FOOD INTOLERANCE NETWORK FACTSHEET
Ribo Rash (flavour enhancer 635 or ribonucleotides E635,
627, 631)
Welcome to our special
feature on the effects of new additive ribonucleotides (flavour enhancer 635, a
mixture of 631disodium guanylate and 627disodium inosinate), which cause what
we call Ribo Rash.
This set of additives seems
to be very different from all other additives. As well as the usual effects of
food additives (such as children's behaviour problems, headaches, heart
palpitations, irritable bowel symptoms) this group can cause an unbearably
itchy rash or welts and/or possibly life-threatening swelling of the lips and
tongue up to 48 hours after consumption. The rash can come and go and last for
up to two weeks and can affect people who have never in their lives before
suffered from itchy rashes.
The delayed long-lasting
reaction means that most people don't realise the cause of their symptoms. Some
consumers have suffered an unbearably itchy rash for years before identifying
these additives as a problem. In some people and possibly unborn babies, a
reaction to 635 seems to have triggered severe multiple food intolerance.
Flavour enhancer 635
(ribonucleotides) was approved in
As a group, these additives
are known collectively as ribonucleotides, nucleotides or scientifically as
'the 5 prime nucleotides'. In the
Effects of MSG increased 10-15 times
Scientists have recently
found that the flavour enhancing effect of MSG is increased up to 10 to 15
times when MSG is used in combination with ribonucleotides. See 'Yeast
Extracts: production, properties and components' by Rolf Sommer, paper given at
the 9th International Symposium on Yeasts, Sydney, August 1996, www.ohly.de/publications/publications.html.
'No added MSG'
MSG (monosodium glutamate)
is normally listed as flavour enhancer 621, but can also be listed as
hydrolysed vegetable protein (HVP), hydrolysed plant protein (HPP), 'yeast extract' or even 'natural flavour'.
Many products claiming no added MSG will contain ribonucleotides as well as a
source of natural glutamates.
Not for babies and young children
Ribonucleotides are not
permitted in foods intended specifically for infants and young children, and
people who must avoid purines for conditions such as gout are advised to avoid
these additives.
Reactions
Reactions
to nucleotides can range from a single itchy rash to life-threatening swelling
of the lips and tongue. If you eat these additives once a week or more, you may
appear to have a chronic rash. You don't need a history of rashes or food
allergy. Anyone can be affected. Some people are affected by the more usual
reactions to food additives – irritability, children’s behaviour problems,
headaches, irritable bowel symptoms - but what makes these additives different
is the number of rash reactions in people who are usually affected in other
ways.
Reactions to
ribonucleotides are difficult to identify because they are not a true allergy.
They can occur within minutes or can be delayed for hours or even days.
DIAGNOSIS
Most doctors, allergists
and dermatologists appear to have no knowledge of the effects of these
additives.
Symptoms have been
variously misdiagnosed as a virus (including chickenpox and pityriasis),
psoriasis, shingles, chronic eczema, dermatitis, dandruff, allergy to soaps and
detergents, food allergy "but it could be any one of a thousand foods,
you'll never work it out", a "non-specific reaction which will
eventually disappear", hypersensitive vasculitis, allergy to sunlight
(rash on face and neck), pregnancy, menopause, 'emotional', foot-and-mouth
disease (rash inside mouth), ideopathic anaphylaxis, and "it couldn't be a
food additive because the reaction wouldn't last that long".
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
1. You are any age, either
sex.
2. You may have never
noticed a reaction to food before.
3. Your reaction may be:
*
itch without rash
*
mild to severe itchy rash (the itch may be unbearable and prevent sleep)
*
mild to severe swelling of the lips, throat and eyes (technically called
angioedema) with or without rash. Swelling of the lips, throat and tongue can
interfere with breathing - seek medical help.
*
loss of consciousness due to the above
*
other common food intolerance symptoms, such as irritability, children's
behaviour problems, difficulty falling asleep, headaches, irritable bowel
symptoms including sudden diarrhoea, and alarming heart palpitations
4. You have eaten foods
containing 635, 627 or 631 minutes or up to 48 hours or more (can be the
previous day or two) before the onset of the symptoms.
