MRT Test Results Are In

[Joefnh]

Well the results are in, I was surprised that I had so many highly reactive foods being on these immune suppressants for all this time.

My list I thought I would react to is:

Soy
Gluten
Onions
Lentils
Dairy

The MRT list of my highly reactive food is:

Cantaloupe
Cucumber
Sweet Potato
Dairy (Milk, Cheddar Cheese, Cottage Cheese)
Rice ?? This is interesting as I eat rice every day and it at least does not cause D
Mustard
Tilapia
Egg
Cola Nut
Soy


Now whats interesting is that I know I react to the following ingredients and these are not on the list

Onions
Gluten

It was interesting it picked up the cola nut as I cannot drink coca cola which I always thought as odd

Mary Beth or others what is the best way to explain that wheat is not on the list? It always causes D. Additionally why is rice on the list and that appears to settle fine?

Here is the reactivity section on the report








--Joe

[Pat]

Joe,

I don't have the answers for you but I do want to say that I don't feel so alone now. It's hard living without all the grains. Rice was a big part of my life too until last summer when I happened to figure it out for myself. The leap test just confirmed my suspicions.

Pat

[MBombardier]

Wow, i hope i can get this testing done sometime, that I don't have major stuff going on with my immunoglobins that would nix it. Very interesting, Joe!

Obviously showing my ignorance here--I thought that Crohn's was more related to yeast, yet you are apparently okay with both kinds of yeast (that I recognize) being tested.

[Gloria]

Joe,

Your results are very interesting and probably not what you expected. You have several foods which tested well into the red area (14 compared to my 8). I notice that the only meat that is non-reactive is beef. Another surprise - eggs are highly reactive. I can't find your Enterolab test results, but I recall that eggs are a mainstay of your diet. You're right at the borderline with bananas. That trip to Australia is sounding a little more challenging right now.

Mary Beth or others what is the best way to explain that wheat is not on the list? It always causes D.

The MRT test doesn't test for gluten intolerance. My test showed I was non-reactive to several gluten-containing grains, but I know better. I agree with the MRT explanation:

Degrees of reactivity may not in all cases correlate with presence or level of clinical sensitivity to the food. Strongly positive results have been found to correlate with food reactivity.

I'm not sure what happened with the rice. My experience is that the reactive test results are highly accurate. I'm wondering if Entocort, and now Imuran, have suppressed your reaction to rice. I don't remember if you had tried to reduce your Entocort dosage prior to switching to Imuran.

It's interesting that in spite of your eating several of your reactive foods, your colonoscopy still showed a 25% reduction in your lymphocytes at your last colonoscopy (as far as I recall).

Your case is indeed a mystery.

What do you plan to do now that you have the results? Are you working with a dietician?

Gloria

[tex]

Hmmmmmmm. I notice that tyramine is a big no-no, (and acetaminophen). That implies that all dried foods, whether meats, fruits, or whatever, are off limits. I assume you're aware that a sensitivity to tyramine tends to stimulate the release of excessive amounts of histamine from mast cells.

Tex

[Joefnh]

Marliss, I am not sure of any link to yeast with Crohns, but there may be.

Gloria, I have not taken the Enterolab tests. Along with the Crohns jejunum, I have collagenous colitis not lymphocitic colitis, therefore no lymphocytes involved. There was a reduction in the collagen band thickness on average. I should note my GI did say that I had a fairly thick layer compared to most with CC. The standard definition was a layer greater than I believe 7um was the minimum for a Dx for CC, I had an average of about 52um. It did show a reduction of about 25% after 6 months on a GF/SF/DF diet with 9mg / day of Entocort.

We did try to reduce the Entocort twice and each time the D quickly returned. After those attempts and when transitioning to the Imuran, I slowly tapered off the Entocort while the Imuran was slowly increased.

Eggs really are not a mainstay, but I do eat them from time to time, just rarely. Mostly its been bananas, rice, white potatoes, chicken, lamb, beef, salmon and a few well cooked veggies.

Gloria the only highly reactive food I have been eating is the white rice. I believe everything else is not too bad. The moderately reactive foods that I eat are basically the meats. The chicken would be the main meat with salmon (which is a low reactive food) and then lamb (medium reactive) making up most of my meals

I am working with Deb Kongle a local nutritionist that Mary Beth recommended. My goal is to stabilize the existing diet prior to the trip to Oz in April. I will start the LEAP diet process after the trip in early May and hopefully work out the details prior to the move this summer. I have checked and Deb will work with me via email from Oz and I will have to check but I hope Mary Beth might be able to answer some questions as well.


