The Hidden Dangers of Soy Allergens

April 6, 2007

The Hidden Dangers of Soy AllergensThe huge rise in allergic reactions to soy is in line with the increasinguse of soy products in processed foods during the 1990s, and should beregarded as a major public health concern. Extracted from Nexus Magazine, Volume 11, Number 5 (August-September 2004)PO Box 30, Mapleton Qld 4560 Australia. editorTelephone: +61 (0)7 5442 9280; Fax: +61 (0)7 5442 9381From our web page at: www.nexusmagazine.com by Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, CCN © 2004From Chapter 23 of her bookThe Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America's Favorite Health Food(NewTrends Publishing, 2004)Website: http://www.wholesoystory.com -- THE RISE IN SOY ALLERGIESSoy is one of the top allergens-substances that cause allergic reactions. Inthe 1980s, Stuart Berger, MD, labelled soy one of the seven topallergens-one of the "sinister seven". At the time, most experts listed soyaround tenth or eleventh-bad enough, but way behind peanuts, tree nuts,milk, eggs, shellfish, fin fish and wheat. Today, soy is widely accepted asone of the "big eight" that cause immediate hypersensitivity reactions.1-4Allergies are abnormal inflammatory responses of the immune system to dust,pollen, a food or some other substance. Those that involve an antibodycalled immunoglobulin E (IgE) occur immediately or within an hour. Reactionsmay include coughing, sneezing, runny nose, hives, diarrhoea, facialswelling, shortness of breath, a swollen tongue, difficulty swallowing,lowered blood pressure, excessive perspiration, fainting, anaphylactic shockor even death.4-9Delayed allergic responses to soy are less dramatic, but are even morecommon. These are caused by antibodies known as immunoglobulins A, G or M(IgA, IgG or IgM) and occur anywhere from two hours to days after the foodis eaten. These have been linked to sleep disturbances, bedwetting, sinusand ear infections, crankiness, joint pain, chronic fatigue,gastrointestinal woes and other mysterious symptoms.4-9Food "intolerances", "sensitivities" and "idiosyncrasies" to soy arecommonly called "food allergies", but differ from true allergies in thatthey are not caused by immune system reactions but by little-understood orunknown metabolic mechanisms.7-9 Strictly speaking, gas and bloating-commonreactions to soy and other beans-are not true allergic responses. However,they may serve as warnings of the possibility of a larger clinical pictureinvolving allergen-related gastrointestinal damage.PROFIT vs RISKThe soybean industry knows that some people experience severe allergicreactions to its products. In a recent petition to the US Food and DrugAdministration (FDA), Protein Technologies International (PTI) identified"allergenicity" as one of the "most likely potential adverse effectsassociated with ingestion of large amounts of soy products". Yet PTI somehowconcluded that "the data do not support that they would pose a substantialthreat to the health of the US population".10This statement is hardly reassuring to the many children and adults whosuffer allergies to soy products. And it ignores a substantial body ofevidence published during the 1990s showing that some of these people learnfor the first time about their soy allergies after experiencing anunexpectedly severe or even life-threatening reaction.Severe reactions to soy are rare compared to reactions to peanuts, treenuts, fish and shellfish, but Swedish researchers recently concluded that"Soy has been underestimated as a cause of food anaphylaxis" (Foucard T.,Malmheden Yman, I., Allergy 1999, 53(3):261-265).11 A BAD HAMBURGERThe Swedes began looking into a possible soybean connection after a younggirl suffered an asthma attack and died after eating a hamburger thatcontained only 2.2 per cent soy protein. A team of researchers collecteddata on all fatal and life-threatening reactions caused by food between 1993and 1996 in Sweden, and found that the soy-in-the-hamburger case was not afluke and that soy was indeed the culprit. They evaluated 61 cases of severereactions to food, of which five were fatal, and found that peanut, soy andtree nuts caused 45 of the 61 reactions. Of the five deaths, four wereattributed to soy. The four children who died from soy had known allergiesto peanuts but not to soy. The amount of soy eaten ranged from one gram to10 grams-typical of the low levels found when soy protein is used as ameat-extending additive in ready-made foods such as hamburgers, meatballs,spaghetti sauces, kebabs and sausages or as an extender in breads andpastries.When soy is "hidden" in hamburgers and other "regular" foods, people oftenmiss the soy connection. And allergic reactions to soy do not always occurimmediately, making cause and effect even harder to establish. As reportedin the Swedish study, no symptoms-or very mild symptoms-occurred for 30 to90 minutes after the consumption of the food containing soy; then thechildren suffered fatal asthma attacks. All had been able to eat soy withoutany adverse reactions right up until the dinner that caused their deaths.The Swedish study was not the first to report "fatal events" after eatingsoy. Food anaphylaxis is most often associated with reactions to peanuts,tree nuts, shellfish and occasionally fish or milk, but soy has its own rapsheet. Anaphylactic reactions to bread, pizzas or sausage extended with soyprotein date back at least to 1961. Subsequent studies have confirmed thatthe risk may be rare but is very real.12-20The increasing amount of "hidden" soy in the food supply is undoubtedlyresponsible for triggering many allergic reactions not attributed to soy.French researchers who studied the frequency of anaphylactic shocks causedby foods reported that the food allergen remained unknown in 25 per cent ofcases. They noted the prevalence of "hidden" and "masked" food allergens andstated that they saw "a strikingly increased prevalence of food-inducedanaphylactic shock in 1995 compared to a previous study from 1982".21 Thisperiod coincided with a huge increase in the amount of soy protein added toprocessed foods. (In fact, the amount has continued to rise. Per capitaconsumption of soy protein increased from 0.78 g/day in 1998 to 2.23 g/dayin 2002, according to industry estimates obtained by the Solae Companywhich, in March 2004, filed a petition seeking FDA approval of a healthclaim for soy protein and cancer reduction.21a)None of these studies has attracted much media attention. Nor have healthagencies issued alerts. For example, Ingrid Malmheden Yman, PhD, of theSweden National Food Administration and co-author of the study, wrote to theMinistry of Health in New Zealand at the request of an allergy sufferer. Twoyears before the article (first published in Swedish) came out in English,she informed the agency that children with severe allergy to peanut shouldavoid intake of soy protein. To be on the safe side, she further advisedparents to make an effort to "avoid sensitisation" by limiting consumptionof both peanuts and soybeans during the third trimester of pregnancy andduring breastfeeding, and by avoiding the use of soy formula.22Controversy has raged since the 1920s as to whether or not babies could besensitised to allergens while still in utero. In 1976, researchers learnedthat the foetus is capable of producing IgE antibodies against soy proteinduring early gestation, and newborns can be so sensitised through thebreastmilk of the mother that they later react to foods they've "nevereaten".23, 24 Families who need to take these precautions seriously includethose with known peanut and/or soy allergies, vegetarians who wouldotherwise eat a lot of soy foods during pregnancy or breastfeeding, andparents considering the use of soy infant formula.Because the numbers of children with allergies to peanuts are increasing, wecan expect to see greater numbers of children and adults reacting severelyto soy. Peanuts and soybeans are members of the same botanical family, thegrain-legume type, and scientists have known for years that people allergicto one are often allergic to the other.Other children at risk for an undetected but potentially life-threateningsoy allergy include those with allergies to peas, lima beans or other beans,a diagnosis of asthma, rhinitis, eczema or dermatitis, or family memberswith a history of any of those diseases. Reactions to foods in the samebotanical family can be cumulative, resulting in symptoms far more severethan either alone.25-32 SOY'S ALLERGENIC PROTEINSScientists are not completely certain which components of soy cause allergicreactions. They have found at least 16 allergenic proteins, and someresearchers pinpoint as many as 25 to 30. Laboratories report immune systemresponses to multiple fractions of the soy protein, with no particularfraction being the most consistently antigenic, i.e., capable of causing theproduction of an antibody.33-36Some of the most allergenic fractions appear to be the Kunitz andBowman-Birk trypsin inhibitors. Food processors have tried in vain todeactivate these troublesome proteins completely without irreparablydamaging the remainder of the soy protein (see chapter 12). Having failed toaccomplish this, the