Persorption, as defined by Volkheimer, is the phenomenon of the passage of large, undigested food particles through the epithelial layer of the intestines into the bloodstream. In his studies during the 1960s and 1970s, Volkheimer demonstrated how undigested corn/wheat/rice/oat/banana/potato starch, cellulose and iron particles, charcoal, pollen, spores, polyvinyl and plastic globules ranging from 5-100 microns in size crossed the lining of the intestines into the subepithelial layer. After his laboratory animals were killed, examinations showed starch granules in the blood, lymph, bile, and cerebrospinal fluid. The examples below show the initial sharp rise in starch granule concentration in the blood within the first 10 minutes (sometimes an hour) of ingestion, after which it steadily drops. Volkheimer concluded that the large, solid particles are kneaded with constant regularity from the intestinal lumen by a mechanical process and a few minutes later appear in the venous blood. Only a few starch granules could be detected after 8 hours; complete clearance could be observed in 3 days.
Unfortunately, starch granules aren’t the only particles capable of persorption. Dogs who were fed iron powder (8-62 microns in size) were examined 120 minutes after being sacrificed. The metallic iron particles could be found in the venous blood, in the portal vein blood, in the lymph from the thoracic duct, in the bile, in the urine, and the cerebrospinal fluid. I think a very similar thing happens when people eat iron-fortified cereals and flour-based pastries. Silicate crystals, cellulose fibers, and powdered rabbit hair met a similar fate.
Volkheimer also experimented with pregnant mothers, feeding them unripe bananas, potatoes, and wheat starch and checking the number of granules in the maternal venous and cord blood. He found it striking that that the cord blood consistently concentrated more of the granules than the mother’s. In lactating women, the elimination of the starch granules through breast milk was also observed after an oral administration of starch. The elimination was seen within a few minutes after ingestion; a maximum was reached within 12-15 min. It is wise to always cook starch until complete gelatinization, but I think this becomes especially important during pregnancy.
One of the more overlooked aspects of his work is the interaction of various drugs on the rate of persorption. Neostigmine, caffeine, and nicotine increase the rate; atropine, barbituric acid, and detergents decrease it. Volkheimer found that cigarette smoking increased the rate of persorption on average by 30%.
“The assumption that mechanical factors are responsible for the “kneading” of particles through the epithelial cell layer finds support in the observation that the rate of persorption is affected by changes in the movements of the villi brought about by drugs. When the movements of the villi are stimulated by neostigmine or caffeine, the rate of persorption increases, but when it is slowed down by atropine or barbituric acid, the rate decreases. In the case of caffeine, there is also the possibility that the increase in the rate of persorption is potentiated by the intensification of vascular pulsation induced by this substance.” - Gerhard Volkheimer
There are of course ways (phagocytosis, enzymatic breakdown) that the body breaks down and eliminates (through urine and breastmilk) the persorbed particles, the question is I think what the extent of damage is before they are eliminated, especially if this phenomenon spans across the lifespan of an organism. Volkheimer observed that many particles, including larger ones, reached pulmonary circulation, and brought about temporary embolism of hepatic vessels. A second look may be in order for the rather popular combination of coffee, nicotine, and a starchy snack if longevity is at least a goal in the periphery.
As a closing remark, home-baked cookies made by mothers and grandmothers don’t adhere to the rules of gastroenterology, you must eat. Merry Christmas.
References
Volkheimer, G., Schulz, F. H., Aurich, I., Strauch, S., Beuthin, K., & Wendlandt, H. (1968). Persorption of Particles. Digestion, 1(2), 78–80. doi:10.1159/000196836
Volkheimer, G., & Schulz, F. H. (1968). The Phenomenon of Persorption. Digestion, 1(4), 213–218. doi:10.1159/000196856
Volkheimer, G., Schulz, F. H., Lindenau, A., & Beitz, U. (1969). Persorption of metallic iron particles. Gut, 10(1), 32–33. doi:10.1136/gut.10.1.32
Volkheimer, G., Schulz, F. H., John, H., Meier zu Eisen, J., & Niederkorn, K. (1969). Persorbed Food Particles in the Blood of New-borns. Gynecologic and Obstetric Investigation, 168(2), 86–92. doi:10.1159/000302071
Volkheimer, G., Schulz, F. H., Hofmann, I., Pieser, J., Rack, O., Reichelt, G., … Weiss, B. (1968). The Effect of Drugs on the Rate of Persorption. Pharmacology, 1(1), 8–14. doi:10.1159/000135938
Volkheimer, G. (1974). Passage of particles through the wall of the gastrointestinal tract. Environmental Health Perspectives, 9, 215–225. doi:10.1289/ehp.749215
Volkheimer, G. (1977). Persorption of Particles: Physiology and Pharmacology. Advances in Pharmacology, 163–187. doi:10.1016/s1054-3589(08)60188-x
Fantastic article, you are doing such great work showing the world where Peat drew his ideas from.
Thank you for this. Someone had already pointed me to your writings on Volkheimer, and it's good to see it well explained in here.
I have two questions: is the harm that big regarding starch? And, would it be safer to eat the starch with saturated fat?