tricinctum.

And you really want to eat this stuff?

Stupid Arthritis Pain Study

The following is extracted from a study on arthritis pain relief. Please read it carefully and see if you came to the same conclusion as I did:

After six months, patients filled out a questionnaire to determine how many felt a 20 percent reduction in pain. Researchers found the supplements when taken alone or together were no more effective than dummy pills at pain relief.

Sixty percent who took the dummy medication had reduced pain compared with 64 percent who took glucosamine, 65 percent who took chondroitin and 67 percent who took the combo pills. These differences were so small that they could have occurred by chance alone.

The drug Celebrex did reduce pain — 70 percent reported improvement — affirming the study’s validity. However, the drug is being studied to see if it’s safe for people at risk of heart problems.

OK, so 60% of the people who took a placebo declared a 20% or greater relief in their pain. Whether or not this says pain is all in your head is irrelevant to this conclusion. The studiers, however, decided there is no significance between the placebo-takers and those who took glucosamine (64%), chondroitin (65%), or the glucosamine-chondroitin combo (67%). With that part, I agree, because statistically, a seven-point spread is not significant. However, they concluded also that those who took that nasty Celebrex (Pfizer's COX 2 inhibitor, which has a list of side effects about two pages long), at only 70% was significant. I am sorry, you morons (the drug company who sponsored this study [3], not you readers) because the 10 points between placebo and nasty drug isn’t significant either!

I would have done the results by subtracting the placebo control group from the others to find the actual non-state-of-mind effects. That would make placebo 0%, glucosamine 4%, chondroitin 5%, the glucosamine-chondroitin combo 7%, and Celebrex 10%. If only 10% of the people in a study found relief, obviously their drug is ineffective. But clearly this study was done for one purpose only: to discredit supplements, probably with the hopes that consumers will never notice how stupid the whole thing was. I suggest that, to a logical person, they also managed to discredit Celebrex.

A further suggestion that comes to mind is that 60% of these people claimed pain relief on a placebo. Now that means, to me, that either they should start marketing placebos as the cure (hey, if a 5% improvement is a “major breakthrough” in cancer research, then 60% must be the Second Coming), or I need to publish my Field of Intentions article again because clearly the power of the mind is more effective than an organic chemical concoction.

One of the things I find really ridiculous about the whole study is that neither glucosamine nor chondroitin is intended as a pain reliever, and the doctors involved in this study should know that. They typically prescribe NSAIDs for arthritis pain, and few will ever even suggest a non-prescription supplement, much less suggest it might relieve pain. They are intended to help rebuild bones and cartilage. I take this combo myself, but as soon as I finish this bottle, I’m going back to the glucosamine-MSM [4] because I find no significant difference between the two in regeneration abilities and MSM is about 1/3 the price of chondroitin. MSM, it should be noted, does make a claim to pain relief, but of course, they did not test that. I wonder why… J

And in case you don’t remember, osteoarthritis pain is caused (ultra-short version here) by the inflammation due to systemic fungal infection (very likely yeast) and their associated mycotoxins. You get rid of the inflammation by changing your diet to eliminate the source (fungi) and those things that feed it or add more fungi: refined sugar and bad carbs [5]. You rebuild the affected joints with glucosamine (there are a few other organic chemical possibilities as well) after you have eliminated the cause of the pain in the first place. It does work… at least it did for me. I no longer have arthritis pain and the allopathic doctors, if you remember, declared me to have “extreme degenerative arthritis disease” for which there is “no known cause or cure.” Bah, humbug!

Note 3: The folks who did this study reported receiving fees or grant support from Pfizer or McNeil Consumer & Specialty Pharmaceuticals, makers of Tylenol – a guarantee the results will be skewed.

Note 4: Methylsulfonylmethane, also known as methyl sulfone or dimethylsulfone (DMSO₂), is an odorless breakdown product of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) – in short, it is a mild antifungal to be used internally, while DMSO is best left to topical applications

Note 5: Those are the foods that create glucose quickly – as well as raising your LDL level – and also carry fungi/ mycotoxins into your body. Bad carbs come from grains (including corn) and anything made from grains. Good carbs are those that create glucose slowly, at a rate your body can absorb while not feeding the fungi. Those come from fresh green vegetables.

