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Acetaldehyde and dirt for dessert
Explores the interaction of acetaldehyde with humic/fulvic acid
Date: 9/30/2012 9:28:32 AM ( 12 y ) ... viewed 5530 times Just because a naturally occurring substance is classified as a "herb" doesn't mean that it doesn't incur side effects like drugs extracted or designed in a lab. On the other hand, not all "side effects" of a drug are necessarily non-beneficial. Sometimes drugs that are specifically designed to attack a particular enzymatic pathway may have beneficial "off-label" effects because of other interactions.
Consider the structures of the naturally occurring substances humic and fulvic acids with respect to the frequency and availability of carbonyl (C=O) structures in any of quinone, ester, or ketone linkages:
Humic substances are the major organic constituents of soil with fulvic acids the lower molecular weight and higher oxygen content components. Geophagy is the practice of eating dirt driven by compulsion. If the veritable smorgasbord of carbonyls in these substances are binding acetaldehyde, then the remission of yeast-released acetaldehyde aggravation may be a motivating force in this disorder similar to the paradoxical acetaldehyde cravings experienced by alcoholics:
See "Acetaldehydism" http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1985494
Since colloidal fulvic acid also has antimicrobial properties [1], it might be expected to display antifungal aspects as well [2]. Large cluster-type molecules with pockets of charge concentrations can demonstrate chelating activity where other substances are sequestered by intermolecular forces without actually forming a covalent or ionic bond. The heavy metal chelating properties of humic acids [3] might provide an alternate mechanism for preventing acetaldehyde from interacting with its surroundings. Since acetaldehyde has the size, shape, and electrophilic nature of a heavy metal ion:
See "Acetaldehyde -- Pseudo Heavy Metal" http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1953097
substances that chelate heavy metals might also be expected to sequester acetaldehyde and reduce its deleterious effects on the body:
See "Metallothionein" http://curezone.com/forums/fm.asp?i=1979925
However, if humic/fulvic acids fall into this class, some due caution must be exercised in the ingestion of substances that can either provide minerals or chelate them.
Firstly, some substances may appear to be excellent nutritional mineral sources but upon closer scrutiny carry some undesirable excess baggage. A case in point, hijiki is a distinctive, almost black, shredded seaweed, that is used mainly as an appetizer or starter in some Japanese restaurants. Hijiki is also sold for use in soups and salads and some vegetarian and vegan dishes where seaweed is an ingredient. Analysis of this particular type of seaweed found that it had much higher levels of the heavy metal inorganic arsenic than other seaweeds such as arame, kombu, nori, and wakame which had none. Although this particular contaminant is impossible to avoid completely, some foodstuffs seem to accumulate it much more readily than others and should be avoided in excess [4].
Secondly, if a substance is not necessarily a mineral source but is a good heavy metal chelator, then depending upon its source and production, it may come with heavy metals already in place that might get released into the body. Fulvic acid isolated from the environment or produced from the oxidation of coal or lignite is inappropriate for supplementation since such preparations may contain high levels of heavy metals and potentially toxic elements. However, there are other techniques that can produce an ingestible form of carbohydrate-derived fulvic acid [5].
And thirdly, a heavy metal chelator that grabs minerals without letting them go may interfere with the absorption of essential metals such as copper and zinc. This may not necessarily be an impediment providing that the chelator is consumed at times other than normal food intake. However, attempting to utilize such a substance therapeutically as an acetaldehyde scavenger implies that it needs to be consumed at the time of maximum acetaldehyde release when the yeast is fermenting dietary carbohydrates -- a conflict of constraints.
There is an arresting pattern here that unifies the observation that apparently unrelated diseases respond to the same medication (e.g. psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, lupus, cancer) for unknown reasons. When acetaldehyde is put into the picture suddenly all of the paths of the maze converge upon the ability of structurally diverse substances to react with and prevent acetaldehyde from inflicting a cascade of damage elsewhere. Most of the substances considered thus far have adverse effects or potential risks that make their continuous usage ill-advised so the quest now becomes a "scavenger hunt" for a substance that can perform this with minimal collateral damage.
[1] van Rensburg CE et al., "An in vitro investigation of the antimicrobial activity of oxifulvic acid.", J Antimicrob Chemother. 2000 Nov;46(5):853.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11062218
[2] Sherry L et al., "Carbohydrate Derived Fulvic Acid: An in vitro Investigation of a Novel Membrane Active Antiseptic Agent Against Candida albicans Biofilms.", Front Microbiol. 2012;3:116. Epub 2012 Mar 29.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22479260
[3] Gao K et al., "Interaction between peat, humic acid and aqueous metal ions", Environmental Geochemistry and Health, Vol 21, No. 1 (1999), 13-26.
http://www.springerlink.com/content/vk1n34g77p384216
[4] Food Standards Agency, "Consumers Advised Not To Eat Hijiki Seaweed", 2010.
http://www.food.gov.uk/news-updates/news/2010/aug/hijikiseaweed#.UFzDjK7Z2So
[5] Gandy JJ et al., "Phase 1 clinical study of the acute and subacute safety and proof-of-concept efficacy of carbohydrate-derived fulvic acid." Clin Pharmacol. 2012;4:7-11.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22427734
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