I got a mail just today, and it was telling of a case where a woman died after eating, with bleeding on the cavities, blah, blah, blah. And after autopsy, the medico-legal proclaimed: DEATH DUE TO IGNORANCE!
And it was stated that she ate prawns/shrimps, while taking in vitamin C. And this (deadly) combination, according to the medico-legal, resulted to arsenic poisoing when they mixed and combined in the stomach! It is like saying that "she ate herself to death."
The verdict? This is a HOAX!
Primarily, Arsenic is not a compound; it is an ELEMENT by itself. Therefore, if it is an element, it exists by itself, and only the amount that you ingest will determine whether or not it is poisonous. Well, there are so many poisonous or hazardous materials and minerals that we ingest everyday, we actually "eat them", as they are part and parcel of the food that we eat, but we don't pay them any attention. We simply eat, and tomorrow, we diet! If we diet, then it carries that we live the next day, isn't it???
So arsenic is NOT FORMED by combining Vitamin C and prawn/shrimp. It comes by its own, and doesn't need the help of anything else to make it the poison that it is. And it has to come in the right amount to kill you!
See this site about Arsenic and Arsenic Compounds, a very exhaustive and informative explanation indeed.
The snopes site offers also some very good debunking explanation. See it here. It was indicated to have started back in May 2001. 8th year anniversary 'renewal', eh?
The e-mail is below, just in case you want to see it for yourself.
Taiwan
教授仔細地察看了死者胃中取物，不到半個小時，暴斃之謎便?揭曉。教授?說：「死?者並非自殺，亦不是被殺，而是死於無知的『它殺』」！?The professor carefully looked at?the contents from the decease's stomach, in less than half an hour, the?mystery was solved. The professor said: 'The deceased did not commit suicide and?neither was she?murdered, she died of accidental death due to?ignorance!'?
?大家莫名其妙，何為『它殺』！？那砒霜又是從?韟茖荂?H? ?教授?說：「砒霜是在死者?腹?內?產生的。」死者生前每天也會服食「維他命?C?」，這完全沒有問題！問題出在她?晚?餐吃了大量的蝦，吃蝦本身也是沒有問題的，所以她的家人吃了都沒有事，但死者卻同時服用了「維他命?C?」，問題就出在這裡?!?
Everyone was puzzled, why accidental death? The arsenic is?of theU.S.
美國芝加哥大學的研究人員，通過實驗發現，蝦等軟殼類食物含有大量濃度較高的?－五鉀砷化合物。
Researchers at theUniversity of Chicago in the United States
?這種物質食入體?內，本身對人體並無毒害作用！但是，在服用「維生素?C?」之後，由於化學作用，使原來無毒的－五鉀砷?(?即砷酸酐，亦稱五氧化砷，其化學式為?As205)?，轉變為有毒的三鉀砷?(?即亞砷酸?酐?)?，又稱為三氧化二砷，其化學式為?(As203)?，這就 是人們俗稱的砒霜?!?
Such fresh food?by itself has no toxic effects on the human body! However, in taking 'vitamin C', due to the chemical reaction, the original non-toxic - five potassium arsenic (As anhydride, also known as arsenic oxide, the chemical formula for As205) changed to a three potassium toxic arsenic (ADB arsenic anhydride), also known as arsenic trioxide, a chemical formula (As203), which is commonly known as?arsenic to the public!
?砒霜有原漿毒作用，能麻痺細血管，抑制?巰基梅的活性，並使肝臟脂變肝小葉中心壞死，心、肝、腎、腸充血，上皮細胞壞死，毛細血管擴張。故中其毒而死者，常是?七竅出血。?
?所以；為慎重起見，在服用「維生素?C?」期間，應當忌食蝦類。?
Arsenic poisoning have magma role and can cause paralysis to the small blood vessels, "mercapto Jimei"??, inhibits the activity of the liver and fat necrosis change Hepatic Lobules Centre, heart, liver, kidney, intestine congestion, epithelial cell necrosis, telangiectasia. Therefore, a person who dies of arsenic poisoning will shows signs of bleeding from the ears, nose, mouth & eyes.?
Therefore; as a precautionary measure,
DO NOT not take shrimp/prawn when taking?'vitamin C'.
看完後；請不要吝嗇的轉寄給您的親朋好友吧?!!
After reading this; please do not be stingy. Forward to your friends and family!!
