4 ms·

sounds like a allergy to oil of bergamot.

A_D_E_P_T 3y ago
Could be chronic fluoride toxicity. Coincidentally, I had occasion to post this in another thread just a couple of days ago: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1403494821990284 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/14034948219902... Black tea contains a lot of fluorine, so if you're drinking a gallon a day, you're deep into hyperfluorosis territory.
- ginko 3y ago
  He had no issues with pure black tea (and switched back to it in fact), so it must have been something to do with the bergamot.
  - A_D_E_P_T 3y ago
    Ah, right, so on to the next possibility. Bergamot contains a chemical, a sort of terpene, aptly named "bergamottin." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergamottin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergamottin Bergamottin famously inhibits a major liver enzyme inelegantly named CYP3A4. CYP3A4 is responsible for metabolizing a huge number of drugs and other substances. (e.g., endogenous steroid hormones.) This is what's responsible for the "grapefruit juice effect." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapefruit%E2%80%93drug_interactions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapefruit%E2%80%93drug_intera... Bergamottin also inhibits CYP1A1, which metabolizes theophylline, and CYP1A2, which metabolizes caffeine. The most likely possibility is that consuming that much bergamottin, together with caffeine, disrupted the metabolism of the latter, leading to caffeine-induced toxicity in skeletal/cardiac muscle. (Cramps, fasciculations, etc.) But it could also be that the inhibition of CYP3A4 messed with the metabolism of something else the man was ingesting.
- stephenitis 3y ago
  wow this is interesting to me. I'm so curious how this effects dental health in people where daily tea drinking is common. tea stains your teeth a bit but does it also strengthen enamel with the flouride?
- BadHumans 3y ago
  Never knew this. Thanks for the reading material.
throwup238 3y ago
Earl gray with real bergamot oil is really expensive and hard to find nowadays. Most brands use “natural flavors”
- kamilner 3y ago
  Huh, that's somewhat surprising given bergamot fruit is not all that expensive. We may be spoiled in the UK but you can buy Earl Grey with real bergamot oil for a reasonable price here https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/brew-tea-co-earl-grey-loose-leaf/632765-381238-381239 https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/brew-tea-co-earl-grey...
- ginko 3y ago
  This was Twinings earl grey. Sure it's not high end stuff, but it's still no dollar bin tea. Royal warrant and all that. This case is also from 20 years ago so I do think that it was real bergamot.
vmilner 3y ago
Yeah - my mother has this (symptoms similar to the article) - annoyingly more teas seem to be including small amounts of bergamot in - currently Twinings English Breakfast in the uk is fine though - so we stock up when on special offer.
- stephenitis 3y ago
  I only drink green and oolong teas, but another commenterr pointed out to a study that it might've be flouride content of the tea

Could be chronic fluoride toxicity. Coincidentally, I had occasion to post this in another thread just a couple of days ago: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1403494821990284 https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/14034948219902... Black tea contains a lot of fluorine, so if you're drinking a gallon a day, you're deep into hyperfluorosis territory.

ginko 3y ago
He had no issues with pure black tea (and switched back to it in fact), so it must have been something to do with the bergamot.
- A_D_E_P_T 3y ago
  Ah, right, so on to the next possibility. Bergamot contains a chemical, a sort of terpene, aptly named "bergamottin." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergamottin https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bergamottin Bergamottin famously inhibits a major liver enzyme inelegantly named CYP3A4. CYP3A4 is responsible for metabolizing a huge number of drugs and other substances. (e.g., endogenous steroid hormones.) This is what's responsible for the "grapefruit juice effect." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapefruit%E2%80%93drug_interactions https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grapefruit%E2%80%93drug_intera... Bergamottin also inhibits CYP1A1, which metabolizes theophylline, and CYP1A2, which metabolizes caffeine. The most likely possibility is that consuming that much bergamottin, together with caffeine, disrupted the metabolism of the latter, leading to caffeine-induced toxicity in skeletal/cardiac muscle. (Cramps, fasciculations, etc.) But it could also be that the inhibition of CYP3A4 messed with the metabolism of something else the man was ingesting.
stephenitis 3y ago
wow this is interesting to me. I'm so curious how this effects dental health in people where daily tea drinking is common. tea stains your teeth a bit but does it also strengthen enamel with the flouride?
BadHumans 3y ago
Never knew this. Thanks for the reading material.

throwup238 3y ago

Earl gray with real bergamot oil is really expensive and hard to find nowadays. Most brands use “natural flavors”

kamilner 3y ago
Huh, that's somewhat surprising given bergamot fruit is not all that expensive. We may be spoiled in the UK but you can buy Earl Grey with real bergamot oil for a reasonable price here https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/brew-tea-co-earl-grey-loose-leaf/632765-381238-381239 https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/brew-tea-co-earl-grey...
ginko 3y ago
This was Twinings earl grey. Sure it's not high end stuff, but it's still no dollar bin tea. Royal warrant and all that. This case is also from 20 years ago so I do think that it was real bergamot.

vmilner 3y ago

Yeah - my mother has this (symptoms similar to the article) - annoyingly more teas seem to be including small amounts of bergamot in - currently Twinings English Breakfast in the uk is fine though - so we stock up when on special offer.

stephenitis 3y ago
I only drink green and oolong teas, but another commenterr pointed out to a study that it might've be flouride content of the tea