Molybdenum and chemical intolerance - dosages and food sources

|Karen Fischer

Eczema sufferers are commonly sensitive to sulphite-rich products including wine, grape juice and vinegar, and it could be due to molybdenum deficiency. Sulphite sensitivity signs also include hives, wheezing, asthma, discolouration of the skin, eczema, dermatitis, swelling, diarrhoea and anaphylaxis. Deficiency signs of molybdenum include acne, allergies, asthma, rapid heart rate, sulphite intolerance, multiple chemical intolerances and sensitivity to mould and yeast.

How does sulphite sensitivity occur? Molybdenum plays an essential role in activating an enzyme called sulphite oxidase (SO), which plays a key role in breaking down sulphites in the liver. Molybdenum helps the liver process sulphites, carbon and nitrogen and safely metabolizes drugs and toxins. For example, if you have a Candida albicans infestation in your gut (from eating high-sugar foods), a toxin called acetaldehyde is produced during candida die-o . This toxin can cause fatigue, foggy brain function, joint pains and skin inflammation. However, taking molybdenum can reduce the adverse symptoms as it helps the liver to deactivate acetaldehyde.

Molybdenum: dosages and food sources

Molybdenum (also known as)

Supplement dosages (milligrams per day)

Eczema-friendly food sources

Molybdenum trioxide 
Molybdenum amino acid chelate

Infants (AI)

2–3 mcg from breastmilk or hypoallergenic (dairy-free) infant formula

Children + teens

1–4 years: 17–22 mcg 
5–12 years: 22–45 mcg 
14–18 years: 34–67 mcg (girls); 43–67 mcg (boys)

Adults

45–67 μg (up to 150 mcg) (mcg is also referred to as μg)

 1⁄2 cup lentils: 74 mcg 
1⁄2 cup dried peas: 73 mcg (avoid fresh peas) 
1⁄2 cup lima beans: 70 mcg 
1⁄2 cup soybeans: 64 mcg 
1⁄2 cup black beans: 64 mcg 
1⁄2 cup chickpeas (garbanzo beans): 61 mcg 
1⁄4 cup oats: 28 mcg 
2 cups cos (romaine) lettuce: 5.6 mcg^ 
1⁄3 cup barley: 26 mcg 
1⁄2 cup chopped carrots: 3 mcg^ 
1⁄2 cup chopped celery: 2.5 mcg

AI: Adequate Intake as per Australian Government guidelines (the RDI is the lower dose). The higher range is the therapeutic range.
^Contains salicylates (not suitable during weeks 1–3 of the FID Program).

Notes: 

  • Molybdenum is an essential mineral (i.e. your body does not make it) so you need to consume it in your diet. Molybdenum-rich foods are legumes, beans and lentils, so if you avoid these foods a deficiency can develop.
  • People with gastrointestinal disorders, such as Crohn’s disease or gluten intolerance, can end up with molybdenum deficiency.
  • Take molybdenum along with taurine, vitamin B6, vitamin B5 and zinc to help your liver detoxify chemicals.

Products 

At Eczema Life, we recommend nutritionist Karen Fischer's low food chemical program (The Eczema Detox) along with additive-free supplements for skin health and wellbeing. Click on the images to view more details:

           

 

The Eczema Toolkit

the holistic way to clear skin

The Eczema Detox is Karen Fischer's latest best-selling eczema manual designed to help you find relief. Through her work she found some patients needed a special program to identify personal triggers, so the FID Program was created. The Eczema Clear Skin Toolkit combines gut health and nutrition with soothing, barrier repair skincare and supplements to calm the itch and support skin repair, the immune system and more. If you’ve tried everything and nothing has worked, this is the skin calming toolkit you've been praying for.

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Eczema Friend

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The low pH eczema cream that helps to relieve itchy skin, red skin rash and mild eczema and dermatitis. Suitable for all types of rashes. It's the cream you'll wish you had tried first.

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Frequently asked questions

Does food allergy trigger eczema?

Food allergy and eczema are closely linked, and allergies can absolutely make eczema worse, but they're often not what starts it in the first place. In fact, research suggests the reverse may be more accurate: eczema itself may come first and increase the risk of developing food allergies, rather than the other way around (Tsakok et al. 2016). One study found that babies with eczema were up to six times more likely to become
sensitised to foods compared to those without eczema. In children with established eczema, up to 66% showed food sensitisation, with confirmed food allergy in up to 81% of cases (Tsakok et al. 2016).

If you or your child has a diagnosed food allergy, those foods should be avoided for now. For additional guidance, the Food Intolerance Diagnosis (FID) Program in The Eczema Detox book can help identify food intolerances that do not show up in allergy tests (see next FAQ).
Do food allergy tests help eczema?

Skin prick tests and other food allergy tests including blood tests and patch tests can be unreliable on their own, so an oral food
challenge (supervised by an allergy specialist if you are prone to anaphylaxis), is the most accurate way to confirm whether you or your child is reacting to a particular food. For additional guidance, the FID Program in The Eczema Detox book can help you to identify your personal triggers.
About the authors

Ren Karen Fischer is a nutritionist, mother of two, and award-winning author of seven books, including the bestsellers The Eczema Diet and The Eczema Detox. Fischer is also a peer-reviewed published researcher, and is currently undertaking eczema research as part of a Master's by Research at Bond University. Combining clinical research with real-world experience, she is dedicated to advancing evidence-based care for eczema.

Nutritionist Bonnie Taylor holds a Bachelor of Health Science degree and helps people with eczema identify their individual triggers through the FID Program. Taylor has worked alongside Fischer for many years and offers nutrition consultations by appointment.