Soybean Allergies

Soy containing products have be touted in recent years for their health producing potential but much has come out since the spotlight has been on soy as to it’s potential problems including allergies.

Soy can create allergies because it can have similar effects related to gluten, an extremely common allergen.  A soy allergy is actually an immune response to the protein found in soy. If the body discovers that soy protein may be harmful, the immune system will create specific antibodies to it. After this inital allergic response takes place, a person will receive an immune system including histamine, in order to protect the body after consuming a soy containing product.

Soy Proteins

Researchers have identified 15 allergenic proteins in soy but are still unsure as to which component of soy may cause an allergic reaction.

Soy containing products have grown significantly in recent years and can appear or are sold as:

• Soy milk
• Soy flour
• Soy grits
• soy meal
• Soy sauce
• Soy oil
• Edamame (soy pods)
• Soy butter
• and more

Soy has become one of the most common food additives in the modern diet only second to corn and can hide in such products as:

But don’t be caught unaware: many foods that you already have in your kitchen contain some type of soy food, even if the word “soy” isn’t on the label. Here are other terms that may also imply soy ingredients:

• Glycine max
• Hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP)
• Lecithin
• Miso
• Mono-diglyceride
• Monosodium glutamate (MSG)
• Natto
• Tempeh
• Tofu
• Vegetable oil
• Vitamin E (some brands contain soy bean oil)

The use of ray soybean oil is not suspected to cause allergic reactions since it does not contain the allergen protein, however certain soy oil containing products have been reported to cause allergy symptoms.  Like many allergies, there are many factors to consider.

About the author:

Joy Humphrey is a writer about health and allergy related subjects and publishes articles in well known online and offline health magazine.

Grains, Soy, Dairy, Eggs…Allergies