We had a new granddaughter arrive recently, and automatically my wife offered the standard French advice to refrain from giving her any honey-based drinks for at least a year. Then it occurred to me that I do not know the reason for this common warning, so it was worth investigating.
It turns out it involves the most toxic poison known to humans, Botulinum Type H (BTX-H), which needs a dose of only two nanograms or less per kilo of body weight to be lethal – this is known as the Lethal Dose (LD). By contrast, the very lethal poison batrachotoxin, commonly known as curare, has a LD of two micrograms, 1,000 times less powerful by volume than botulinum H toxin.
Honey can be dangerous to babies under one. Photo: Harsha K R/Flickr
And the reason why babies should not be given honey is because spores of clostridium botulinum bacteria are not infrequently found in honey. The digestive systems of very young babies are not able to kill such bacteria in their stomachs until they are over a year old. Left to breed, clostridium botulinum will produce enough botulinum toxin (BTX) to provoke health issues quickly.
Note that BTX is the cause of botulism, not the bacteria. The bacteria are widespread in the environment and many food products – it is impossible to avoid over a normal lifetime.
However, people normally do not get infected because the bacteria cannot survive exposure to oxygen or highly acidic conditions (pH 4.6) – regular stomach acid (pH between 1.5-3.5) will destroy any ingested bacteria. But BTX is unaffected by stomach acid and needs heat treatment at temperatures of 85°C or more for five minutes to deactivate the toxin. The bacteria can also enter the bloodstream via wounds, and then propagate.
There are several varieties of BTX which are classified as Types A through H, though most are not as lethal as Type H. The cosmetic treatment botox, for example, is based on BTX A or B.
There are several varieties of BTX which are classified as Types A through H, though most are not as lethal as Type H. The cosmetic treatment botox, for example, is based on BTX A or B.
All types of BTX profoundly affect the function of an important neurotransmitter called acetylcholine – this disrupts normal nerve signalling and causes muscle paralysis. Therefore botox treatments work by relaxing muscles on the face and reducing the effect of wrinkly skin.
The good news is antidotes exist for most types of BTX poisoning, provided treatment is received in time (although they can have side-effects) – however, this does not apply for BTX-H because it is highly unlikely to be survivable.
The good news is antidotes exist for most types of BTX poisoning, provided treatment is received in time (although they can have side-effects) – however, this does not apply for BTX-H because it is highly unlikely to be survivable.
This article is extracted from:-
Curious Cook: Pesticides and other thoughts - MUST READ