title: Bioactive food chemicals and gastrointestinal symptoms: a focus of salicylates.
abstract: Bioactive food chemicals are substances present in food that are capable of interacting with living cells causing changes in physiological functions. Salicylic acid (SA), a plant hormone involved in plant immune response, is one such bioactive food chemical. Aspirin, a commercially available SA, might play beneficial roles in cardiovascular health and colon cancer. It may also cause urticaria, angioedema, asthma, and gastrointestinal symptoms in SA-sensitive individuals. Dietary SA might exert similar beneficial effects and/or may induce similar symptoms in hypersensitive individuals. Food-related SA sensitivity in relation to gastrointestinal symptoms is not well documented besides a few self-reported questionnaires and the knowledge that low doses of aspirin (equivalent of high dietary intake) can cause gastrointestinal injury. The only direct evidence that suggests benefits of reducing dietary SA was reported in asthmatic individuals. Although SA sensitivity in relation to gut symptoms in susceptible individuals is accepted by clinicians, the detection of this disease remains a challenge because of the complicated nature of dietary challenges and the risk of oral aspirin provocation tests in patients with severe hypersensitivity reactions. Given the non-IgE mediated nature of the disease, in vitro assays like basophil activation may have failed to produce reliable results. However, given the simplicity of this assay, further studies need to be formulated to firmly establish its reliability. Formulation of proper dietary strategies for symptom control is also impossible given the controversial and scant nature of the data on SA content of food. This issue needs to be resolved to formulate proper dietary strategies for effective symptom control.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Monash University and Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Sreepurna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Malakar
mesh_terms: D001241:Aspirin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D001491:Basophils; D005504:Food Analysis; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D007159:Immunologic Tests; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D020156:Salicylic Acid / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D020156:Salicylic Acid; D001241:Aspirin
keywords: aspirin; basophil activation test; dietary therapy; food composition; food hypersensitivity; irritable bowel syndrome