Fruit,vegetables nuts, pulses and seeds are high in lipoxygenase and so, in theory, could trigger leukotriene production, if the lipoxygenase is similar to our own. Seeds and pulses use lipoxygenase to trigger germination and fruit uses it to help ripen the fruit - unripe fruit may have higher levels. A few months ago we talked about a patient who was reacting to 'healthy' food - I wonder whether lipoxygenase could be implicated?

To disable lipoxygenase in food we lower the pH to preserve it by pickling or disable it through cooking, so low stomach acid may result in lipoxygenase triggering inflammation in the stomach - and if it isn't properly digested then it may pass into the duodenum and trigger inflammation along the gut. I wonder whether lemon juice and carbonated water may help me deal with it by lowering pH? I'm guessing that cooking doesn't totally disable lipoxygenase and that soaking nuts and pulses may trigger germination and so disable lipoxygenase.

I think lipoxygenase is the reason why certain foods are 'cooling'. Foods high in phenols such as ginger and clove are warming and tend to oppose lipoxygenase. People with low stomach acid don't cope that well with cooling raw foods, high in lipoxygenase.

Does anyone think the theory has any validity or have any other ideas?

Ray

-- Anonymous, March 18, 2002