soy industry has decided to promote these"antinutrients" as cancer preventers. To date, its proof remains slim,although cancer statistics might improve if enough people died fromanaphylactic shock first.Although extremely rare, death from allergic reaction to trypsin inhibitorhas been a matter of public record since the New England Journal of Medicinecarried a report in 1980.37, 38 The Kunitz trypsin inhibitor has beenidentified as one of three allergic components in soy lecithin-a soy productoften considered hypoallergenic (i.e., it has diminished potential forcausing an allergic reaction) because it is not supposed to include any soyprotein, but invariably contains trace amounts.39Soybean lectin-another antinutrient now promoted as a disease preventer-hasalso been identified as an allergen.40 Whenever there is a damagedintestinal lining or "leaky gut", soy lectins can easily pass into thebloodstream, triggering allergic reactions (see chapter 14). Indeed, this isvery likely because both soy allergens and saponins (an antinutrientdiscussed in chapter 15) can damage the intestines.Histamine toxicity can also resemble allergic reactions. In allergicpersons, mast cells release histamine, causing a response that stronglyresembles an allergic reaction to food. In cases of histamine toxicity, thehistamine comes ready-made in the food. This is most often associated withreactions to cheese and fish, but soy sauce also contains high levels ofhistamine. Researchers who have calculated the histamine content of foodsconsumed at a typical oriental meal report that histamine intake may easilyapproach toxic levels.41 PROCESSING MATTERSThe way that the soybean is grown, harvested, processed, stored and preparedin the kitchen can affect its allergenicity. Raw soybeans are the mostallergenic, while old-fashioned fermented products (miso, tempeh, natto,shoyu and tamari) are the least. Modern soy protein products processed byheat, pressure and chemical solvents lose some of their allergenicity, butnot all. Partially hydrolysed proteins and soy sprouts, which are quickly orminimally processed, remain highly allergenic.42, 43The industry newsletter, The Soy Connection, states that highly refined oilsand lecithin "are safe for the soy-allergic consumer".44Unfortunately, many allergic persons who have trusted such reassurances haveended up in the hospital. Highly susceptible people cannot use eithersafely. Adverse reactions to soy oils-taken either by mouth as food or viatube-feeding-range from the nuisance of sneezing to the life-threateningdanger of anaphylactic shock.45-51If soy oil and lecithin were 100 per cent free of soy protein, they wouldnot provoke allergic symptoms. Variable conditions and the quality controland processing methods used when the vegetable oil industry separatessoybean protein from the oil make the presence of at least trace amounts ofsoy protein possible, even likely. Though healthier in many respects, thecold-pressed soy oils sold in health food stores can be deadly for theallergic consumer. They may contain as much as 100 times the amount of traceprotein found in the highly refined soy oils sold in supermarkets.52, 53Soy protein is likely to appear in margarine. Above and beyond any strayprotein that remains after the processing of the soy oil, soy proteinisolates or concentrates are commonly used by food manufacturers to improvethe texture or spreadability of these products. This occurs most often inlow-fat or "low trans" products (see chapter 6). PARENT WARNING! HIDDEN SOY - HIDDEN SOY ALLERGIES If your child is allergic to peanuts, you must eliminate all soy aswell as all peanuts from your child's diet. Your child's life may dependupon it. Take care, even if your child has never reacted poorly to soy in thepast. Some sensitive children have "hidden" soy allergies that manifest forthe first time with a severe-even fatal-reaction to even the low levels of"hidden" soy commonly found in processed food products. Those at the highestrisk suffer from asthma as well as peanut allergy. Other risk factors are other food allergies, a family history ofpeanut or soy allergies, a diagnosis of asthma, rhinitis or eczema, or afamily history of these diseases. (Source: Letter from Ingrid Malmheden Yman, PhD, Senior Chemist,Sweden National Food Administration, to the New Zealand Ministry of Health,30 May 1997) HIDDEN DANGERPeople allergic to soy protein face constant danger. Hidden soy exists inthousands of everyday foods, cosmetics and industrial products such as inks,cardboards, paints, cars and mattresses. The four Swedish fatalities areonly the best