Question:
My boyfriend has eaten fish all of his 28 years and has never had a problem
with it.
However the last 3 times he has eaten fish, he has gotten sick. (both ends!) Is it possible to just wake up one day and never be able to eat fish again?
Answer:
Yes. He probably should avoid fish from now on (or at least get tested
for fish allergy). Sure it's possible to develop food allergies or intolerances, though I don't
think it usually happens so all-of-a-sudden. Was it the same fish each of the last 3 times? How much did your boyfriend eat
at one time? Any possibility of spoilage, contamination, or adverse reaction to
added ingredients? Was it the same fish species your boyfriend previously ate
safely? What about other foods eaten at the same meal?
If it's a digestive problem, it might be possible to eat small servings of fish
in combination with raw pineapple. This would have to be approached cautiously
and would depend on the intensity of the reaction and how soon after eating the
reaction takes place. Pineapple contains a protein-digesting enzyme, bromelain.
In addition to this website, there is also alt.support.food-allergies.
It's possible. However, spoiled fish can develop histamines that can cause an
allergic reaction; or just plain food poisoning.
http://www.aegis.com/pubs/aidsline/1990/apr/M9040423.html
Histamine poisoning (scombroid fish poisoning): an allergy-like
intoxication.
"Abstract: Histamine poisoning results from the consumption of
foods, typically certain types of fish and cheeses, that contain
unusually high levels of histamine. Spoiled fish of the families,
Scombridae and Scomberesocidae (e.g. tuna, mackerel, bonito),
are commonly implicated in incidents of histamine poisoning,
which leads to the common usage of the term, scombroid fish
poisoning, to describe this illness. However, certain
non-scombroid fish, most notably mahi-mahi, bluefish, and
sardines, when spoiled are also commonly implicated in
histamine poisoning. Also, on rare occasions, cheeses
especially Swiss cheese, can be implicated in histamine
poisoning. The symptoms of histamine poisoning generally
resemble the symptoms encountered with IgE-mediated food
allergies. The symptoms include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea,
an oral burning sensation or peppery taste, hives, itching,
red rash, and hypotension. The onset of the symptoms usually
occurs within a few minutes after ingestion of the implicated
food, and the duration of symptoms ranges from a few hours to 24 h.
