Diet

What happens when you eat mold?

General

Molds are generally specific Types of mushroomswhich can reproduce particularly well on the basis of various foods. But mold also occurs on house walls or in nature.
There are many different types of mold that can reproduce well on a variety of foods. In addition to the mold, which is undesirable and on the Food spoilage indicates, there are also types of mold which are responsible for the Food processinghow certain types of cheese or sausage are used. Above all, the type of mold is important for differentiating whether eating mold is questionable or harmless.

A number of molds produce certain poisons (Mycotoxins), which represent a health hazard. Health damage can be assumed, especially with long-term or one-off high consumption of these toxins.
For this reason, most mold-infested foods should be thrown away. This applies in particular to foods with a high water content, as molds can multiply there, invisibly to humans.
Only with some products, such as hard cheese blocks or jams with a high sugar content, is it sufficient to remove the mold over a large area.

Symptoms

Usually this causes accidental eating small amounts of food contaminated with mold no complaints. Immediately after consumption it can lead to gastrointestinal complaints such as nausea or Vomit come.
In the case of a larger or longer-term consumption of foods that contain mold, damage to health can arise, which can be reflected in different symptoms.

The toxins that the mold produces attack certain organ systems and can cause complaints liver or the kidney cause. Also the emergence of Tumors can be promoted by the consumption of mold.
It is also known that damage to the Immune system can take place.

For pregnant Women It is also important to know that eating mold can be detrimental to child development.
Also Allergies can occur from eating mold.

causes

Molds feed on the Components of food, which is why food is a popular habitat for mold. Almost all foods provide one possible breeding ground for mold and so, depending on the product and storage, may show mold after a while.
Nice few mold spores can be sufficient to find a larger growth of mold on the product after a while.

Molds multiply particularly well in humid and warm climate. Food with a high water content is particularly susceptible to mold growth. The temperature in the refrigerator does not protect against the growth of mold.

What happens if you eat moldy bread?

Because of its grain content, bread is particularly susceptible to mold. However, this occurs less quickly in dry storage.

Bread is one of the foods that especially often are affected by mold. Molds multiply very well on cereals under ideal conditions, as are usually found with bread in the household. At what point in time after the production of bread mold appears on bread depends on the Storage and humidity of the bread.
As soon as mold is noticed on the bread, it should be disposed of. It cannot be found out whether the mold is exclusively on the surface or already in the entire interior of the bread. Even if the inside of the bread doesn't look noticeable, it can be infected with mold. Eating a moldy bread can be affected by the contained in it Toxins of the fungus can be harmful to health.

What Happens If You Eat Moldy Toast?

Mold develops relatively quickly on toast, as the light-colored cereal flour forms a good breeding ground for the mold. In addition, the high proportion of water in the toasted bread promotes the growth of mold.

Basically, it is not dangerous for a healthy person with a healthy immune system to eat moldy toast. At least not when it comes to exceptions. If you have eaten a slice of toast and only then found out that the toast was moldy, no special measures need to be taken. As a rule, there is at most a slight grumble in the stomach, in the worst case scenario nausea and Vomit. But this is very rare.

If large amounts of moldy toast are consumed over a long period of time or once, this can have long-term consequences for the liver and kidneys, as these organs break down the toxins that are produced by the mold.

What happens if you eat moldy cheese?

In the case of mold that grows on cheese, a distinction must be made between the different types of mold. Some types of cheese show you intentional mold growth which is used to refine the product. These cheeses include, for example, the so-called Blue cheese or camembert. The mold that is already on the cheese with these types of cheese when you buy the product is harmless and can be eaten.

The situation is different with cheeses that have not undergone any refinement by special molds. Moist cheeses like Fresh or processed cheese should if there is mold generally disposed of become. The same applies grated hard cheese or cheese slices.
It is different with hard cheese in one piece. If this is infected with mold, it is possible to remove it over a large area. The rest of the cheese should be checked for mold, but is usually still edible and there is no risk of damage to health.