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And it was stated that she ate prawns/shrimps, while taking in vitamin C. And this (deadly) combination, according to the medico-legal, resulted to arsenic poisoing when they mixed and combined in the stomach! It is like saying that "she ate herself to death."
The verdict? This is a HOAX!
Primarily, Arsenic is not a compound; it is an ELEMENT by itself. Therefore, if it is an element, it exists by itself, and only the amount that you ingest will determine whether or not it is poisonous. Well, there are so many poisonous or hazardous materials and minerals that we ingest everyday, we actually "eat them", as they are part and parcel of the food that we eat, but we don't pay them any attention. We simply eat, and tomorrow, we diet! If we diet, then it carries that we live the next day, isn't it???
So arsenic is NOT FORMED by combining Vitamin C and prawn/shrimp. It comes by its own, and doesn't need the help of anything else to make it the poison that it is. And it has to come in the right amount to kill you!
See this site about Arsenic and Arsenic Compounds, a very exhaustive and informative explanation indeed.
The snopes site offers also some very good debunking explanation. See it here. It was indicated to have started back in May 2001. 8th year anniversary 'renewal', eh?
The e-mail is below, just in case you want to see it for yourself.
----------
台灣，一名女人突然無緣無故的七孔流血暴斃，一夜之間，就奔赴黃泉大家下回可要多多注意囉！經過初步驗屍?.?斷定為因砒霜中毒而死亡。那砒霜從何而來？
教授仔細地察看了死者胃中取物，不到半個小時，暴斃之謎便?揭曉。教授?說：「死?者並非自殺，亦不是被殺，而是死於無知的『它殺』」！?The professor carefully looked at?the contents from the decease's stomach, in less than half an hour, the?mystery was solved. The professor said: 'The deceased did not commit suicide and?neither was she?murdered, she died of accidental death due to?ignorance!'?
?大家莫名其妙，何為『它殺』！？那砒霜又是從?韟茖荂?H? ?教授?說：「砒霜是在死者?腹?內?產生的。」死者生前每天也會服食「維他命?C?」，這完全沒有問題！問題出在她?晚?餐吃了大量的蝦，吃蝦本身也是沒有問題的，所以她的家人吃了都沒有事，但死者卻同時服用了「維他命?C?」，問題就出在這裡?!?
Everyone was puzzled, why accidental death? The arsenic is?of the
美國芝加哥大學的研究人員，通過實驗發現，蝦等軟殼類食物含有大量濃度較高的?－五鉀砷化合物。
Researchers at the
?這種物質食入體?內，本身對人體並無毒害作用！但是，在服用「維生素?C?」之後，由於化學作用，使原來無毒的－五鉀砷?(?即砷酸酐，亦稱五氧化砷，其化學式為?As205)?，轉變為有毒的三鉀砷?(?即亞砷酸?酐?)?，又稱為三氧化二砷，其化學式為?(As203)?，這就 是人們俗稱的砒霜?!?
Such fresh food?by itself has no toxic effects on the human body! However, in taking 'vitamin C', due to the chemical reaction, the original non-toxic - five potassium arsenic (As anhydride, also known as arsenic oxide, the chemical formula for As205) changed to a three potassium toxic arsenic (ADB arsenic anhydride), also known as arsenic trioxide, a chemical formula (As203), which is commonly known as?arsenic to the public!
?砒霜有原漿毒作用，能麻痺細血管，抑制?巰基梅的活性，並使肝臟脂變肝小葉中心壞死，心、肝、腎、腸充血，上皮細胞壞死，毛細血管擴張。故中其毒而死者，常是?七竅出血。?
?所以；為慎重起見，在服用「維生素?C?」期間，應當忌食蝦類。?
Arsenic poisoning have magma role and can cause paralysis to the small blood vessels, "mercapto Jimei"??, inhibits the activity of the liver and fat necrosis change Hepatic Lobules Centre, heart, liver, kidney, intestine congestion, epithelial cell necrosis, telangiectasia. Therefore, a person who dies of arsenic poisoning will shows signs of bleeding from the ears, nose, mouth & eyes.?
Therefore; as a precautionary measure,
DO NOT not take shrimp/prawn when taking?'vitamin C'.
看完後；請不要吝嗇的轉寄給您的親朋好友吧?!!
After reading this; please do not be stingy. Forward to your friends and family!!
