The making of a user friendly MAOI diet.
BACKGROUND
Many monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) diets are considered to be excessively restrictive and founded on poor scientific evidence. We present a safe and practical MAOI diet based on the related clinical and analytic data.


METHODS
We used a critical review of the literature and our own tyramine assay results to categorize foods to be restricted absolutely, taken in moderation only, or unrestricted.


RESULTS
We recommend that users avoid aged cheese; aged or cured meats (e.g., air-dried sausage); any potentially spoiled meat, poultry, or fish; broad (fava) bean pods; Marmite concentrated yeast extract; sauerkraut; soy sauce and soy bean condiments; and tap beer. Wine and domestic bottled or canned beer are considered safe when consumed in moderation. Other foods not mentioned are considered unrestricted.


CONCLUSIONS
The concerns about perpetuating an overly restrictive MAOI diet include the avoidance by prescribers of a potentially useful treatment option, excessive limitations on lifestyle for patients, and increased risk to patients secondary to noncompliance with the diet. We propose an MAOI diet that has a solid scientific and clinical basis and that is, above all, practical.
Gardner
D M
DM
Department of Pharmacy, Sunnybrook Health Science Centre, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Shulman
K I
KI
Walker
S E
SE
Tailor
S A
SA
D000208:Acute Disease; D000818:Animals; D001515:Beer; D002611:Cheese / Q000009:adverse effects; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy; D004032:Diet / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005399:Fishes; D018565:Food-Drug Interactions; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008460:Meat; D008996:Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011200:Poultry; D014439:Tyramine / Q000009:adverse effects; D014675:Vegetables
D008996:Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors; D014439:Tyramine