5. You may have eaten these
foods before safely but in smaller quantities or the food manufacturers may
have just starting using these additives.
6. The rash can last for a
week or two or even longer. It may come and go and travel over the body during
that time.
7. If you eat products
containing 635, 627 or 631 at least once week, you will appear to have a
chronic condition which can last for years.
8. Breastfed babies can be
affected by this additive passing through breastmilk. The rash may be
misdiagnosed as infantile eczema.
9. After you have suffered
a 635 reaction, you may find you have developed a sensitivity to other food
chemicals. You may need to do a full low-chemical elimination diet to find out
which other food chemicals cause problems. Ask for our list of experienced
dietitians and further information from confoodnet@ozemail.com.au.
WHICH FOODS?
Look for 635, 627 and 631
in tasty processed foods such as:
· instant noodles,
flavoured chips, CCs corn chips
· flavoured (eg BBQ,
chicken) biscuits and rice crackers
· packet or canned soups or
stocks and stock cubes
· pies, party pies, sausage
rolls
· some instant mashed
potato
· seasoning in the stuffing
of supermarket fresh chickens
· flavouring salt added to
hot chips or rotisseried chickens
· flavour added to frozen
turkey
· pre-prepared or instant
sauces, gravies and meals
· salad dressing, Greenseas
salsa-flavoured tuna
· Devondale Light with
Calcium
· pasta meals including
macaroni cheese
· marinated meat from your
butcher
· sausages from your
supermarket or butcher
· some fast foods such as
chicken, chips, batter for fish, Hungry Jack's vegie burger
. check even fresh chicken
labels closely as there have been some recent reports
. seafood extenders
In the
REACTIONS ARE RELATED TO
DOSE
You may be able to eat a
certain quantity of these additives - eg a packet of flavoured chips every day
- safely, but just a small amount more may cause a big reaction.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Avoid ribonucleotides,
sodium guanylate or sodium inosinate (flavour enhancers 635, 627 or 631). Some
people find they do better if they avoid all 600 numbers including MSG 621. You
will have to:
* read labels
* ask about ingredients in
fresh unlabelled foods such as sausages, sandwiches and prepared meats
* phone restaurants before
you visit (ask to speak to the chef)
* talk to your child's
teachers and carers
* teach your child which
foods to avoid at parties and when visiting friends
IF AFFECTED:
* Calamine lotion
* White antihistamine
tablets like Claratyne. Telfast is OK too.
* If you are desperate,
your doctor can prescribe cortisone cream. Some people need oral steroids or
adrenaline.
* Tell us. We are keeping a
register of reactions. We have been lobbying the national food authority
(FSANZ) to investigate the effects of ribonucleotides for years.
* Tell others.
* Politely inform the food
supplier or manufacturer of your reaction. They will probably deny it, tell you
to consult your doctor (who almost certainly knows nothing about these
reactions) and possibly be very rude, but the more complaints they get, the
more they are likely to listen.
LOOK BACK
Reactions can occur up to
48 hours or more after eating this additive. One woman ate rotisseried chicken
on Friday evening, started itching in bed on Saturday night and got up on
Sunday morning to find she was covered in an unbearable itchy rash. She blamed
the food last eaten (Saturday night's meal) and phoned to enquire about
preservative in wine. It was only when we went back through everything eaten in
the last two days that we found the culprit.
WHY ARE THESE ADDITIVES
PERMITTED?
Food Standards Australia
New Zealand (FSANZ, www.foodstandards.gov.au)
is in charge of approving food additives. FSANZ acknowledges that a certain
percentage of the population will suffer adverse reactions to food additives.
FSANZ policy is that people who are affected should read labels and avoid the
food additives which affect them. Although this sounds reasonable,
unfortunately, the majority of people who are affected by ribonucleotides - and
their health advisors - don't realise the cause of their problem and therefore
can't choose to avoid them.
WHO CAN YOU COMPLAIN TO?
At present in
We
recommend you report your reaction politely to the manufacturer of the product.
