Methanol or methyl alcohol is the simplest of the alcohols and was originally called wood alcohol because it was obtained by heating up wood in a closed container. In most fruits and vegetables, methanol is found attached to pectin molecules which are part of the soluble fiber family. This form of bound methanol is safe but, as the fruits and vegetables begin to deteriorate, the methanol is released and can be hazardous to our health. In animals, methanol is rapidly degraded to formic acid in cellular organelles known as peroxisomes. Humans have peroxisomes also but they are incapable of degrading methanol and so the alcohol is released into the circulation. There is an enzyme present in the lining of the blood vessels that degrades methanol initially to formaldehyde which is highly toxic. Perfusion of the tissues with formaldehyde is extremely dangerous. Methanol ingestion is known to be a major risk factor for multiple sclerosis, an incurable autoimmune disease in which the insulating sheaths around nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord are damaged.
Professor Woodrow (Woody) Monte of the University of Arizona is an authority on the dangers of methanol ingestion and has published a list of ways in which we can minimize our exposure, http://www.whilesciencesleeps.com/monte-diet/ . He has ranked these items with the most dangerous first.
Avoid
1. Smoking tobacco.
2. Diet foods and drinks containing aspartame, also known as NutraSweet® and Equal®
3. Fruit and vegetable products and their juices in bottles, cans, or pouches.
4. Jellies, jams, and marmalades not made fresh and kept refrigerated.
5. Black currant and tomato juice products, fresh or processed.
6. Tomato sauces, unless first simmered at least 3 hours with an open lid.
7. Smoked food of any kind, particularly fish and meat.
8. Sugar-free chewing gum.
9. Slivovitz and Schnapps: You can consume one alcoholic drink a day on this diet—no more!
10. Overly ripe or near rotting fruits or vegetables.
© Dr. Chris Jones, M.Sc., Ph.D.
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