The Food Allergy Research and Resource Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has been researching the issue for more than 20 years. Dr. Melanie Downs is an assistant professor with the program. Her research focuses on the identification, characterization, and detection of food allergens. She also works with the food industry on food allergen management. We asked her some of the questions we’ve received at Best Food Facts.

What is the cause of most food allergies?

Dr. Downs: “A food allergy occurs in certain individuals whose immune systems have generated a particular type of antibody — IgE – which specifically recognizes proteins from a particular food. After these IgE antibodies have developed and the person consumes the food in question, interaction of the food proteins with the IgE antibodies will result in the release of substances in the body (e.g histamine), which will cause symptoms of an allergic reaction.”

“While it has been known for many years that food-specific IgE is required to develop a food allergy, it’s still unknown exactly why certain individuals develop IgE against foods and other individuals don’t.  Having food-specific IgE antibodies is necessary for an allergic reaction but some individuals who have such antibodies do not experience allergic reactions on ingestion of the food.”

If someone is allergic to soy, what is the part of the food that causes a reaction?

Dr. Downs: “The food components responsible for soy allergies, like nearly all food allergies, are the naturally occurring proteins in the food. Foods can have a number of different allergenic proteins, and allergic individuals may react to one or more of these allergens.”

If you are allergic to soy, should you avoid foods cooked in soy oil? Find out here.

What are the typical reactions that indicate a food allergy?

Dr. Downs: “The symptoms of an allergic reaction to foods can involve various different organ systems, including the following:

• skin – hives, swelling, eczema
• respiratory tract – runny nose, throat swelling, asthma
• gastrointestinal tract – nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain
• cardiac system – low blood pressure, arrhythmia

“Severe allergic reactions can also result in anaphylaxis, shock, and death. The type of symptoms experienced during a food-allergic reaction can vary widely between allergic individuals and between reactions for a single individual.”

What’s the difference between a food allergy and a food intolerance?

Dr. Downs: “The primary difference between food allergies and food intolerances is that the biological mechanisms for food allergies involve the immune system, while the mechanisms for intolerances do not. In most cases, food allergies are also generally considered to present more severe and immediate health risks than intolerances; sulfite-induced asthma is an exception as it is not an allergic reaction but can cause immediate and severe reactions.”

Do soy allergies usually begin in childhood or later in life?

Dr. Downs: “Soy allergies have historically developed most commonly in infancy or early childhood, which is similar to milk, egg, and wheat allergies. The development of soy allergy in infancy may be related to the use of soy formula as a substitute for milk formula.  As that practice is decreasing, the prevalence of soy allergy in infancy may decrease as well.  It is possible to develop a food allergy later in life as well.”

Are soy allergies becoming more common?

Dr. Downs: “While there is some evidence that food allergies in general are becoming more common, it is difficult to get good estimates of the prevalence of allergies to some individual foods, including soy. If the rates of soy allergy are increasing at all, they do not appear to be increasing any faster than other food allergies.”

What are some common misconceptions about food allergies?

Dr. Downs: “Some consumers with histories of serious allergic reactions do not seek advice from an allergist and do not carry the life-saving drug, epinephrine. They should do both.”

Food allergies are caused when a person’s immune system creates a particular type of antibody. Soy allergies are caused by the protein. Reactions can vary; if you have a serious reaction, consult with a physician.

The post Think You Might Have a Soy Allergy? appeared first on Best Food Facts.

Dr. Steve Taylor is the founder of the Food Allergy Research and Resource Program at the University of Nebraska and has provided his expertise to answer these questions.

If you believe you have an allergy, Dr. Taylor said it is very important to visit your doctor or an allergist because it could be a serious health issue. Palm oil is not considered to be a likely cause of allergic reaction.

“In my opinion, palm oil would be rather unlikely to be the cause of a food allergy,” he said, then explained why. “Food allergies are caused by proteins, and oils typically contain very low levels of protein. The likelihood of allergic sensitization to these proteins seems very low to non-existent, in my opinion.”