known of thousands of reported cases of people who experiencedsevere allergic reactions to soy after inadvertently eating foods thatcontained soybean proteins.54-56Of 659 food products recalled by the FDA in 1999, 236 (36 per cent) weretaken off the market because of undeclared allergens. The three factorsresponsible for the undeclared allergens were: omissions and errors onlabels (51 per cent), cross contamination of manufacturing equipment (40 percent), and errors made by suppliers of ingredients (five per cent). Itwasn't inspectors, however, but ticked-off US consumers who fingered 56 percent of the undeclared allergens.57During 2002, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), which takes soyallergies seriously, recalled bagels, doughnuts, rolls, pizza and otheritems containing undeclared soy protein.58 Although agencies in manycountries claim to be stepping up efforts to enforce labelling laws,enforcement is difficult even when officials make it a priority. The chiefproblem is that few methods reliably detect and quantify minute amounts ofallergens in foods.59Even when soy-containing ingredients are accurately listed on food labels,consumers may easily miss the soy connection. A 2002 study of 91 parents ofchildren allergic to peanuts, milk, egg, soy, and/or wheat revealed thatmost parents failed to identify allergenic food ingredients correctly, andthat milk and soy presented the most problems. Only 22 per cent of theparents with soy allergies correctly identified soy protein in sevenproducts. The researchers concluded, "These results strongly support theneed for improved labelling with plain-English terminology and allergenwarnings as well as the need for diligent education of patients readinglabels".60 THE MARGARINE CONNECTION Allergies to pollen dust, dander and foods are on the increasewherever margarine replaces butter. That's the conclusion of Finnishresearchers who found that children who developed allergies ate less butterand more margarine compared with children who did not develop allergies.Nearly all commercially marketed margarines are made with soy oil. The study showed that children with eczema, dermatitis and other itchyskin conditions consumed an average of 8 grams of margarine for every 1,000calories compared to 6 grams among children without allergies, and 9 gramsof butter compared to 11 grams of butter or more among the children withoutthe allergies. Laboratory testing revealed that the allergic children had a higherratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fat and a lower percentage of myristicacid (an indicator of saturated fat intake) than children without allergies.They also showed lower levels of the EPA/DHA polyunsaturated oils found infish. The inescapable conclusion: butter is better. (Source: Dunder, T., Kuikka L. et al., "Diet, serum fatty acids andatopic diseases in childhood", Allerg 2001, 56(5):425-428) CLEARING THE AIRAllergic reactions occur not only when soy is eaten but when soybean flouror dust is inhaled. Among epidemiologists, soybean dust is known as an"epidemic asthma agent". From 1981 to 1987, soy dust from grain silounloading in the harbour of Barcelona, Spain, caused 26 epidemics of asthma,seriously jeopardising the health of 687 people and leading to 1,155hospitalisations. No further epidemics occurred after filters wereinstalled, but a minor outbreak in 1994 established the need for diligentmonitoring of preventive measures.61, 62Reports of the epidemic in Barcelona led epidemiologists in New Orleans toinvestigate cases of epidemic asthma that occurred from 1957 to 1968 whenmore than 200 people sought treatment at Charity Hospital. Investigations ofweather patterns and cargo data from the New Orleans harbour identified soydust from ships carrying soybeans as the probable cause. No association wasfound between asthma epidemic days and the presence of wheat or corn onships in the harbour. The researchers concluded, "The results of thisanalysis provide further evidence that ambient soy dust is very asthmogenicand that asthma morbidity in a community can be influenced by exposures inthe ambient atmosphere".63The first report of "occupational asthma" appeared in the Journal of Allergyin 1934. W. W. Duke described six persons whose asthma was triggered by dustfrom a nearby soybean mill and predicted that soy could become a major causeof allergy in the future.64 Today it is well established that soybean dustis an occupational hazard of working in bakeries, animal feed factories,food processing plants, and health food stores and co-ops with bulk bins.Dust explosions are a