This Probably Won’t Bother You Unless You Live Near the Mississippi River, but…

A government scientist has been forced to resign, after discovering dangerous levels of a toxic chemical in the Mississippi River. The toxins, specifically known as perfluoronated chemicals (PFCs), are a byproduct of the manufacture of a number of products including Teflon and Scotchgard. In late 2005, Dr. Oliaei Fardin found dangerous levels of PFCs in the Mississippi River downstream from a 3M Corporation's dumping site in Minnesota. 3M had been dumping 50,000 pounds of the toxic chemical in the river every year, in a heavily populated metropolitan area, where the river serves as the main drinking water source for Minneapolis and St. Paul. PFCs have caused birth defects and deaths in animal studies and are considered a likely human carcinogen. Fardin, a scientist at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, found levels of PFCs in the area's fish that were the highest ever discovered in the world. Following her discovery, she was unable to get the state to issue a public health advisory, as would normally be required by law. After she filed a federal whistleblower's lawsuit against the agency, Fardin was forced to resign by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Commissioner, who was a former executive of 3M. Her research, which has now been halted, would have helped assess how far downstream the chemical contamination had traveled in the Mississippi River, one of the nation's largest waterways and municipal water sources.

Study finds that Eating Vegetables Repairs Cell Damage

A new study published in the journal Nature indicates that eating certain vegetables can repair damaged DNA. Previous studies have found nutrients that can help prevent cancer, but this research shows that certain vegetables can actually reverse cell damage that has already occurred. Laboratory tests revealed that a compound called indole-3-carinol (I3C), found in broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage, can increase two specific protein levels that repair damaged DNA. "It is now clear that the function of crucial cancer genes can be influenced by compounds in the things we eat," said Eliot M. Rosen, MD, PhD.

Learn more at: http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/cancer021206.cfm

Correction to Health Status

Back in issue #72 (Let’s Get the “Die” Out of Diet), I failed to mention a couple other changes in me that you might find to be significant. Back in 1999, during the angiogram procedure after I had a stroke, the surgeon accidentally discovered a tumor in my throat. This, of course, led to a follow-up ultrasound and a meeting with the head of OHSU’s (Oregon Health Sciences University) ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) department. He said I had a non-malignant tumor in my throat, attached to my larynx and my carotid artery and that it was about the size of a walnut. A walnut is a pretty big object to stick in that space and may well be responsible for my bass voice. He did say that removal of this tumor would cause my voice to rise an octave or two. He also said that I could choose not to take it out now because it probably wouldn’t cause me undue problems until I was in my mid-60s. I chose not to have surgery. In 2003, I had another ultrasound because the doctor kept pressing me to have it removed (he probably bought a new Mercedes and needed some cash) and the tumor was still the same size. By pressing my fingers on the side of my windpipe, I could feel this lump that they seemed so intent on cutting out of me. I still refused the surgery because it had not gotten any bigger (nor, obviously, any smaller). But here’s the strange part. I can barely even locate this thing today. If I had to guess (based on what I felt before, if that was a walnut), then today it is the size of a bean. If only seven or eight months of eating right can shrink tumors that much, then will it be totally gone after a year? I’ll keep you posted.

The other point was made way back in the beginning of this newsletter project, where I said I have been fat all my life. That was not the truth, but a bad memory. I was reviewing some really old photographs and discovered that I appeared to be of “normal” height and weight up until I was six or seven years old. So I dug out my dusty antique copy of my birth certificate and, even though my mother had said I was a “watermelon” (which probably had something to do with my belief I was always fat), it said “7 lb 9 oz, 21 inches.”  That is not a heavy baby. So what caused me to become fat at six or seven years old? At five years old, I started getting penicillin shots at every doctor visit (remember, our doctor was referred to as “Penicillin Pete”). I also refused to eat green vegetables and my diet consisted mainly of cereals, breads, cakes, beans, hotdogs… yeah, I was turning my body into a laboratory for culturing fungi and mycotoxins. Just like the ranchers who fatten their cattle through antibiotics and grains, I was being “fattened for market.” We did not know the cause back then, but we do now. Don’t do this to your children, or yourself.