“If consumers believe they are adversely affected by ingestion of palm oil, then they can avoid eating it,” Dr. Taylor advised.

That will not be easy. Palm oil is one of the most commonly used vegetable oils in the world. The World Wildlife Fund offers an interactive chart that shows products that contain palm oil and why. It is used in foods such as bread, instant noodles, cookies and chocolate, as well as other products including lipstick and detergent. Even though the oil is common, that is the only part of the palm plant that is consumed.

“We don’t typically eat other foods derived from palm species, so sensitization by that route also seems unlikely. Coconut is a product of palm trees but coconut oil and palm oil are derived from different species of palm,” Dr. Taylor said.

In another Best Food Facts post Palm Oil, Refined Oil and Allergies Dr. Taylor provided insight into how refined oils are processed and why they are unlikely to cause a reaction, “The allergens in soybean are found in the protein fraction of the soybean seed. The proteins are removed during the refining process. That is why highly refined soybean oil is safe. Palm and palm kernel oil should contain no soy protein. Palm and palm kernel oils should also not contain any soy oil. Thus these oils should present no risk to soy-allergic consumers,” he said.

One of our readers asked whether there have been scientific studies on palm oil allergies.

“No, palm oil allergy has not been described in clinical literature. That said, coconut allergy is described in clinical literature, but it’s not common, and it is the only allergy to a food from the palm family. Coconut oil is not known to be allergenic, even in those with coconut allergy, because of its very low protein content,” he said.

Dr. Taylor suggested that because palm oil is not eaten alone, but rather as an ingredient, there might be allergic reactions to another ingredient in the food.

Some food companies and retailers have recently made the decision to produce or sell products that are free of palm oil. This move was prompted by concerns about the sustainability of palm oil production, not because of allergy risks.

Palm oil is a common ingredient used in many foods. Palm oil is generally not considered a cause of allergic reactions. If you are experiencing problems you think are associated with palm oil or allergies, please visit your physician or allergist.

Originally published July 7, 2013

_{“Flowering Palm, Torquay” by Torquay Palms is licensed under CC BY SA.}

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According to Dr. Stephen Taylor, no one knows the exact answer to why the prevalence of food allergies is increasing. He doubts any experts would hypothesize that chemicals used in food production play a role in the prevalence of food allergies. He explains other theories that seem much more plausible, but have not been proven, like cleanliness, c-section births and avoidance of specific foods.

Best Food Facts received a reader question asking, “Why is there such an increase in food-related allergies, such as peanut, eggs, and gluten? Could it be the chemicals that are used in the production?” We reached out to Dr. Stephen Taylor, Professor and Co-Director of the University of Nebraska Food Allergy Research & Resource Program, for his expert insight.

Is there an increase in the prevalence of food allergies? Or does it just seem that way?

Dr. Taylor:

“Most experts do believe that there’s a genuine increase in food allergies. Certainly, diagnoses have improved over the last 25 years, so some of the increase may just be attributable to better diagnoses. Even so, there’s been a genuine increase in doctor-diagnosed food allergies as well. Self-diagnosed food allergies are not very reliable.”

Can you explain the difference between food allergy and food intolerance?

Dr. Taylor:

“My definition is that allergies are abnormal responses of the human immune system to naturally-occurring proteins in foods. More than one kind of immune mechanism can be involved. Peanut allergy, for example, has a different immune mechanism than gluten sensitivity. There are also intolerances due to foods that do not involve abnormal responses of the immune system and for the most part, those illnesses have milder symptoms. For example, lactose intolerance leads some people to restrict their dairy product intake, but they don’t have to avoid it nearly as carefully as someone with a true milk allergy.”

Why is there such an increase in food-related allergies, such as peanut, eggs, and gluten?

Dr. Taylor:

“Well, experts really don’t know for sure why there is an increase in food-related allergies, but there are several theories.