They are likely to deny the effect, but in the long term they will change.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
ABOUT FOOD INTOLERANCE
Other additives and natural
food chemicals can also cause rashes. For more information, see www.fedup.com.au.
Reader reports
Commercial rotisseried
chicken
The latest report of a
reaction to flavour enhancer 635 involves commercial rotisseried chicken.
Remember that reactions can occur up to 30 hours later or more. A woman ate
rotisseried chicken on Friday evening, started itching in bed on Saturday night
and got up on Sunday morning to find she was covered in an unbearable itchy
rash. Of course she blamed the food last eaten (Saturday night's meal) and phoned
to enquire about preservative in wine. It was only when we went back through
everything eaten in the last two days that we found the culprit.
"A maddening
itch"
In response to the articles
I have seen on your website, I am 99% sure that my 30-year-old husband has a
nasty reaction to 635. He had been complaining of a maddening itch at night on
occasion, like he was shedding skin, and it was almost impossible for him to
sleep. The last time it happened he had eaten Maggi 2-minute noodles earlier in
the day. It was serendipity that a few days earlier I had been researching food
additives in relation to migraines and found mention of the dreaded 635 and
then thought to check the labels on everything he had eaten. We now consciously
avoid anything containing 635, and to date he has been itch free. - Rhonda,
by email
"I'm 56 and another
victim of 635"
"Congratulations on an
excellent website, I wish I'd found it a few months ago when I was scratching
myself until I was bleeding from the worst rash I have ever had. Just in case
some people think that food additives only affect children, I'm 56 and another
victim of 635.
"I believe that packet
soup was what triggered the rash, then things like BBQ chicken from Woolies,
pizza and even KFC, although I can't prove that it contains 635 (but I bet it
does) … The most amazing thing is that neither my allergist nor my
dermatologist had heard of 635. I could have saved the $1000 that I spent at
the specialists. My allergy specialist says I can now safely eat those foods again
because the rash has gone but I won't be charging into a 635 diet to see if it
comes back. Nine months of hell was long enough for me."
Here is a typical
response:
"I
ate just a few CC's at a staff function. Within an hour I had a red rash and
itch like that from a caterpillar inside my right elbow. By the time I went to
bed I was scratching myself all over the armpit and upper body. Having a shower
really made it go, across my chest and up my neck on the right. The next
morning at an aerobics class I had a red rash over my entire right body from
the waist up to my neck, where it formed an unsightly and extremely itchy vivid
red high-water mark around my neck.
"Three
days later I still have lumps and itches in my right armpit and up to my face.
I seem to have become hyper-sensitised to other allergens that rarely affect
me, sneezing, scratching and itching. If I hadn't seen this all happen to my
son I wouldn't believe that it was caused by such a small amount of an
additive. And I know that it will last a week, based on his experience."
And here's one that
appears to be anaphylactoid:
"I
have a story regarding flavour enhancer 635 from the eight-year old boy next
door.
"Last
year he ate a pie bought from a bakery shop near his mother's workplace. Not only
did he get the skin reaction he also suffered a life-threatening
anaphylactic-type reaction with swelling of mouth, tongue and throat. The
doctor (fortunately a doctor's surgery was just around the corner) who treated
him said that he was probably a matter of minutes away from death. He remained
on antihistamines for weeks and missed a lot of school. For days his lips
protruded four inches or so! The family was unable to find out what was in the
pie and so the cause of the reaction remained a mystery.
"A
little over a month ago this child was given two or three CC's by a friend at
school. Within a short time his arms were itching and his chest was covered in
red and white wheals. This reaction was not as severe as the pie incident (the
dose was no doubt much lower). I think that reaction took a week to subside.
"His
mother has commented that this boy has had no problems of this kind until last
year, although he does have a history of mild asthma.
"It
wasn't until I was looking through your web site that I found the
more-than-likely culprit. The family is very grateful. Once again
"THANK
YOU! Surely 635 cannot go on being legal - if it was a drug it would be taken
off the market or used, if deemed necessary, with extreme caution under
hospital conditions, I'm sure!
