Here is evidence that there may be a problem with the common mushroom.
It’s a definite problem, but no one is talking about it.
And here’s how to prepare mushrooms safely.
Let me explain the whole story.
The United States EPA loves to claim that there is no cancer danger from hydrazine. However, there is literature to show hydrazine is extremely toxic even in tiny quantities.
For example, the California EPA “has calculated a chronic inhalation reference exposure level of 0.0002 milligrams per cubic meter (mg/m3) based on liver and thyroid effects in hamsters.”
That is a very tiny amount. But I’d seen that you eat or drink is already and always considered very dangerous.
Hydrazine is used in rocket fuel, and some of it leaks out into the groundwater, where it is thought to cause cancer even in very low quantities.
For instance, workers at Rocketdyne were exposed:
“MMH was found to be carcinogenic in lab animals. The workers at Rocketdyne who were exposed to hydrazine from the rocket test stands had elevated rates of dying from cancer than Rocketdyne workers with lower exposures, as found in an April 1999 UCLA study. The comprehensive report found that Rocketdyne workers who had high MMH exposures were about twice as likely as other SSFL workers to die from lung and other cancers.”
So now, it turns out that many common mushrooms have high levels of hydrazine in them.
It has been known for a long time. For example, it was studied way back in 1979:
The commonly eaten, cultivated mushroom Agaricus bisporus contains up to 0.04% beta-N-[gamma-L(+)-glutamyl]-4-hydroxymethyl phenylhydrazine and 4-hydroxymethyl phenylhydrazine.
This is not a small amount of hydrazine. If you eat a lot of mushrooms, you are going to be getting potentially cancer-causing amounts of hydrazine.
Recently, Dr. Ray Peat studied the mushroom problem and made this suggestion.
Cook mushrooms for a long time, and let the water vapor evaporate.
Most of the hydrazine will evaporate (use a ventilator when you are cooking.)
How long should be enough? Dr. Peat says about an hour of cooking.
I sauté my mushrooms first, let the water evaporate, and then cook them for a long time.
They come out tasty and delicious, and I believe that they have little or no hydrazine at this point.
You may not have to cook your mushrooms that long
Another recent study showed that you can cook the hydrazine off by heating the mushrooms and the liquid they generate, to boiling point, for at least ten minutes.
This is still considerably longer than you might otherwise be cooking your mushrooms.
And it’s probably important to let the liquid evaporate and, therefore, let the hydrazine vapors escape into the air.
Make sure you have good ventilation!
It’s not clear whether the hydrazine is actually destroyed, or simply evaporates with boiling, so it just pays to be cautious.
The toxicity of mushrooms is not surprising.
Mushrooms contain an amazing amount of compounds that are just now being researched. But in some cases, we know enough already.
Now it’s time we cook our mushrooms correctly and avoid creating a cancer risk we don’t need.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/572876/
Hydrazine
http://www3.epa.gov/airtoxics/hlthef/hydrazin.html#ref11
The Sins of Rocketdyne
http://www.enviroreporter.com/sinsofrocketdyne/all/1/
Rocketdyne Cleanup Coalition
http://www.rocketdynecleanupcoalition.org/rocketdyne/contaminants/chemical-contamination/
Quantities of agaritine in mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) and the carcinogenicity of mushroom methanol extracts on the mouse bladder epithelium
http://europepmc.org/abstract/med/2132000
One alarming but little-discussed health risk of mushrooms is their levels of hydrazine. Don’t worry, there’s no need to cut mushrooms out of your diet. It’s worth considering your preparation of them, however, to minimize your risk of consuming cancer-causing chemicals.Let’s talk about hydrazine for a moment. It’s a chemical compound that is used in rocket fuel. It often leaks out and seeps into groundwater, where it’s long caused problems. Workers at Rocketdyne, for example, were exposed. Here’s the summary of what happened:“MMH [monomethylhydrazine] was found to be carcinogenic in lab animals. The workers at Rocketdyne who were exposed to hydrazine from the rocket test stands had elevated rates of dying from cancer than Rocketdyne workers with lower exposures, as found in an April 1999 UCLA study. The comprehensive report found that Rocketdyne workers who had high MMH exposures were about twice as likely as other SSFL workers to die from lung and other cancers.”It turns out that many common, edible mushrooms contain high levels of hydrazine as well. They were even studying hydrazine levels back in the ‘70s. The study states: “The commonly eaten, cultivated mushroom… contains up to 0.04% Beta-N-[Gamma-L(+)-Glutamyl]-4-Hydroxymethyl Phenylhydrazine and 4-Hydroxymethyl Phenylhydrazine.” That’s a significant amount of hydrazine to be putting in your body.After studying this issue, Dr. Ray Peat came up with some recommendations on mushroom preparation.Use a ventilator and cook the mushrooms for up to an hour, thereby evaporating the moisture and the hydrazine contained in the mushrooms. A more recent study found that you can cook the hydrazine off by heating the mushrooms and the liquid they generate, to boiling point, for at least ten minutes.It’s a bit longer than you’re probably used to cooking mushrooms, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
2. Are mushrooms ray peat good for you?
Did you know that oftentimes, mushrooms contain a carcinogenic chemical called hydrazine?Hydrazine is chemical compound that is used in rocket fuel. It often leaks out and seeps into groundwater, where it’s long caused problems. Workers at Rocketdyne, for example, were exposed to high levels of hydrazine, and here’s what happened:“MMH [monomethylhydrazine] was found to be carcinogenic in lab animals. The workers at Rocketdyne who were exposed to hydrazine from the rocket test stands had elevated rates of dying from cancer than Rocketdyne workers with lower exposures… The comprehensive report found that Rocketdyne workers who had high MMH exposures were about twice as likely as other SSFL workers to die from lung and other cancers.”Dr. Ray Peat looked at this issue and has come up with some methods to safely cook mushrooms, in ways that will burn off the hydrazine while leaving the mushrooms edible and delicious.The primary takeaway from his findings is that you should be preparing mushrooms longer than you’re likely used to. If you use a ventilator while you cook, the hydrazine will evaporate along with the moisture from the mushrooms. Dr. Peat says an hour of cooking is safest, though it’s possible that a shorter amount of time will achieve the same result.Another recent study showed that you can cook the hydrazine off by heating the mushrooms and the liquid they generate, to boiling point, for at least ten minutes.It’s important to allow the liquid to evaporate, which will let the hydrazine vapors escape into the air.Good ventilation is key.It’s not clear whether the hydrazine is destroyed in this process, or simply evaporates with the boiling.It’s not surprising that mushrooms can contain harmful chemicals. They are enormously complex organisms, and scientists are still discovering nuances of their biological makeup.