safety hazard at soybean processing plants.64-68Most victims develop their "occupational asthma" over a period of time. Inone well-documented case, a 43-year-old woman spent six years working at afood processing plant, in which soybean flour was used as a meat extender,before she developed asthma. Symptoms of sneezing, coughing and wheezingwould begin within minutes of exposure to soy flour and resolve two hoursafter the exposure ceased.69Rare reactions to soy have also occurred in asthmatic patients usinginhalers with bronchodilators containing soy-derived excipients.Bronchospasms with laryngospasms and cutaneous rash have occurred even inpatients who were otherwise not affected by soy allergy.70 FORMULA FOR DISASTER: AROUND THE WORLD WITH SOY ALLERGIES Allergic reactions occur to soy formula in children all over theworld, particularly those affected by other allergies: . Victoria, Australia - Soy milk allergies in 47 per cent of 97children with cow's milk allergies; . Berlin, Germany - Soybean allergies in 16 per cent of children withatopic dermatitis; . Bonn, Germany - Soybean allergies in 10 per cent of children withsuspected food allergy; . Milan, Italy - Soybean allergies in 17 per cent of children withfood intolerance; soybean allergies in 21 per cent of 704 atopic children; . Rome, Italy - Soy allergies found in 22 per cent of 371 childrenwith food allergy; . Malmö, Sweden - Soybean allergies in 35 per cent of infants withcow's milk allergies; . San Diego, USA - Soybean allergies found in 25 per cent of infantssensitive to cow's milk; . Bangkok, Thailand - Soybean allergies in 17 per cent of childrensensitive to cow's milk; . Thailand - Soy allergies in 4 per cent of 100 asthmatic children; . New Haven, CT, USA - Soy and milk allergies found in 62 per cent andsoy and gluten allergies found in 35 per cent of infants and children withmultiple gastrointestinal allergies; . Ohio, USA - Sensitivity to soy formula found in 5 per cent of 148children with respiratory allergies. (Source: Literature review on Dr Matthias Besler's website,http://www.food-allergens.de.contents-2000.htmlfor full citations, see endnotes 110-121) FUDGING STATISTICS ON SOY INFANT FORMULAFor years, the soy industry billed soy formula as "hypoallergenic". HermanFrederic Meyer, MD, of the Department of Pediatrics, Northwestern UniversityMedical School, Chicago, categorised soy formulas as "hypoallergicpreparations" in his 1961 textbook, Infant Foods and Feeding Practice, andnamed Mull Soy, Sobee, Soyalac and Soyola products as good examples.71Over the years, the soy industry has promoted this and similarmisinformation in advertising, labels and educational literature by ignoringrelevant studies in favour of largely irrelevant studies based on guineapigs.72, 73As late as 1989, John Erdman, PhD, a researcher honoured in 2001 by the soyindustry for his "outstanding contributions to increasing understanding andawareness of the health benefits of soy foods and soybean constituents",claimed "hypoallergenicity" for soy in the American Journal of ClinicalNutrition. A subsequent Letter to the Editor corrected his misinformation.74,75The soy industry today has shifted from claiming hypoallergenicity for soyto minimising its extent. That has been fairly easy, for no one seems toknow quite how many sufferers there are. Estimates are rough at best becausediagnoses of allergy include anything from parental complaints of spitting,fussiness, colic and vomiting to laboratory provings using RAST and ELISAtests, to clinical challenges and elimination diets.Because the tests are not completely reliable and anecdotal evidence tendsto be taken lightly, many cases are not counted. The figures cited mostoften delineate 0.3 to 7.5 per cent of the population as allergic to cow'smilk and 0.5 to 1.1 per cent as allergic to soy. However, evidence suggeststhat soy protein is at least as antigenic as milk protein, especially whengastrointestinal complaints and delayed hypersensitivity (non-IgE) reactionsare taken into account.76-81On the soy industry website "Soy and Human Health", Clare Hasler, PhD, ofthe University of Illinois Urbana, Champaign, picks the low 0.5 per centfigure and claims that soy protein is rated 11th among foods in terms ofallergenicity.82This may have been true in the 1970s (her source is dated 1979), but soy iswidely acknowledged as one of the "big eight" today.Indeed, one prominent researcher puts soy in the "top six" and another inthe "top four" foods causing hypersensitivity reactions in children.83, 84Soy formula is a far from optimal solution for bottle-fed infants who areallergic