Food allergies and hypertension Re: Potato intake and incidence of hypertension: results from three prospective US cohort studies
Food allergies and hypertension.
Several factors, which also cause oxidative stress, could contribute to hypertensive reactions to specific foods. Potatoes are from the same food family as tobacco.1
Stopping smoking, ergot medications and use of oral contraceptives resulted in a 10 times reduction in migraine attacks.2 Also 60 migraine patients completed elimination diets after a 5-day period of withdrawal from their normal diet. 52 (87%) of these patients had been using oral contraceptive steroids, tobacco, and/or ergotamine for an average of 3 years, 22 years, and 7.4 years respectively. The commonest foods causing reactions were wheat (78%), orange (65%), eggs (45%), tea and coffee (40% each), chocolate and milk (37%) each), beef (35%), and corn, cane sugar, and yeast (33% each). When an average of ten common foods were avoided there was a dramatic fall in the number of headaches per month, 85% of patients becoming headache-free. The 25% of patients with hypertension became normotensive.3 www.harmfromhormones.co.uk
Cooking potatoes as French fries in corn oil may be contributing to any potato-induced hypertension.
1 Borgi L, Rimm E, Willett WC, Forman JP. Potato intake and incidence of hypertension: results from three prospective US cohort studies. BMJ 2016;353:i2351.
2 Grant EC. Oral contraceptives, smoking, migraine and food allergies. Lancet 1978;2:581-82.
3 Grant E C. Food allergies and migraine. Lancet 1979,1,966-69.
Rapid Response:
Food allergies and hypertension Re: Potato intake and incidence of hypertension: results from three prospective US cohort studies
Food allergies and hypertension.
Several factors, which also cause oxidative stress, could contribute to hypertensive reactions to specific foods. Potatoes are from the same food family as tobacco.1
Stopping smoking, ergot medications and use of oral contraceptives resulted in a 10 times reduction in migraine attacks.2 Also 60 migraine patients completed elimination diets after a 5-day period of withdrawal from their normal diet. 52 (87%) of these patients had been using oral contraceptive steroids, tobacco, and/or ergotamine for an average of 3 years, 22 years, and 7.4 years respectively. The commonest foods causing reactions were wheat (78%), orange (65%), eggs (45%), tea and coffee (40% each), chocolate and milk (37%) each), beef (35%), and corn, cane sugar, and yeast (33% each). When an average of ten common foods were avoided there was a dramatic fall in the number of headaches per month, 85% of patients becoming headache-free. The 25% of patients with hypertension became normotensive.3 www.harmfromhormones.co.uk
Cooking potatoes as French fries in corn oil may be contributing to any potato-induced hypertension.
1 Borgi L, Rimm E, Willett WC, Forman JP. Potato intake and incidence of hypertension: results from three prospective US cohort studies. BMJ 2016;353:i2351.
2 Grant EC. Oral contraceptives, smoking, migraine and food allergies. Lancet 1978;2:581-82.
3 Grant E C. Food allergies and migraine. Lancet 1979,1,966-69.
Competing interests: No competing interests