These detailed anecdotes
are backed up by e-mails from all over
Here are some brief
stories:
- Soon after its introduction an NT pediatrician asked us
which ingredient in Maggi two minute noodles could cause 'a dramatic skin
eruption' in a four year old boy
- nearly 6 year old girl from NT developed an intensely
itchy skin rash 24 hours after a class party with party pies, pediatrician
at hospital prescribed Phenergan, 3 others in class with milder rashes
- 55 year old woman from SA, developed a dramatic rash
that lasted two weeks after eating Gibbs party pies, antihistamines were
not very effective
- 13 yo boy from NT developed an intensely itchy skin
rash from the soles of his feet to the top of his head after eating a pie
at a friend's place, the contents of the pie could not be determined
- 11 yo boy from NT developed an intensely itchy skin
rash from 30 hours after eating party pies at a class party, the rash
spread from chest to feet, then from chest to top of head, reappearing for
10 days. Missed one week of school. One other in class with milder rash.
- 2 yo girl from
- 50ish woman from NT, developed a mild but persistent
skin rash after changing brand of frozen pie eaten once a week. New brand
contains 635.
- 40ish man from Qld, developed constant itchy rash over
the last two years, eats CC's corn chips (containing 635) every day
- 50ish man from NT developed a dramatic itchy rash within
hours of eating "a few" CCs corn chips.
- A pregnant woman in the NT who developed all-over
itching was told it was due to pregnancy. Sure enough, after the birth,
the itching stopped. When the baby was four months old, the woman watched
a grand final on TV with a plate of party pies to hand - the first time
she'd eaten them since having the baby, although she had eaten them
constantly during the pregnancy. The next day the itching started again.
- 8 yo boy from NT, ate one packet of Lays Country Style
Sour cream and Onion chips on Easter Saturday (wanting the Pokemon card
inside). The next day he ate another half a packet and developed a
"head to toe itchy rash like a map of
Here are some more
detailed stories:
- "I woke up at
- "My 16yr old son had a bout of hives last year.
Covered his arms, legs and body in large swollen itchy welts. Telfast
180mg stopped the itching and reduced the swelling, but we could still see
the red welts. For almost a week he woke each morning with the welts
raised and itching again. We couldn't identify anything different in his
diet or environment. Two weeks later he had another outbreak, similar in
intensity. But this time I realised that both times it happened after he
had worked an 8hr shift at a charcoal chicken shop. He has worked at this
shop for over a year, and eaten there with no problems. However, it was
unusual for him to eat both lunch and dinner at work, and for him to
choose chicken and chips, smothered in gravy, for both meals in one day.
He read through the ingredients of everything used in the shop, and found
that the 'chicken flavouring' added to the stuffing includes E635. This
same chicken flavouring is mixed with salt and sprinkled on the chips. The
gravy mix used also has E635, and the chicken flavouring is added to the
gravy, so there's a double dose there. He has since avoided eating large
quantities of E635, ie. he doesn't eat the gravy, he leaves the 'chicken
salt' off his own chips, and he's careful to monitor the quantity of
'chicken flavour' added to the stuffing mix. He's had no hives at all
since those two episodes. I'm very concerned that the shop owner had no
idea that E635 could cause reactions, and that there is no real control
over the amount of E635 in any one meal. E635 is in the 'chicken flavour'
added to gravy, stuffing and salt. The 'chicken salt' is liberally
sprinkled on chicken and chips. How much my son ate that day depends on
who made up the gravy and stuffing, and who salted the chips, because
there are no exact measurements." (Kiera)
- A mother from Melbourne who reacts with a quick,
dramatic skin rash (excellent photos are available) to flavour enhancer
635…in Doritos, CCs and a particular flavour of rice crackers. Her
9-year-old daughter also reacts to this additive (after eating only two
CCs), with "crabbiness, itchy eyes and black circles under her eyes,
like someone has punched her in the face." (Food Intolerance Network
letter in response to query from TV producer).
- "One of my friends had a frightening experience on
Christmas Eve, which we thought may have been caused by 635 in corn chips.
