Coon J M
J Am Diet Assoc. 1975 Sep;67(3):213-8.
Food constitutes the most complex part of our chemical environment. Naturally occurring substances in food, such as goitrogens and estrogens, are toxicants. However, there is a difference of degree between toxicity and hazard, and the hazard to man in normal good health from naturally occurring toxicants in food is usually slight, because of (a) the small concentrations and (b) antagonistic interactions between toxicants which provide "safety in numbers." Hazard from foods may indeed exist under some circumstances, such as the presence of abnormal contaminants, ingestion of abnormal amounts, or abnormal susceptibility existing in some disease states. However, the major hazards of the dinner table can ordinarily be ascribed to careless food handling, unbalanced or fad diets, or overeating.
食物是我们化学环境中最复杂的部分。食物中的天然物质，如致甲状腺肿物质和雌激素，都是有毒物质。然而，毒性和危害程度有所不同，对于健康状况良好的正常人来说，食物中天然有毒物质造成的危害通常较小，原因如下：(a) 浓度较低；(b) 有毒物质之间的拮抗作用提供了 “数量上的安全”。在某些情况下，食物确实可能存在危害，例如存在异常污染物、摄入过量或某些疾病状态下存在异常易感性。然而，餐桌上的主要危害通常可归因于粗心的食物处理、不均衡或时尚饮食，或暴饮暴食。