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Shrimp, Vitamin C & Arsenic poisoning
ReplyDeleteMarine organisms normally contain arsenic residues ranging from < 1 to more than 100 mg/kg, predominantly as organic arsenic species such as arsenosugars (macroalgae) and arsenobetaine (invertebrates and fish). Bioaccumulation of organic arsenic compounds, after their biogenesis from inorganic forms, occurs in aquatic organisms. Bioconcentration factors in freshwater invertebrates and fish for arsenic compounds are lower than for marine organisms. Biomagnification in aquatic food chains has not been observed. Background arsenic concentrations in freshwater and terrestrial biota are usually less than 1 mg/kg (fresh weight).
With the exception of fish, most foods contain less than 0.25 µg/g arsenic. Many species of fish contain between 1 and 10 µg/g. Arsenic levels at or above 100 µg/g have been found in bottom feeders and shellfish. Both lipid- and water-soluble organoarsenic compounds have been found but the water-soluble forms constitute the larger portion of the total arsenic content. The nature of these compounds has been shown to be mainly of the quaternary arsonium type. As was mentioned above, arsenobetaine is believed to be the most predominant species, but recent Canadian results demonstrated a higher level of arsenocholine than arsenobetaine in shrimps.
Vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid or L-ascorbate is an essential nutrient for humans and certain other animal species. In living organisms ascorbate acts as an antioxidant by protecting the body against oxidative stress. It is also a cofactor in at least eight enzymatic reactions including several collagen synthesis reactions that, when dysfunctional, cause the most severe symptoms of scurvy. In animals these reactions are especially important in wound-healing and in preventing bleeding from capillaries.
Ascorbate (an ion of ascorbic acid) is required for a range of essential metabolic reactions in all animals and plants. It is made internally by almost all organisms although notable mammalian group exceptions are most or all of the order chiroptera (bats), guinea pigs, capybaras, and one of the two major primate suborders, the Anthropoidea (Haplorrhini) (tarsiers, monkeys and apes, including human beings). Ascorbic acid is also not synthesized by some species of birds and fish. All species that do not synthesize ascorbate require it in the diet. Deficiency in this vitamin causes the disease scurvy in humans. It is also widely used as a food additive.
Although there is no compelling evidence that vitamin C has antitumor activity in humans, clinical trials are testing the hypothesis that ascorbic acid will enhance the efficacy of arsenic trioxide (As2O3) in myeloma. In vitro, ascorbic acid cytotoxicity depends on its interaction with free transition metal ions in culture media leading to the generation of H2O2 and other reactive oxygen species. To circumvent the extracellular in vitro pro-oxidant effects of ascorbic acid, HL60, U266, and RPMI-8226 cells are loaded with vitamin C by incubation with dehydroascorbic acid. Loading cells in this manner resulted in prominent, dose-dependent protection of As2O3-treated cells as measured by viability, colony formation, and apoptosis assays. Glutathione depletion enhanced cell sensitivity to the cytotoxic effects of As2O3 and vitamin C loading provided protection. Ascorbic acid was found to generate cytotoxic concentrations of H2O2 in culture medium without cells and copper/iron chelators inhibited this reaction. However, ascorbic acid did not generate H2O2 in simple buffer or human plasma. Direct incubation with ascorbic acid resulted in increased intracellular reactive oxygen species , whereas dehydroascorbic acid incubation decreased it. These results clarify an apparent paradox and indicate that vitamin C loading in HL60, U266, and RPMI-8226 cells ameliorates As2O3 cytotoxicity.
Nalliah Thayabharan
Soft-shelled foods like shrimp/prawn contains 5 potassium arsenic compounds.Arsenic (in the shrimp) itself is a non-toxic element BUT will change to toxic element when mixed with Vitamin C..The article doesn't say the Arsenic was FORMED through combination of shrimp and Vitamin C BUT rather it produced a toxic element due to the chemical reaction of Vitamin C and the Arsenic compound in the shrimp..thus the poisoning.
ReplyDeleteI have heard a testimony of my relative who took Fern-C (a vitamin C) and ate a small amount of shrimp, day before Sunday and didn't feel ok after. She had fever Sunday and thought she could not go to church. She prayed and soon learned that it is dangerous to combine the 2..She ate only a small amount. How much more when you eat large amounts of them while taking Vitamin C? I guess you'll have to know for yourself...?
ReplyDeleteFYI:arsenic poisoning does not cause fevers.
Delete