She has never had a reaction like it before, but had eaten quite a few
corn chips (and not much else) at a family outing...here is part of what
she wrote: - there was one bottle of mineral water, one bottle of wine, 2
packets of corn chips and a salad consisting of lettuce, tomato and
cucumber!! Not only that but halfway thru the nite I started to get these
itching lumps on my neck and legs. Felt ordinary for the rest of the nite
and next morning I noticed more lumps and my ears were red hot and
swollen. Managed to get thru the day okay but I didn't feel much like
eating and was tired. Next morning…I woke absolutely burning and covered
in lumps (or hives as you have probably figured out). I tried to get up
and shower but I fainted…my lips swelled up and (my husband) was in a
panic. The doctor came and gave me an anti-histamine and within an hour I
was better but my blood pressure remained low and I had to stay in bed til
my body battled whatever I ate that I was allergic to. Today I am
better…the hives are beginning to go and no new ones are appearing. I can
walk but I have to tell you I am scared. I don't know what I ate…I think
maybe the corn chips...they were flavoured." (Melbourne)
- "I had an itchy rash a few weeks back that kept me
up all night. I thought it might have been a reaction to a new soap, but
then I remembered the 635 in CCs…I had dug into a larger packet than
usual. I hadn’t had any other processed food. I haven’t had CCs or the
rash since then." (Sydney)
- "I realise that Jake is very sensitive more than
most, but he also had a very severe reaction to 635…He broke out in a
hive/welt rash and also had swelling in the throat and breathing
difficulties. The doctor gave him an injection which helped, but the
redness was there for days along with headaches. And I also react…I also
get welts the size of plates and severe headaches for days where I can’t
move." (Sydney)
Here are some of the
hundreds (!) of reports that have arrived since this web feature was first
posted in September 2002:
More photos (September 2007)
[444] 635: 'Knotting' in the
oesophagus due to 635 (August 2006)
Another disturbing symptom due to 635 that has only accompanied the rash
twice is a very strong sensation of 'knotting' in my oesophagus. It's similar
to the feeling of eating a lot of food too quickly and having to wait for it to
travel down. It comes in waves, like contractions, and I wonder whether it is
the peristalsis of my oesophagus firing unnecessarily. It has woken me from
sleep on both occasions and I find that it responds to taking an antihistamine.
- by email.
[443] 635: Spasms of the
oesophagus due to 635 (August 2006)
On occasions my tongue would swell and my eyelids would swell up and I
couldn’t figure out what it was. I’d been to doctors and a naturopath and I was
still getting it, and then I read an article in the Sunday Sun, and it was all
my symptoms on 635 and that the reactions would take 48 hours or so to come
out. I thought “that sounds like me”, so I eliminated them from my diet, and
then I ate them again, and within two or three days the reaction came out, so I
stopped it again, and to be sure, I ate it again, just to see what would
happen, and it came out again, but I also get what I was told was spasms of the
oesophagus. I started off thinking I was getting indigestion, and it would just
pull really tight across my chest. It would last for hours, and I thought I was
dying. - verbal report after presentation.
[382] 635: Irritable
bowel symptoms (December 2005)
A
few weeks ago I started having a Continental Low Carb instant soup every day. I
knew the 635 was in there, but thought I didn't react to it. BIG mistake. No
doubt you're expecting a description of the rash and swelling. Yes, I did get
those, but not until week 2.
In
week 1 my stomach progressively got sicker and sicker. By the end of the week I
could only lie on the lounge and visit the loo. The doctor diagnosed mild food
poisoning that turned into a very nasty stomach bug. Antibiotics and no food for three days
cleared the bug. So what did I do? I had a miso soup from a local Japanese
restaurant. A few hours later my stomach started going odd again and I began to
itch. By that night the typical 635 rash and unbearable itch had set in. For
some bizarre reason I didn't think of 635 with the miso. The next day I had one
of those damn instant soups again and of course the same thing happened but
worse.
Needless
to say I have ditched the soup and banned 635. My son is actually quite pleased
because one of the things that make him itch makes Mummy itch, so he feels a
little less alone about it. The itch and rash have gone, but my lips are still
very dry and cracked. But I have LEARNT MY LESSON! – Megan NSW,
[274] 635: 'This damn
additive' (June 2003)
Thank you for bringing this
horrible food additive 635 to the attention of the media. Until the program on
ACA, I had no idea that other people were suffering like me.
