![]() How Deadly Are Nightshades? But what do we really know about how these foods affect our health? To skip to a specific section, choose a heading below: Meet the Nightshade (Solanaceae) Family: Tomatoes. Tomatillos. Eggplant. Potatoes. Goji Berries.
![]() Tobacco. Peppers (bell peppers, chili peppers, paprika, tamales, tomatillos, pimentos, cayenne, etc) At first glance, the nightshades may look like a random collection of foods that couldn’t possibly be related. Glycoalkaloids are bitter compounds which are found throughout the plant, but their concentrations are especially high in leaves, flowers, and unripe fruits. They are there to defend plants against bacteria, fungi, viruses, and insects. Cherries, apples, and sugar beets also contain small amounts of glycoalkaloid even though they are not nightshades. How do glycoalkaloids kill pests? Glycoalkaloids act as invisible hand grenades. They bind strongly to the cholesterol in the cell membranes of predators, and in so doing, they disrupt the structure of those membranes, causing cells to leak or burst open upon contact. ![]() What to expect when you're 6 weeks pregnant? Your baby's heart is the size of a poppy seed and exhaustion is probably starting to hit! Learn what else happens. Glycoalkaloids are neurotoxins. They block the enzyme cholinesterase. This enzyme is responsible for breaking down acetylcholine, a vital neurotransmitter that carries signals between nerve cells and muscle cells. When this important enzyme is blocked, acetylcholine can accumulate and electrically overstimulate the predator’s muscle cells. Military “nerve gases” work exactly the same way. ![]() ![]() My First 4 Weeks on the Cambridge Diet (a review) It’s been four weeks since I started the Cambridge Diet. I’ve had lots of questions about what it entails, so I.Ok, so glycoalkaloids are clearly nightmarish compounds for the cells of tiny creatures daring to munch upon nightshade plants, but what do we know about their effects on human health? Nightshade glycoalkaloid health “benefits“Health benefits? Glycoalkaloids have been shown to reduce inflammation in laboratory animals. This is likely due to the fact that glycoalkaloids are structurally similar to compounds called glucocorticoids, which have well- known anti- inflammatory properties. Familiar examples of glucocorticoids include cortisol (our body’s natural stress hormone), and Prednisone, a commonly- prescribed anti- inflammatory medicine. It should be noted, however, that just because glycoalkaloids or glucocorticoids can reduce inflammation doesn’t mean they are always good for you. Prednisone is not something most of us should be taking every day, because it has numerous damaging side effects, and elevated levels of natural cortisol in our bodies weaken our immune system and slow our metabolism. Glycoalkaloids kill bacteria and viruses. It should also not be surprising that glycoalkaloids have been shown in laboratory studies to possess antibiotic and antiviral properties, since this is what nature designed them for. Glycoalkaloids have anti- cancer properties. In laboratory (in vitro) studies, glycoalkaloids can trigger cancer cells to self- destruct. Cancer studies in live animals and humans (in vivo) have not yet been conducted. The problem with so many anti- cancer plant compounds is that they are double- edged swords, killing both cancer cells and healthy cells alike: “. However, it is di. Therefore, both animal and human experiments are essential to con. Research has shown that glycoalkaloids can burst open the membranes of red blood cells and mitochondria (our cells’ energy generators).“Some scientists have wondered whether glycoalkaloids could be one potential cause for “leaky gut” syndromes due to their ability to poke holes in cells: “. Neurological symptoms were also reported, including apathy, restlessness, drowsiness, mental confusion, rambling, incoherence, stupor, hallucinations, dizziness, trembling, and visual disturbances.”. Symptoms began 7- 1. Of the 7. 8 boys, 1. Other symptoms included fever (8. Three boys were seriously ill with hypotension, tachycardia, and stupor out of proportion to fluid and electrolyte imbalance. These boys were discharged 6- 1. We have no documented information about how everyday consumption of nightshades affects sensitive individuals, only numerous on- line personal accounts of mental health problems such as anxiety, panic, and insomnia that were alleviated by removal of nightshades from the diet. I personally experience profound insomnia and mild panic symptoms when I eat nightshades, which makes sense because glycoalkaloids overstimulate the nervous system. If you experience anxiety or insomnia and are curious to know more about nightshades and the other foods most likely to be contributing to your symptoms, I recommend you read my Psychology Today article “5 Foods Proven to Cause Anxiety and Insomnia.”Fruits vs vegetables: here we go again! Those of you who are familiar with my philosophy about plant foods know that I believe vegetables are far less trustworthy when it comes to our health than edible fruits, and nightshades make this point nicely. Tobacco is a nightshade vegetable, but it is typically