Warning of dangerous fungi in the food we eat daily
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Health experts have warned that foods beloved by many, such as bread and pasta, may contain harmful mycotoxins, which pose a serious threat to human health
A study, the results of which were published in the "Nature Food" magazine, showed that an analysis of wheat, the main ingredient found in many starchy carbohydrates, has proven to be susceptible to a fungal disease known as the furasmic spike blight, or "scabies." Fiorasemia panicle blight is not harmful to humans, but the substance it produces, known as mycotoxin or "fungus vomit," can be fatal
Experts from the UK found that 70 percent of the wheat produced in Britain between 2010 and 2019 contained "fungus vomit," but to medically acceptable degrees. Researchers from the British Universities of Bath and Exeter pointed out that the fact that fungal toxins are present in many of our foods, even in acceptable proportions, is a "worrying matter
What do the experts say
A food scientist from the University of Bath, Neil Brown, said: "It is not yet known how sustained, low-level dietary exposure to mycotoxins may affect long-term human health," according to the British newspaper The Sun
Previous research has linked mycotoxins to liver cancer and kidney disease. Brown explained that the interaction of toxins with each other may cause damage that is more serious than that caused by individual toxins
The World Health Organization has warned of a significant rise in fatal fungal infections worldwide
In its first report on the 19 fungal pathogens to watch, the World Health Organization said antifungal resistance has "significant implications" for human health
Professor of Infectious Diseases at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, John Cohen, said fungal infections are "less common than other infections, but can cause very serious illness or death
According to estimates by the World Health Organization, 1.7 million people die each year as a result of a fungal disease
In most healthy people, the immune system can fight off infection, but it can be life-threatening in immunocompromised people