My problems started in July
2002, when I ate roast chicken that caused a dramatic rash to appear all over
my body. I was sure the roast chicken was the cause as I had noticed on two
previous occasions severe thirst and disorientation after consuming roast
chicken bought from a Woolworths supermarket. On the third occasion I had the
same symptoms plus the rash. The rash was so severe that I needed oral
cortisone. Woolworths informed me that 635 was the sole flavour enhancer in the
chicken. I saw an allergist a about a month later who dismissed my view, saying
that it was more likely to be a non-specific reaction that would eventually die
down and disappear.
I didn't subscribe to that
diagnosis and decided to stay away from roast chicken for my health's sake. I
began to notice that it was affected by other commercially produced foods,
including a salad dressing which contained 631. The rash usually starts on my
upper thighs around my backside and travels down my legs. It also appears on my
back and shoulders. At its worst when it first appeared it was also on my face
and torso. The welts were large, covering a wide area, very hot and maddeningly
itchy.
The most disturbing aspect
of this situation is that 635 is being used in takeaway foods and restaurants.
The consumer has no way of knowing that 635 is present in the food. I am
beginning to avoid all commercially prepared food. Can you believe it? Imagine
if I became anaphylactic to this substance. I recently attended a wedding
reception and cautiously ate the three-course meal provided, avoiding the gravy
on the meat, only to find the rash reappearing by the time I got home.
I now religiously read the
ingredients provided on packaged foods and have stopped eating Asian and Indian
takeaway and takeaway pizza.
Are you aware of an allergy
clinic in Sydney that screens for allergy to 635? If so I would very much
appreciate the details as I am more than willing to be a part of the 'clinical
evidence' required to nail this damn additive. - Anna, NSW, 35 years of age.
[273] 635: 'At death's
door' (June 2003)
I am 58 years old and came
across your website by accident. I was dumbfounded when I saw the pictures of
the effects of food additives 635. This was what I had for nearly 3 years!
I could not believe it. My
symptoms too started in the early hours of the morning with dreadful itching.
By the time I got up my thighs were black and bruised from scratching. Over
time this went and welts came all over my body. I looked like I had been
beaten. I also had rashes which were itchy and painful. The only part that was
not affected was my face and head.
So many doctors and tests,
so many creams and tablets - and nothing would stop it. I had tests that showed
I was allergic to things I had never had, like horsehair and oysters. To top it
off I started to get fungal infections in my fingernails. I had bouts of crying
and wanted to die.
Eventually I was told it
could be emotional or change of life. Then in June 2002 I started have rigors
(uncontrollable shaking). I ended up in hospital, where I had every test under
the sun including biopsies. My body was swelling up and I had blood tests every
couple of hours. My temperature would not come down. I was seen by the elite of
dermatologists and a professor of infectious diseases who told me that
'sometimes the body will not reveal its secrets'. They called what I had
'hypersensitive vasculitis' or a toxic shock from an unknown source. They said
that I was at death`s door. Then my temperature went down and I was discharged.
It never occurred to me
that it could be the food I was eating, as I hadn't changed anything. I would
have meat pies or sausage rolls at least once a week and sometimes pizza.
Eventually I cut out processed foods and now make my own sausages rolls. I
still do not know which one started off this torment but I have thrown out
everything in my pantry with 635/621 and my symptoms have gone away.
At the very least, these
food additives should be listed in bold lettering or a different colour. -
Maree Lowe.