to dairy formulas. The plant oestrogens in soy can interfere withproper development of the infant's thyroid, brain and reproductive systems.Soy formula also falls short as a solution to cow's milk allergy (seechapter 22 and elsewhere in this article).Symptoms such as diarrhoea, bloating, vomiting and skin rashes sometimes goaway when infants are switched from dairy formula to soy, but the relief isusually only temporary. In many infants, the symptoms return with avengeance within a week or two.As Dr Stefano Guandalini, of the Department of Pediatrics, University ofChicago, writes, "A significant number of children with cow's milk proteinintolerance develop soy protein intolerance when soy milk is used in dietarymanagement".85Interestingly enough, researchers recently detected and identified a soyprotein component that cross-reacts with caseins from cow's milk.86 Crossreactions occur when foods are chemically related to each other.Adverse reactions caused by soybean formulas occur in at least 14 to 35 percent of infants allergic to cow's milk, according to Dr Matthias Besler ofHamburg, Germany, and the international team of allergy specialists who helphim with the informative website, http://www.food-allergens.de/contents-2000.html Dr Guandalini's helpful website, http://www.emedicine.com/ped/topic2128.htm reports the results of an unpublished study of 2,108 infantsand toddlers in Italy, of which 53 per cent of the babies under three monthsold who had reacted poorly to dairy formula also reacted to soy formula.Although experts generally attribute this high level of reactivity to theimmature-hence vulnerable-digestive tract of infants, this study showed that35 per cent of the children over one year old who were allergic to cow'smilk protein also developed an allergy to soy protein. In all, 47 per centhad to discontinue the soy formula.88Infants who are allergic to dairy formulas are allergic to soy formulas sooften that researchers have begun advising paediatricians to stoprecommending soy and start prescribing hypoallergenic hydrolysed casein orwhey formulas.A study of 216 infants at high risk for developing allergies revealedcomparable levels of eczema and asthma whether they were drinking cow's milkformula or the more "hypoallergenic" soy formula.Upon conclusion of the study, the message was clear: only "exclusivebreastfeeding or feeding with a partial whey hydrolysate formula isassociated with the lower incidence of atopic disease and food allergy. Thisis a cost-effective approach to the prevention of allergic disease inchildren".89No one can make a good argument that soy formula is hypoallergenic, but manystill say that its soy proteins may be less sensitising than cow's milkproteins. When babies develop soy intolerance, the blame tends to go toearlier damage done to the intestines by cow's milk protein.90This has led some physicians to recommend starting infants off from birth onsoy formula. This does not stop a tendency to develop food allergies. As C.D. May, of the Department of Pediatrics, National Jewish Hospital andResearch Center, Denver, put it, "Feeding a soy product from birth for 112days did not prevent a brisk antibody response to cow milk introducedsubsequently, comparable to or greater than the antibody response seen whencow milk products were fed from birth".91 BOWELLED OVERPeople diagnosed with "allergic colitis" suffer from bloody diarrhoea,ulcerations and tissue damage, particularly to the sigmoid area of thedescending colon. The leading cause in infants is cow's milk allergy, but 47to 60 per cent of those infants react the same way to soy formula.Curiously, inflammatory changes in the mucus lining of the intestines appeareven in infants who seem to be tolerating soy: no diarrhoea, no hives, noblood in the stool or other obvious allergic signs. One study showed thatclinical reactions occurred in 16 per cent of the children on soy formula,but that histological and enzymological intestinal damage occurred in anadditional 38 per cent of the children. This second group showed damage tothe intestinal cells and tissues as viewed under a microscope and throughblood tests, indicating increased levels of xylose (an indigestible sugarused to diagnose "leaky gut" and other intestinal disorders). Theresearchers also found depleted levels of sucrase, lactase, maltase andalkaline phosphatase-evidence that the infants' digestive capacity wascompromised, their stress levels were increased and immune systemschallenged.92Most gastrointestinal problems connected to soy formula involve non-IgEdelayed immune reactions.93 However, local IgE