• The one that’s gotten the most publicity is called the hygiene hypothesis. It hypothesizes that we’re too clean and, therefore, our immune system doesn’t have very much to be concerned about. Instead, it becomes mischievous and gives us allergies. It’s been very well noted that consumers in societies where hygiene is not that high seem to have lower prevalence of food allergies.
• Another theory that has been pretty clearly demonstrated is the increase in prevalence of birth by caesarean section because a baby born by caesarean does not acquire his mother’s gastrointestinal bacteria during the birthing process. The immunities that the baby might acquire during the birthing process may be quite important in preventing the development of food allergies, so babies born via caesarean seem to be at higher risk.
• Another theory that’s been discussed but has little proof is the change in weaning practices that have occurred over the last three decades. We put a lot of emphasis on avoiding solid foods and weaning babies a little bit later in life, sometimes at 2-to-3 years old. And it seems like a good idea to avoid allergens in food, but that may not be the best course. There’s some evidence that suggests early introduction of certain kinds of solid foods into the baby’s diet may actually promote tolerance of those foods, rather than the development of food allergies. Recently completed research in England indicates that early ingestion of peanuts may help to prevent the development of peanut allergy, but parents should seek advice from their pediatrician or allergist because there are some important caveats to that advice.”

When should parents start feeding certain foods to their children?

Dr. Taylor:

“I suggest following the recommendations set forth by The American Academy of Pediatrics.”

More information on feeding your child:

• Baby Feeding Chart
• Foods That Can Be Unsafe for Your Baby
• Baby Food Allergies
• Introducing Solid Foods at 4-6 Months

General guidelines are to start feeding solid foods at 4-6 months of age, including rice, barley, oats, avocado, apples, bananas, pears, acorn and butternut squash, sweet potatoes, and green beans. Please check with your pediatrician for more information.

Is it true that some allergists have people consume small amounts of foods they’re allergic to in order to build up tolerance?

Dr. Taylor:

“I would suggest that people talk to their allergists before they try that. The allergist may, in some cases, suggest periodically trying the food to see if you’ve outgrown your allergy, but you should do that only with expert advice. It can be a risky proposition as it is really hard to control the dose. It has to be done under expert medical guidance; doing it at home is not recommended.”

If you are experiencing problems you think are associated with food allergies, please visit your physician or allergist.

Image: “lightly roasted peanuts” by Stacey is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

The post Why Has There Been an Increase in Food Allergies? appeared first on Best Food Facts.

Does drinking milk and using other dairy products tend to cause allergies in children?

Dr. Taylor: “Milk allergies, yes of course. It is impossible to become allergic to milk if you are never exposed. The allergy is caused by drinking milk from a different species, i.e. cow’s milk.”

Why are we the only mammals that drink milk after we are weaned from our mothers?

Dr. Macrina: “The simple answer is: because we can. It is a food that’s available to us. During the hunter-gatherer times people consumed what was available. With the domestication of cattle, milk was another product that became available. Milk is a nutritious food – in addition to calcium, it contains a good amount of magnesium and potassium, two minerals that most people don’t consume in sufficient quantities. It also contains high-quality protein and some of the fatty acids in milk have health-promoting effects. If you’re trying to reduce fat intake, you can always opt for low fat or skim varieties.”

If you wish to learn more, or have questions, feel free to submit a question to the experts!

“Milk Splash” by Benjamin Horn is licensed under CC BY.

The post Does Drinking Milk Cause Allergies? appeared first on Best Food Facts.

To answer these questions, we reached out to Dr. Stephen Taylor, Professor, Food Science & Technology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Why do my children have food allergies? 

Dr. Stephen Taylor:

If children are thought to have developed food allergies, clinical diagnostic confirmation from an allergist should be sought. Children develop food allergies because their immune systems react inappropriately to specific foods and develop IgE antibodies against specific proteins from those foods. Interaction between the IgE antibodies and those proteins elicit the allergic response. Food allergy development in children is more common than in adults because many new foods are being introduced into the young child’s diet. 

Why have food allergies reached epidemic levels since GMO foods have been introduced to our food supply?