smoked, not eaten, so the only nightshade vegetable humans consume is the beloved potato. Potato Glycoalkaloids All potatoes are nightshades except for sweet potatoes and yams. Potato plants make two glycoalkaloids: alpha- chaconine and alpha- solanine. However, there are well- documented reports of people getting glycoalkaloid poisoning from potatoes, typically from eating improperly stored, green, or sprouting potatoes. At higher doses, much more serious symptoms can occur, including fever, low blood pressure, confusion, and other neurological problems. At very high doses, glycoalkaloids are fatal. Another reason why many people may not be bothered by potatoes is that glycoalkaloids are very poorly absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract, so, if you have a healthy digestive tract, most of the glycoalkaloid won’t make it into your bloodstream. Human studies show that doses as low as 1 mg glycoalkaloid per kg body weight can be toxic, and that doses as low as 3 mg/kg can be fatal. This means that, if you weigh 1. Glycoalkaloid levels of a few prepared potato products are available . Total glycoalkaloid concentrations range from 2. Fried potato skins, 4 oz: 4. Glycoalkaloid levels can be dangerously high in unripe and sprouting potatoes; any greenish areas or “eyes” should be removed or avoided. Glycoalkaloids survive most types of cooking and processing. In fact, deep frying will increase levels if the oil isn’t changed frequently, so fried products such as potato skins and french fries can contain relatively high amounts: “Mechanical damage to potato tissue increases the concentration of glycoalkaloids available for consumption. In addition, frying potatoes at high temperatures does not inactivate but instead serves to preserve and concentrate glycoalkaloids within the potato, leaving them available for ingestion and delivery to the intestine. The majority is in the form of alpha- tomatine, so we’ll focus on that one here. As tomatoes ripen, alpha- tomatine levels drop dramatically, from about 5. This doesn’t tell us how much it would take to kill a 1. Since ripe tomatoes contain 5 mg/kg or 2. Mighty Mouse (probably many fewer pounds if you were to simply hurl them in his general direction from across the room). Since green tomatoes contain 1. Eggplants produce two glycoalkaloids: alpha- solamargine and alpha- solasonine. Solamargine is more potent than solasonine. Whereas potato glycoalkaloids are located mainly in the skin, in eggplants, glycoalkaloids are found primarily within the seeds and flesh; the peel contains negligible amounts. The common eggplant (solanum melongena) contains 1. This is a very small amount, so if you react badly to peppers, you are either very sensitive, or you are responding to other compounds within the peppers, such as the notoriously hot and spicy capsaicinoids. What about Goji Berries? Your guess is as good as mine. Scientists think that nicotine is a natural plant pesticide, although it is unclear exactly how it works to protect plants from invaders. The amount of nicotine in ripe nightshade foods ranges from 2 to 7 micrograms per kg of food. Nicotine is heat- stable, therefore, it is found in prepared foods such as ketchup and French fries. The health effects of these small doses is not known, but some scientists wonder whether the nicotine content of these foods is why some people describe feeling addicted to them. In my opinion, it is more likely that the high carbohydrate content of those foods is responsible for their addictive properties. Do you have nightshade sensitivity? As with any food sensitivity, the only way to find out is to remove nightshades from your diet for a couple of weeks or so to see if you feel better. I am personally very sensitive to nightshades; they cause me a variety of symptoms, most notably heartburn, difficulty concentrating, pounding heart, muscle/nerve/joint pain, and profound insomnia. Everyone is different, so as always, you’ll need to discover for yourself whether these foods may pose problems for your individual chemistry. However, given what we know about nightshade chemicals, common sense tells us that these foods are well worth exploring as potential culprits in pain syndromes, gastrointestinal syndromes, and neurologic/psychiatric symptoms. Recommended Nightshade- Free Cookbooks. Since nightshades in various forms find their way into so many familiar dishes, it can be daunting to know where to begin when first trying to cook without them. While there are many nightshade- free cookbooks on the market, these two stand head and shoulders above the rest because they both focus on whole foods recipes free of other common food culprits. The Healing Kitchen: 1. Quick & Easy Paleo Recipes to Help You Thrive is co- authored by the fabulous Sarah Ballantyne (aka Paleo. Mom) who has an impressive Ph. D in medical biophysics. This cookbook eliminates nightshades, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, eggs, and dairy. In addition to delicious recipes, the authors do a beautiful job of explaining the science behind healthy eating, encouraging you to stay positive by focusing on what you CAN eat.
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