Nutrition As A Cure – Proteins You May Not Want To Eat Ii

Author: Kevinhvs

2009-02-19 Word Count: 520 Category: Nutrition

Proteins are generally regarded beneficial, and are a necessary part of the diet of all animals. Humans can become seriously ill if they do not eat enough and the right protein. There are some proteins that might cause extreme harm or even death if we ingest them or come in contact with them.

Fish are good source of Protein
Not all fish can be casually processed or eaten. There is one fish, the Japanese fugu/puffer; notorious for its potent bio toxin called tetrodotoxin present in its skin, sex glands, and liver. Tetrodotoxin is also found in the blue-ringed Octopus, cone Snail, and in certain varieties of Newt. The Fugu fish needs to be cleaned and cooked only by highly efficient and certified cooks.

Fugu poison is 1200 times more potent than Cyanide. A single puffer has enough Tetrodotoxin to kill 30 adult humans. Worse, Tetrodotoxin has no known antidote. The puffer itself has immunity to the Tetrodotoxin. Tetrodotoxin is produced by certain bacteria Pseudoalteromonas tetraodonis, acquired through food of the fish. This means that puffers raised in captivity do not contain tetrodotoxin, and therefore are not poisonous until they come into contact with the bacteria. Ironically , Fugu bred in such waters are not a great favorite with the Fugu gourmand for it lacks in the side effects of the tingling effects exerted by the toxin on the lips and in the toes.

Snake Venom Protein
Unless injected in to the bloodstream Snake venom is not dangerous. Eating snake venom protein is like eating any protein as long one has no lesions or ulcers in the stomach, in which case contortrostatin, the snake venom toxin enters the blood stream through absorption. Once in the blood stream, contortrostatin keeps platelets from aggregating and thereby helps to maintain the blood fluid so that the more damaging components of the venom can move quickly through the body and rapidly affect the victim.
Of the nearly 3,000 species of snakes in the world, about 650 are venomous.
Venoms are composed of as many as a hundred different peptides, enzymes, and toxins. The protein extracted from the venom of the Southern Copperhead viper slowed the growth of tumour. A Canadian skin care company has launched a new anti-aging collection with a synthetic protein that mimics the activity of a protein found in Temple Viper venom.

Ricin
Ricin is a phytoprotein toxin from the castor bean, a grain of which is lethal in humans if inhaled, injected, or ingested, acts by inhibiting protein synthesis. There are cases where children swallowed castor beans lured by its chocolate covered nutty appearance have died. Ricin causes severe diarrhea and victims can die of shock. There is no known antidote.
On the brighter side, like diphtheria toxin, Ricin is also used in the treatment of leukemia and lymphoma.

Visit www.health-vitamins-supplements.com for more information on high quality protein with a high Protein Efficiency Ratio (P.E.R.) and a bioavailability rating higher than that of egg protein. Athletes require greater protein intake than sedentary individuals in order to remain in positive nitrogen balance.

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