Graain was very subject to rotting in the middle ages and before. One of the main problems was ergot - a fungus that had a deadly payload of ergotamines etc, LSD is in there as well. It is a potent cancer causer. A huge % of grain from Roman times on was affected by ergot.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergot
"We thus carried on a statistical analysis based on historical data on Popes and on male Italian artists who lived between 1200 and 1900. We choose the 13th to 19th century period because the 13th century marks the beginning of artistical activity and the 19th century roughly marks the end of the pre-antibiotic era. [...] We found and analysed relevant information on 80 out of 81 Popes (the date of birth of Celestino IV is unknown) elected between 1200 and who died as of 1900 (actually, 1903 —when Pope Leone XIII died), and on 426 male artists selected according to the above mentioned criteria.
Between 1200–1599 and 1600–1900, the median age of Popes at starting pontificate increased from 60.0 to 65.5 years, while the median duration of pontificate raised from 6.5 to 11.0 years, respectively. The median age at death of both groups increased in the study period, from 66 to 77 years for Popes, and from 63 to 70 years for artists."
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[ 6.0 ms ] story [ 15.6 ms ] threadBetween 1200–1599 and 1600–1900, the median age of Popes at starting pontificate increased from 60.0 to 65.5 years, while the median duration of pontificate raised from 6.5 to 11.0 years, respectively. The median age at death of both groups increased in the study period, from 66 to 77 years for Popes, and from 63 to 70 years for artists."