Soy Allergy/intolerance

[Nic]

Hi, my son is 6 and has been gluten free for 2 years since being diagnosed with Celiac. About 2 months ago he had a colonoscopy because he still goes through very difficult cycles of constipation. The colonoscopy showed evidence of a food allergy or intolerance. So we tried taking him off milk and it really seemed to help. He started having BM's everyday comfortably. We were able to ween him off the stool softeners a little. But then he got a terrible stomach virus with diarrhea and shortly there after the nutrionist suggested add a little dairy back in to see if there was a reaction. So I allowed a couple of hersheys kisses which obviously contain milk and some cool ranch doritos which also contain milk. I didn't let him go crazy, but over a weeks time he ate a little each day. Well the next week he couldn't poop. I took him off any dairy and after a week he went back to normal. Well now after a week of pooping it seems as though he is heading into another cycle. I am very frustrated because I thought we finally found the answer. My question is whether or not a soy allergy or intolerance would cause constipation as a symptom? He tested negative for all food allergies on a RAST test.

Nicole

[hathor]

I think different people have different symptoms. I know I react that way to soy (my face also breaks out).

[Nic]

I think different people have different symptoms. I know I react that way to soy (my face also breaks out).

I was reading a web site today that had a food intoelrance/food allergy symptom matrix. Now under intolerances it listed wheat with Celiac listed along with it, dairy, fructose and yeast. Then it had allergies listed seperately which listed all the major allergens including soy. But soy was not listed with the intolerances which confused me. Can a person be intolerant to soy but not allergic? Based on that web site you would be led to believe not. It also stated that the gastro. symtoms associated with a food allergy would be more of vomiting and nausea rather that constipation and diarrhea. It claimed that constipation and diarrhea would be more likely to be an intolerance. Any truth to this? He did have a negative rast test which included soy.

Nicole

[hathor]

I'm sure you will find lots of people here who find there are more food intolerances than those four! I think that site just happens to deal with those four. If it is the one I'm thinking of, this is probably because that is the information they have developed and have for sale.

The entire issue of allergy versus intolerance is tricky since people define the terms differently. To my mind, the issue is whether one's body has an immune response to a particular food. The type of immune response and the symptoms resulting from it may differ, but it still means the food should be avoided. Sometimes folks use the term allergy to mean immediate onset, IgE moderated responses only (and even limit "immune" responses to that); sometimes the term is expanded to include delayed onset responses. The sort of responses one gets from the two tend to be different.

RAST testing only shows IgE responses. Hence, any delayed onset allergy/intolerance/sensitivity (whatever you want to call it) due to some other type of response (IgG or IgA) won't show up.

From the book Food Allergy Survival Guide: "Fortunately, soy rarely causes anaphylaxis; but unfortunately, people with soy allergy or intolerance may suffer from varying degrees of asthma, stuffy nose, intestinal inflammation and discomfort, and skin reactions. Because symptoms may be mild (but aggravating nonetheless), it is possible to go for years without realizing that soy is the root of poor health."

It is confusing given the different ways allergy is defined. Plus you can have intolerances that don't involve immune responses like lactose intolerance, which is a difficulty digesting lactose due to a shortage of the necessary enzymes.

I think that the important thing isn't the label that gets put on something, but rather if one has an adverse reaction to a particular food. No matter what that reaction is, if you have it, don't eat the food.

[Juliebove]

Soy sure can cause constipation. When my daughter was born, I wasn't producing enough milk and we had to supplement. I didn't want to give her a milk based forumla since I had been allergic to milk as a child. Turns out the poor kid is allergic to milk and soy as well as 5 other things. The soy forumla made her stool so hard she got an anal fissure.

These days, her reaction to soy is a bit different. She will double over in pain within a short time of eating it. Soybean oil doesn't seem to bother her, nor does soy lecithin, but I try not to let her have these things very often, just in case.