Scientists believe they may have found the reason why some patients get so sick from the contrast dye they’re injected with before magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans.
As a University of New Mexico (UNM) press release explains, researchers at the institution’s medical school believe they’ve found a link between oxalic acid — a molecule found in foods as disparate as sweet potatoes, spinach, chocolate and almonds, as well as some Vitamin C supplements — and the toxic building of gadolinium, the heavy metal element used in contrast dyes that works with an MRI’s magnetic field to help doctors see internal organs on scans.