Dr. Stephen Taylor:

The prevalence of food allergies in children has increased considerably over the past 20 years. While this increase is partially coincident with the introduction of GMO foods into the American marketplace, the increasing prevalence of food allergies in children actually began 5-7 years before the introduction of GMOs. Furthermore, the food allergies that have increased the most including peanut, tree nut, egg and milk allergies are foods that are not GMO. The primary GMO foods in the U.S. are soybeans and corn. Corn allergy is and always has been rarely identified. Soybeans are among the most commonly allergenic foods but no evidence exists to suggest that the prevalence of the soybean allergy has increased over the past 20 years.

Could it be that our bodies do NOT digest them just as unmodified foods and that a significant proportion of the population is now having their bodies view many of the foods as foreign substances?

Dr. Stephen Taylor:

The digestibility of the novel proteins introduced into GM soy and corn has been assessed and they are very rapidly digested. No evidence exists that GM soy and corn are harder to digest than conventionally bred soy and corn.

Why is Europe not seeing the numbers of food allergies that the USA is seeing?

Dr. Stephen Taylor:

Europe, at least northern Europe, is seeing the exact same increased prevalence of food allergies as encountered in the USA even though GMOs are largely banned from their marketplaces. The prevalence of food allergies in some southern European countries e.g. Greece and in the eastern European countries is lower than in northern Europe (Germany, Netherlands, France, Denmark, etc.). Currently, this difference in prevalence is well documented but not yet explained.

Note: In 2015, the Food and Drug Administration approved genetically modified apples and potatoes, but these varieties won’t likely be commercially available until 2016.

Do you have a question for our experts? Submit a question here.

View our five-part video series focused on genetically modified food: 

GMO 101 

Are GMOs Safe?

Are GMOs Harmful to the Environment?

Are GM Foods Nutritionally Different?

GM Labeling

_{“peanuts” by USDA is licensed under CC BY.}

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Registered Dietitian and past president of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Connie Diekman, links up with Farrah Brown, a part-time nurse and full-time mom, to talk about whether genetically-modified foods are more or less nutritious than other foods.

We’re interested in understanding what additional questions you have for Connie. Feel free to submit questions below in the comments or here.

What did other experts say about genetically modified foods, related to nutrition and safety?  

Are GMO fruits and vegetables healthy? What about nutrition? Are GMO fruits and vegetables less nutritious than non-GMO or organic fruits and vegetables?

Dr. Peggy Lemaux, Cooperative Extension Specialist, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California-Berkley:

It’s a good question. Foods that have been genetically modified undergo testing for safety, health and nutrient value. The nutritional value of GMO foods is tested and compared against non-GMO foods. Numerous studies have shown no nutritional differences between commercially available GMO and non-GMO foods. In fact, genetic modification can actually improve the nutritional content of some foods, for example low linoleic acid canola oil that can reduce trans fat content. In these cases, the foods must be labeled to show the nutritional differences according to FDA policy.

Dr. Wayne Parrott, Professor, Plant Breeding and Genomics, University of Georgia:

It is important to note that only one GMO vegetable is currently commercially available – squash/zucchini. This vegetable, along with all other GMO foods, has undergone extensive testing to ensure the nutritional content. Before any GMO can come to market, it must undergo extensive testing to ensure that the content of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients is not inadvertently altered during the final process. For every study that finds nutritional superiority in organic produce, another finds it in GMO produce. The bottom line is to make sure you eat as many fresh fruits and vegetables as you can, regardless of whether they are organic or GMO.

Dr. Lemaux:

I’d like to add that, in general, there are not a large number of peer-reviewed studies analyzing nutritional differences between GMO and non-GMO foods. Strictly from a nutritional perspective, there is not enough data at present to show nutritional benefits from GMO or non-GMO, conventionally or organically grown foods that favors consuming them for health benefits. If the goal, however, is to promote healthy eating, it is more important for consumers to focus on eating a healthy, balanced diet, rich in fruits and vegetables. There is convincing evidence that diets rich in fresh fruits and vegetables, regardless of the methods used to produce them, improve health and are associated with reduced frequency and severity of a number of health conditions.

Do GMOs cause allergies?

