Peanuts and liver cancer? Oh no! I really like peanuts and eat them almost every day. I will have to dig a little deeper and write a more comprehensive post once I’ve done some research. In the meantime, here’s a little bit of info about the link between a seemingly harmless nut (it’s not the peanut, but a form of fungus that grows on the nut) and a very harmful form of cancer.

According to International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), aflatoxins are

naturally developed mycotoxins (toxic substances) produced by various species of Aspergillus, a fungus. They are among the most carcinogenic substances known to exist. Unfortunately, the presence of aflatoxin in food products cannot be completely eliminated; it can, however, be controlled in order to avoid causing harm to humans.

The European Food Safety Administration says that two types of aflatoxins can “occur in groundnuts, treenuts, maize, rice, figs and other dried foods, spices and crude vegetable oils, and cocoa beans, as a result of fungal contamination before and after harvest.”

Additional reading until my next post:

www.niehs.nih.gov/health/impacts/aflatoxin.cfm

www.marksdailyapple.com/aflatoxins-or-another-reason-to-shun-peanuts/

www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/toxicagents/aflatoxin/aflatoxin.html