[259] 635: Call an
ambulance (April 2003)
I am a 33 year old mother
of two. I woke up one Sunday morning with an angry red blotchy rash all over my
body and my legs were burning. I asked my husband to call an ambulance as I
nearly fainted and felt like vomiting at the same time. A doctor put me on
Prednisolone tablets for a week. I also took antihistamines and smothered
myself in Calamine lotion but nothing seemed to ease the rash which turned to
severe hives all over my body. I couldn't sleep and would be awake in the night
clawing at my skin for some relief. I ended up bathing in Pinetarsol Solution
which eased the itching. I was told that looking for the cause of the reaction
was like "looking for a needle in a haystack" and I could not think
of anything I had done differently. So to see your story on A Current Affair
was fantastic. I am sure my reaction was from eating Continental Oriental Fried
Rice packet mix on Friday night and also Saturday night for tea. I had a slight
rash on my stomach on Saturday afternoon but it wasn't until Sunday morning
that the severe reaction occurred. I checked my cupboards and 635 was also in
Continental Macaroni Cheese as well. Thank you, and let's hope it can be
removed from foods before someone has a fatal reaction.
[258] 635: Afraid for my
safety (April 2003)
I began to suffer strange,
itchy swellings about seven years ago and spent a lot of time and money going
back and forth to my doctor to try to ascertain the cause and a treatment. As
you guessed, he couldn't find a cause. I gave up asking and had to suffer in
silence. I have consulted doctors only when the swelling occurred in my tongue
and throat to such a degree that I was very afraid for my safety. These
swellings have probably occurred on a two-monthly basis for several years, with
some incidences being more extreme than others.
Since the article appeared
in the Melbourne Sunday Herald Sun about 635, I have tried to be very careful
about what I eat, and check, where I am able, that any foods I consume do not
contain 635. I have noticed a reduction in occurrences, although one morning I
woke up looking like Eddie Murphy in the Nutty Professor. It was interesting to
read that rotisseried chicken can be a culprit, as this is one thing I have
eaten recently, before suffering an occurrence which I could not explain
otherwise. Thanks for getting the information out there. You may just save some
precious lives. - Cathy, Vic
[247] 635: Ten week rash
from 635 (April 2003)
I have never suffered any
kind of food allergy in my life (43 years) and then about ten weeks ago I found
myself suffering from an extremely intense and constant itch of my hands and
arms. After two days of this I found I had come out in hives, starting on my upper
chest, abdomen and back. It then spread to my arms and my legs and from then on
each day might be different combinations of location of the hives, but always
somewhere. They were worse at night causing intense itch and lack of sleep, I
can't begin to tell you how unbearable the itch was and how it affected my
everyday living and my ability to work. On several occasions my lips have been
swollen and I find on occasion that although my upper lip doesn't look
particularly swollen, it feels 'thick' and like I have been to the dentist.
Once my eyelids puffed up too. Through studying the foods that I had eaten I
became almost 100% certain that it was 635 causing my problem. For almost two
weeks I avoided all foods containing this additive and was finally able to come
off the antihistamines I had been forced to live on. I then ate a seasoned lamb
steak bought from my local butcher and the next night the hives were back.
Guess what? On contacting the butcher concerned, he was able to tell me that
the seasoning used on those steaks contained 635.
I wish this product had
never been put on the market. I'm sure it is what, to put it frankly, has
caused me absolute hell almost continuously for over two months.
- Debbie, by email
[246] 635: itch was
unbearable (April 2003)
A couple of days after
initially eating a meal my partner and I made using a recipe mix containing
flavour enhancer 635, I broke out in a rash over my neck and upper torso. This
quickly spread to the rest of my body the following day. The itch is
unbearable, especially around my neck area, arms and breasts. The doctor didn't
seem to believe that it could have been this enhancer, even after I showed her
an article published in the Melbourne Sunday Herald Sun on 9 March 2003
entitled "Allergy hell in food additive".
It looks to me that there
are many people who are intolerant to this additive and I believe it should be
banned. This is the first time I have ever had a rash of this magnitude develop
and I am not impressed. - reader, by email
RIBONUCLEOTIDE STORIES These
reports of reactions to Food Additive 635 have previously been made public by
the Food Intolerance Network (www.fedup.com.au)
from 2000-2005 (PDF format).
The information given is not intended as medical advice. Always consult
with your doctor for underlying illness. Before beginning dietary
investigation, consult a dietician with an interest in food intolerance. You
can find a supportive dietitian through the Dietitians Association of
© Sue Dengate
update September 2007