What happens if you inhale mold spores?

In general, brief inhalation of mold spores is not dangerous for a healthy person. If a person with a corresponding predisposition inhales mold spores over a long period of time, this can result in a allergy develop. This is often with one bronchial asthma socialized. The mold allergy is going through difficulty breathing and to cough noticeable.

In people who have impaired immune system function, repeated inhalation of mold spores can lead to pneumonia. One speaks of a so-called Aspergillus pneumonia. This affects people who have had an organ transplant or chemotherapy and people who have an immunodeficiency due to diseases such as AIDS.

What happens when you drink mold?

Mold is often drunk along with it when it has formed on drinks that are packaged in an opaque tetrapack. Apple juice and other fruit juices in particular are very susceptible to this if they stand for a few days after opening. Basically, there is no harm in taking a few sips of a moldy beverage while your immune system is intact. It can happen in some people too slight gastrointestinal complaints up to nausea and Vomit to lead.

However, if it is not an isolated case, but more frequent consumption of moldy beverages and food, the secreted toxins may accumulate and the body has to break them down. This can permanently damage the liver and kidneys. In people with a weakened immune system, just like eating mold, drinking mold can lead to organ damage, as the fungal toxins cannot be fought by the body.

How dangerous is mold in pregnancy?

Especially in the case of an existing pregnancy, the woman should take care not to be exposed to mold. She should not breathe mold, eat or drink mold. Possible poisoning or illnesses that could be caused by mold could pass onto the unborn child and cause damage. In addition, the treatment of the pregnant woman is more difficult than that of a non-pregnant woman, since only a few drugs are approved during pregnancy.

Although there are no studies that prove that after eating mold, the toxins of the molds pass onto the embryo and damage it, it cannot be ruled out either. Therefore, the pregnant woman should be particularly careful when choosing her food and make sure that it is not moldy. As a precaution, the food should be avoided even if there is little mold growth. The “noble mold” on some types of cheese, which is generally not harmful to health, should also be avoided during pregnancy. However, this is not due to the effect of the mold itself, but to the risk of infection with certain bacteria, the Listeria.

therapy

Eating only small amounts of food that is infected with mold will usually no therapy needed. In this case, after a while, the mold will become in Intestines excreted with the rest of the stool.

Therapy is necessary when a large quantity was consumed on mold or through a longer time happens. At a acute poisoning with mushroom poisons should Charcoal tablets which can reduce the consequences of such poisoning.
There is also the possibility of an enema to prevent the toxins from being absorbed from the intestines. Medicines for gastrointestinal symptoms can be prescribed.

In order to prevent negative consequential damage and to be able to detect it, the blood values respectively. In particular, the control of the Liver values is of importance in the case of intoxication with mold.

diagnosis

The diagnosis of the consumption of mold is usually made by a thorough medical history. Do symptoms occur Food poisoning the person concerned should remember which food was last eaten.
If it is no longer possible to find out what is underlying the symptoms, a Gastroscopy the cause can be recorded. Since most food poisoning is treated in a very similar way, it is not always necessary to find an exact reason for the symptoms before starting therapy.

forecast

The individual prognosis after eating mold depends on various factors. Especially those Type of mushroom as well as the Amount and duration of intake decide on the prognosis in each individual case.
Small amounts of mold are common no cause for concern represent.
However, if symptoms are noticed or large amounts of mold have been eaten, an early visit to a doctor is crucial for the individual prognosis.
If poisoning has occurred, which results in complications such as organ damage, the prognosis can be very poor. This is especially true when it comes to Tumors and Liver or kidney damage.

prophylaxis

In general, most foods are mold-infected disposed of should be to avoid damage to health. The large-scale cutting out of mold with the actual removal of all traces of mold and toxins is only possible in individual cases.
From a temperature of -18 ° C the growth of mold can usually be stopped. This means that food in a freezer compartment is usually spared the development of mold and can be enjoyed for longer.
To delay the development of mold, a clean and dry storage of the food.