Scientists have found a way to reduce the harm of a fungus that "eats" joints

Researchers at Sechenov University, together with colleagues from China, Brazil and the United States, analyzed laboratory data on mycotoxin T-2, which is produced by the Fusarium fungus. Fungi infect crops with improper storage and high humidity, and they can enter the human body through bread and other foods. The released T-2 toxin destroys cartilage tissue, which may be directly related to the development of Kashin-Beck disease, a severe arthropathy characteristic of regions with selenium—deficient soil and infected grain.

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According to scientists, the study showed that selenium deficiency can exacerbate negative consequences, so it makes sense to add supplements enriched with this trace element to the food of people from endemic regions.

"Normalization of the body's selenium supply can prevent the development of diseases caused by exposure to T-2 toxin. Selenium enrichment in the diet of people living in selenium-deficient regions, as well as in regions with combined selenium deficiency and high levels of T-2 toxin, can be considered as an effective preventive measure," explained Alexey Tinkov, MD, Chief Researcher at the Laboratory of Molecular Dietetics, Izvestia.

Kashin-Bek disease is noted in Transbaikalia, Chita and Irkutsk regions, Buryatia, Northwestern regions, including Murmansk, Leningrad, Arkhangelsk regions, as well as in Novgorod, Vologda, Yaroslavl, Ivanovo, Tver and Moscow regions, in the Far East, Associate professor of the Department of Medical Elementology RUDN Andrei Skalny told Izvestia.