Dr. Lemaux:

GM foods that are commercially-available (that is, in the grocery store), are not likely to cause allergic reactions any more so than non-GM foods. Food allergies are nothing new, and under the FDA’s biotechnology food policy, GMO foods must be labeled as such if the genetic information comes from one of the eight most common allergy-causing foods, unless the new food is shown to be allergy-free. Those foods are dairy, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, wheat, soybeans, and peanuts.

Dr. Bruce Chassy, Professor Emeritus, Biotechnology, University of Illinois:

Food allergies dramatically change the lives of people who have them. Fortunately, only a very small percentage of people are allergic to any one food.  This is because food allergy is almost always caused by specific proteins present in the offending food, but the great majority of proteins (>99.9999+%) that we consume do not cause allergies.  It is important to stress that there is no reason to believe that GM foods might cause allergies, and to date, none has.

Dr. Parrott:

The regulation goes on to say that labels are not required if they prove the gene in question is not what makes the food allergenic, which is most likely the case today, given that extensive allergy testing that takes place.

Dr. Lemaux:

All GMO foods undergo food safety testing that focuses on the source of the gene or protein product that has been introduced into the food. Even so, no food product can be deemed 100% safe, whether it be conventional (non-GMO), GMO or organic. For example, peanuts can cause severe allergies regardless of how they’re grown – so they would be considered unsafe for some people.

Dr. Martina Newell-McGloughlin, Director, University of California Systemwide Biotechnology Research and Education Program (UCBREP); Co-Director, National Institutes of Health Training Program in Biomolecular Technology; Co-Director, NSF IGERT CREATE Training Program; Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Plant Pathology, University of California-Davis:

No. In fact, the work that is being done in GMO research can, in fact, reduce allergies. There are very specific sets of indicators that determine whether a specific protein in GMOs would cause an allergic response. Those proteins that are difficult to digest cause an allergic response, causing the body to create antibodies to them. This can happen with a number of proteins, but there is nothing inherent about biotech products that would cause allergies.

Are there health risks associated with consuming GMOs?

Dr. Newell-McGloughlin:

No. GMOs are more thoroughly tested than any product produced in the history of agriculture. We use many methods to introduce desired traits – to try to get specific characteristics into our crops. With GMOs, they are thoroughly tested before any product is released into the marketplace. In all the risk assessments in over 15 years of field research and 30 years of laboratory research, there hasn’t been a single instance where there was a health risk associated with a GMO product.

Some groups say the FDA’s research on GMOs’ impacts on health is flawed. What are your thoughts on that?

Dr. Newell-McGloughlin:

In the U.S., GMOs are more highly regulated than any other methods to introduce traits into crops today, by three different agencies:

• Food and Drug Administration
• United States Department of Agriculture: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
• Environmental Protection Agency

The primary body that regulates the commercialization of GMOs is USDA-APHIS. This is a lengthy process which, for most regulation, takes several years to determine whether approval will be granted. No other product or system that is used to introduce desired traits undergoes the same level of scrutiny as do the products of modern biotechnology.

Dr. Parrott:

Although there is no indication that the FDA has made a wrong call on any GM product, the point remains that we are in a global economy.  Thus, it is not just FDA who approves these foods, but also FoodCanada, the European Food Safety Authority, the Food Standards for Australia and New Zealand, and various agencies in Japan and Korea, among others.  It is one thing to say that FDA’s procedures might be flawed;  it is another to say every major food safety agency is flawed.  Thus far, I am not aware of any situation whereby one agency gave a GM product a clean bill of health and another failed to do so.

Dr. Chassy:

There was never any scientific reason to believe that foods produced using biotechnology present any new, different or special hazards.  From a scientific perspective they pose even fewer hazards than the conventionally bred crops that we have been eating safely for millennia.  The pre-market regulatory review is intended to insure the consumer that GM foods have been checked for safety before they go to market. In the heat of the argument, we often lose sight of the fact that every expert analysis of the safety of GM crops has concluded that they are as safe as any other crop.

Still have questions? Ask an expert here.

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