reactions may contribute tothese problems by triggering the formation of immune complexes that alterthe permeability of the gut mucosa. As C. Carini, the lead author in anAnnals of Allergy study published in 1987, wrote, "The resultant delayedonset symptoms could be viewed as a form of serum sickness with few or manytarget organs affected".94The baby's small intestine is at special risk. Scanning electron microscopyand biopsies have revealed severe damage to the small intestine, includingflattening and wasting away of the projections (known as villi) and cellularovergrowth of the pits (known as crypts). Allergic reaction may not be thesole cause here, as the observed destruction dovetails with that caused bysoy antinutrients known as lectins and saponins, with the lectins possiblydoing double duty as allergic proteins (see chapters 14 and 15). Villi arethe projections clustered over the entire mucous surface of the smallintestine where nutrient absorption takes place. Flattening and atrophy ofthe villi lead to malnutrition and failure to thrive, with a clinicalpicture very similar to that found in children and adults afflicted withcoeliac disease.95-97Coeliac disease is a serious malabsorption syndrome most commonly associatedwith gluten (a protein fraction found in wheat and some other grains) anddairy intolerance. Few people know that there is also a connection with soy.Some adults with coeliac disease experience diarrhoea, headache, nausea andflatulence even on a gluten-free diet when they eat a tiny amount of soy.And a study of 98 infants and children with multiple gastrointestinalallergies revealed that 62 per cent had both soy and milk allergies and 35per cent both soy and gluten.98, 99 OUTGROWING SOY ALLERGIESAllergy specialists say that "most" young children "outgrow" theirsensitivities.100 This makes sense-to a point. If infants develop soyallergies because of immature digestive tracts and immune systems, the riskof developing a soy allergy would decrease with age and many children wouldoutgrow their soy allergies. Yet other studies-even by the sameauthors-reveal that only a minority of subjects outgrows them.One study showed that only 26 per cent of children suffering from soy, egg,milk, wheat and peanut allergies lost their hypersensitivity after one year.While peanut-soy's even more allergenic relative-may have skewed thoseresults, another study found that only two out of eight infants outgrew soyallergies after 25 months.101-103And many children who "successfully" outgrow food allergies developrespiratory allergies. A study of 322 children showed that only six per centstill experienced food sensitivity after five years, but 40 per cent ofthose children "grew into" respiratory allergies. This was true for milk,egg, chocolate, soy and cereals, in that order.104 Yet this study is oftencited as proof that most children "successfully" outgrow their allergies.Children are more likely to outgrow allergies to cow's milk or soy thanallergies to peanuts, fish or shrimp, but will continue to react to them ifthey eat these foods often enough. And treatment of these allergies requirestotal exclusion of the offending food. Soy-induced enterocolitis, forexample, will resolve after six months to two years of strictly avoidingsoy.105 As families of allergic youngsters know, keeping soy off the dinnertable and out of the meals and snacks provided at daycare centres andschools can be challenging. Even in non-vegetarian families, soy isubiquitous in the processed food supply. As a result, sensitisation to soyhas increased, is not necessarily outgrown, and can either re-emerge ordevelop later in life. FRANKENSOY'S MONSTERSoy allergies may also be on the rise because of genetically modified (GM)soybeans. The York Nutritional Laboratories in the UK, one of Europe'sleading laboratories specialising in food sensitivity, found a 50 per centincrease in soy allergies in 1998, the very year in which geneticallyengineered beans were introduced to the world market. York's researchersnoted that one of the 16 proteins in soybeans most likely to cause allergicreactions was found in concentrations higher by 30 per cent or more inMonsanto's GM soybeans. The York researchers sent their findings to BritishHealth Secretary Frank Dobson, urging the government to act on theinformation and impose an instant ban on GM food, pending further safetytests being conducted. Dr Michael Antonion, a molecular pathologist at Guy'sHospital in central London, observed: "This is a very interesting ifslightly worrying development. It points to the fact that far more work isneeded to