Blocked/runny nose, rhinosinusitis, nasal polyps – new research

It is common for our members to report symptoms like blocked/runny nose, rhinosinusitis, and/or nasal polyps. As always with food intolerance, they can be related to any of the usual suspects: salicylates, amines, glutamates, additives, dairy and/or gluten.



However, some nasal polyps are strongly related to salicylates. People with salicylate intolerance often say their doctors don’t know about low-salicylate diets, and Professor Hanns-Wolf Baenkler agrees (1):

“If a natural substance causes symptoms which do not involve the immune system, this is not an allergy or a side effect, but is known as intolerance. One example is the bronchial asthma and rhinitis which develops in some patients after administration of salicylates. Although salicylate intolerance has been known for more than 100 years, it is not adequately recognized in the relevant areas of medicine.”

So it is good to see three Canadian low-salicylate diet studies published in medical journals over the last 6 years (2,3,4).

These showed that that a low-salicylate diet can reduce symptoms of:

AERS (aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease)

• asthma
• nasal polyps
• salicylate intolerance

… with symptoms such as *blocked/runny nose *postnasal drip *reduced sense of smell/taste *facial pain or headache *pain in upper teeth *pressure over forehead and face *snoring * frequent nosebleeds 

Our readers agree

"I have been on the RPAH low salicylate diet for many years with tremendous success in controlling very severe asthma…  My doctor… has been very interested and supportive of all the food intolerance information. He is quite a convert! As well as asthma, I also had very bad nasal polyps. Had two lots of very painful surgery to remove them. When I stopped using the nasal spray the specialist prescribed they went away and never came back. My GP was totally convinced!!! - Krys aged 78 from story [1606]

Q. “Does anyone else here have nasal polyps? I have had an operation twice to remove them, but I am extremely good at growing them …! Just wondering if there was any relationship to food..."
A.“Yes I have. Definitely caused by foods for me. Low salicylate diet has helped a lot. Can breathe thru my nose now “ - Jann from facebook group, story [1329]

“nasal polyps … have bothered me since my 20s… when I said I used to have asthma the ENT specialist  told me  that people who have asthma and nasal polyps are usually salicylate sensitive … I got your book Fed Up out of the library … we cut salicylates out of my diet and one week later I was able to breathe through my nose …” -  Geoff from story [995]

“I have Samter’s Syndrome … For the last 29 years I have been taking medications and trying to stay alive. When I found the Australian salicylate lists I was so excited, I could finally understand what was happening. I was inadvertently eating salicylates every day” – from a US reader, story [994]  

NOTE The Canadian low salicylate list contains some items that have since been updated by RPAH in the latest version of Friendly Food eg tamarillos (now very high), golden delicious apples, Nashi pears (the last two are mod sals but only if ripe and peeled) - and there are more …

Not only salicylates…

The Canadian diet involved only low salicylates – but failsafers have reported  polyps or sinus symptoms triggered by other food chemicals – and the benefits of the full diet:

“(In my late 20s) I had the nasal antrums of both sides of my head scraped out in an effort to cure a chronic sinus problem caused by polyps … (on the  RPAH elimination diet, in my late 50s) I am now getting the nutrition I need from much simpler foods. The improvement in my sense of taste and smell more than compensates for not eating rich tasting foods” - Bernard from story [601]
    
“For me neither of my surgeries made the difference that stopping dairy has…I had constant sinus infections. I'm simply nowhere near as mucusy …. finally went off dairy and taaa daaa its much better. Infections stopped!! - Rachel from story [1329]

“(According to) my specialist … a majority of his sinus sufferers find that soy affects them” - Theresa from story [1329]

“My symptoms are generally: extreme irritability; extreme sinusitis-like symptoms, including ear aches and imbalance, near-permanent blocked or runny nose, and general flu-like symptoms (body ache, chills etc; extreme tiredness; and skin problems)...I underwent the diet with a dietician about two years ago - I'm now 38 ... severe intolerance to amines, salicylates, glutamates, colours and preservatives” – Diego from story [1276] 

“I got asthma for the first time four years ago…  Finally I got the diagnosis of asthma and chronic allergic rhinosinusitis … I have not been sick since I started the elimination diet … I have found that I react to all the food you say sensitive people might react to: MSG, nitrates, salicylates, amines, colours, preservatives and dairy foods, although MSG is the worst” – Tracy from story [361]

And many more

References

1. Baenkler H, Salicylate Intolerance: Pathophysiology, Clinical Spectrum, Diagnosis and Treatment, Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2008 Feb; 105(8): 137–142. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2696737/

2. Doron D Sommer  et al, Treatment of aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease with a low salicylate diet: a pilot crossover study Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2015 Jan;152(1):42-7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25344589/

3. Doron D Sommer  et al, A novel treatment adjunct for aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease: the low-salicylate diet: a multicenter randomized control crossover trial, Int Forum Allergy Rhinol, 2016 Apr;6(4):385-91. 30 patients; 6 weeks on regular or low-salicylate diet then crossed over for another 6 weeks; significant improvements for the upper and lower respiratory tracts. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26751262/

4. Sowerby LJ et al, Effect of low salicylate diet on clinical and inflammatory markers in patients with aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease - a randomized crossover trial, J Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg, 2021 Apr 23;50(1):27. 7 patients; 1 week on high or low-salicylate diet then crossover; improved rhinologic, ear/facial and sleep dysfunction symptoms. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8063291

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