Tex you will have to forgive me I have never heard of tyramine until today... What is it and how does it relate to mast cells?


Now the fun begins...

--Joe

[Joefnh]

Ok Tex, what is tyramine and whats it in... it looks like just about everything..

From Wikipedia

Tyramine occurs widely in plants and animals and is metabolized by the enzyme monoamine oxidase. In foods, it is often produced by the decarboxylation of tyrosine during fermentation or decay. Foods containing considerable amounts of tyramine include meats that are potentially spoiled or pickled, aged, smoked, fermented, or marinated (some fish, poultry, and beef); most pork (except cured ham); chocolate; alcoholic beverages; and fermented foods, such as most cheeses (except ricotta, cottage cheese, cream cheese, neufchatel cheese), sour cream, yogurt, shrimp paste, soy sauce, soy bean condiments, teriyaki sauce, tofu, tempeh, miso soup, sauerkraut; broad (fava) beans, green bean pods, Italian flat (Romano) beans, Chinese (snow) pea pods, avocados, bananas, pineapple, eggplants, figs, red plums, raspberries, peanuts, Brazil nuts, coconuts, processed meat, yeast, and an array of cacti.

This will be interesting

--Joe

[tex]

Joe,

Yep.

According to Whole Foods:

Symptoms of tyramine intolerance can include urticaria (hives), angioedema (localized swelling due to fluid retention), migraines, wheezing, and even asthma. In fact, some researchers suggest that as many as 20 percent of migraines are caused by food intolerance or allergy, and tyramine intolerance is one of the most common of these toxic food responses.

Tyramine and Migraines

Tyramines are derivatives of amino acids called tyrosine. After long periods of time, some of the tyrosine amino acids in foods such as aged cheeses or meats will naturally be converted by bacteria into tyramines. This same process can also occur in your intestinal tract if digestion is slow allowing bacteria the time to convert tyrosine into tyramine. For this reason, tyramine-sensitive individuals should take steps to support their digestive system as well as reduce foods containing pre-formed tyramine in their meal plan.

Although the reason tyramine causes toxic food responses such as migraines is not clearly understood, research suggests that people suffering from migraines may not adequately neutralize tyramine. While normally neutralized through a detoxification process in the intestine and liver before it is absorbed into the body, tyramine sensitive individuals are believed to have increased amounts of unneutralized tyramine that gets absorbed and circulated to the brain where it may interfere with normal brain functions causing the pain that is experienced as a migraine. Foods that help support the detoxification of tyramine include such sulfur-containing foods as:

* Onion
* Brussels Sprouts
* Garlic
* Broccoli

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=faq&dbid=30

I have no idea how the exact mechanism might transpire, whereby tyramine causes the degranulation of mast calls - I doubt that anyone does.

Tyramine is a common cause of Allergies (due to Tyramine stimulating the release of excessive amounts of Histamine from Mast Cells leading to Allergic reactions).

http://acuhomo.blogspot.com/2009/04/bio ... bumin.html

Tex

[tex]

I had some serious issues with tyramine back when I was taking rasagiline, which is an irreversible monoamine oxidase inhibitor, (for Parkinson's disease). An MOAOI can causes dangerous BP spikes, in the presence of foods high in tyramine.

Tex

[TooManyHats]

Why tyramine, and not high histamine foods?

[tex]

Why tyramine, and not high histamine foods?

Who knows? That probably falls into the same category as gluten - a biggie that falls through the cracks. Or maybe he's not sensitive to foods high in histamine.

Tex

[TooManyHats]

Maybe I asked my question incorrectly. What makes you think it's tyramine and not histamine?

[tex]

Tyramine is listed as his second-most reactive chemical.

Tex

[Joefnh]

Interesting follow-on thread. I should note I have always had allergies and allergy symptoms, mostly environmental. I did have to take allergy shots for years for dust / mild / pollen. So histamines may very well be an issue.

Tex I never get headaches, so I guess I am lucky. The only headaches I would ever get would be from a sinus infection.

The histamine issue is a good one. Arlene did you mean histamine foods not being on the list or histamine reactions as a whole?

--Joe

[TooManyHats]

Tyramine is a common cause of Allergies (due to Tyramine stimulating the release of excessive amounts of Histamine from Mast Cells leading to Allergic reactions).

I'm wondering if Tyramine leads to the degranulation of mast cells, would foods high in histamine add to the burden of histamine levels from food in your body?