assess their safety. At the moment, no allergy tests are carriedout before GM foods are marketed and that also needs to be looked at."106,107People allergic to GM soybeans may not even be allergic to soy. The culpritcan be foreign proteins introduced into the soybean. People allergic toBrazil nuts but not to soy have shown allergies to GM soybeans in whichBrazil nut proteins were inserted to increase the level of methionine andimprove the overall amino acid profile of soy.108Scientists say that such problems can be prevented by doing IgE-bindingstudies, by accounting for physicochemical characteristics of proteins andreferring to known allergen databases. That might have identified the Brazilnut problem, but there is no way to assess the risk of de novosensitisation, which happens when experiments generate new allergens.109 ? READER'S SURVIVAL GUIDE: KICKING SOY OUT OF YOUR LIFEThose who are allergic to soy must exclude all soy from their diets. Thiscan be a challenge. Soy lurks in nearly everything these days, even inproducts where we would not reasonably expect it. In the USA, it's inBumblebee canned tuna, Chef Boyardee Ravioli, Hershey's chocolate, many ofthe Baskin Robbins 31 flavours, McDonalds and other fast-food burgers, somePizza Hut pizzas, many luncheon meats, most breads, muffins, doughnuts,lemonade mixes, hot chocolate, some baby foods, and tens of thousands ofother popular products.If you absolutely must keep soy out of your life or that of your children,memorise the following:. Soy goes by many aliases. Food processors are less likely to list thethree-letter word "soy" than a technical term such as "textured vegetableprotein (TVP), "textured plant protein", "hydrolysed vegetable protein(HVP)", "vegetable protein concentrate", "vegetable oil" or "MSG (monosodiumglutamate)". Ingredient lists also include words such as "lecithin","vegetable oil", "vegetable broth", "bouillon", "natural flavour" or"mono-diglyceride" that do not necessarily, but are likely to, come fromsoy.. Food labels and ingredient lists change. Check them every single time.Manufacturers can switch the ingredients used in food products withoutwarning. Allergic consumers need to check the labels every time they make apurchase and ask about ingredients every time they eat at a restaurant orpurchase food at a deli. To make things easier, many allergic people carrycards listing foods on their "no" lists.. Products may be mislabelled or contain undeclared soy. The only solutionhere is to hope and pray, and make your own food from scratch using knowningredients.. Cross-contamination occurs. Improperly cleaned pans, plates, utensils andcutting boards at restaurant or delis, bins at health food stores or vats atthe factory can contaminate food with traces of soy. All it takes is a bitof old soy oil or soy protein residue to trigger severe reactions in peoplewho are highly susceptible.. Soy may be in the package as well as its contents. Soy protein isolateused in the manufacture of paperboard boxes can flake off and migrate intofood. In the future, some foods may be shrink-wrapped in an edible soy-basedplastic.. Soy can be breathed in as well as eaten. Expect soy dust in some bakeriesand shipyards, and in the bulk bin aisle of your health food store.. Soy may be in your pills. Vitamins, over-the-counter drugs andprescriptions may contain an unwanted dose of soy. Beware of pills with soyoil bases, vitamin E derived from soy oil, and soy components such asisoflavones. The inhaler Atrovent is just one of many pharmaceuticalproducts containing unexpected soy.. Soy is the latest thing in just about everything. Soy inks, paints,plastics, carpets, mattresses, cars, etc. are just a few of the industrialproducts that may be green for the environment but deadly for highlyallergic persons.. Kiss with care. Finally, someone who is exquisitely sensitive to soy coulddie from contact with the lips of someone who has just eaten soy. Unlikelyas this might seem, it has happened with peanuts, soy's even more allergenicrelative. ? About the Author:Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, CCN, is the author of The Whole Soy Story: The DarkSide of America's Favorite Health Food (NewTrends Publishing, 2004). She isa board-certified clinical nutritionist and a health educator who teachesclasses and workshops on disease prevention, optimum health and maximumlongevity. Dr Daniel can be reached through her website,http://www.wholesoystory.com Endnotes:1. Berger, Stuart. Dr. Berger's Immune Power Diet (NY, New American Library,1986).2. 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