Guest guest Posted January 7, 2003 Report Share Posted January 7, 2003 its looks to be part of of a general problem of alfatoxins from a. oryzae and other fungi.... http://www.epa.gov/opptintr/biotech/fra/fra007.htm a. oryzae has been used for perhaps thousands or years or longer by the japanese in fermenting processes and from the article provided the fermenting process is not longer than two days its not a problem. its interesting to look at what else a.oryzae produces and its not surprising that there can be allergy problems with enzymes. i would imagine that the kojic acid is being extracted anyway as it is a valuable product but there is a huge difference between possible trace amounts in enzymes and adding it to to food or using it as a skin cream. interestingly arabian and some asian cultures place a high value on fair skin becuase it signified that the person didn't have to work outside and therefore was wealthy... almost any amount of sunlight on the skin is carcinogenic so its a question of level and and degree of mutageniability and from what i ahve read i doubt there is any significant quantity in enzymes or that it is highly mutagenic. my opinion is that fluoride(directly) and mercury(indirectly through muting methylation) are outstanding mutagenes and if people are worry about cancer risk these would be orders of magnitude more significant. > The following article/post is being circulated in some groups. I > think the intent is to put forward another 'scary' article. There > are so many many things being sent around showing everything under > the sun is dangerous, scary, causes cancer, etc.... > > Any way, hopefully Devin will weigh in on this but here is my > personal view. First, the 'scary' substance in question this time is > not aspergillus but the final product kojic acid. Aspergillus is > just mentioned as part of the article and is involved in the > manufacturing process. So it is the end product that could involve > many other steps and many other ingredients...I have never even > heard of kojic acid before. No telling where the problem lies. > Second they are not commenting on enzymes or anything else, even > though many enzymes are derived from aspergillus. There is a very > involved extensive process in refining enzymes from aspergillus > organisms and there is no mold in the final product. But since > enzymes are proteins you may be sensitive to the final enzyme as a > completely separate issue. Enzymes consist of amino acids by > definition. You eat amino acids all the time. Your body produces > enzymes all the time. Enzymes are required for anyone to digest > anything. I will post if I find additional information on this. > > . > > > > >>>>> > > Safety of kojic acid in cosmetics to be examined > > The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is to examine the safety > of kojic acid in cosmetic products following a decision by a > ministry panel Thursday to ban it as a food additive, ministry > officials said Saturday. > > Experiments have shown that kojic acid, an antibacterial substance > made from aspergillus oryzae (koji), used in making miso paste and > soy sauce, is carcinogenic. The possibility of liver cancer has been > indicated through tests on rats that were fed the acid. > > However, kojic acid has been approved as a quasi-drug due to its > impact on freckles caused by sunburn and its moisturizing effects, > and it is widely used in cosmetic products such as creams to help > whiten skin. > > The ministry will delegate efforts to determine the safety of the > acid to specialists. > > The ministry said the acid has not been used as an additive in food, > adding that it will not regulate miso or soy sauce because of miso's > anticancer effects and the low levels of kojic acid in such > products. > > The Japan Times: Dec. 22, 2002 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 20, 2011 Report Share Posted January 20, 2011 Thank you, Penny, for posting this article. Does anyone have any research on humans suggesting the same? I stopped pursuing aspergillus as a cause of my chronic meningitis and brain inflammation even though tests of mold at my university office showed high levels, because all the literature on humans just said it is only a problem if you already have a compromised immune system. Research on humans showing that aspergillus actually compromises the immune system and allows chronic symptoms from illnesses the immune system otherwise could control would be incredibly helpful for me! Joy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 26, 2011 Report Share Posted January 26, 2011 Not offhand, but I have a friend who's been treated for aspergillus. Do you have a doctor who'd be willing to prescribe antifungals just to see if it helps? If it does, it would be hard to deny continued treatment. I know doctors worry about antifungals damaging the liver, but all you need to do is have regular blood work to verify your liver's okay. And considering certain species of aspergillus can damage your liver, and/or are carcinogenic, it seems to me that a trial treatment of antifungals couldn't hurt, but could help. Also, I know several people, including myself, who've been on anti-fungals for years with no liver problems. A friend of mine has been on nasal amphotericin B for several months and for the first time in 20 years, she doesn't need to use her daily asthma treatment. She's convinced the amphotericin B was the cure. penny > > Thank you, Penny, for posting this article. Does anyone have any research on humans suggesting the same? I stopped pursuing aspergillus as a cause of my chronic meningitis and brain inflammation even though tests of mold at my university office showed high levels, because all the literature on humans just said it is only a problem if you already have a compromised immune system. Research on humans showing that aspergillus actually compromises the immune system and allows chronic symptoms from illnesses the immune system otherwise could control would be incredibly helpful for me! > > Joy > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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