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Reports of the epidemic in Barcelona led epidemiologists in Rare reactions to soy have also occurred in asthmatic patients New Orleans to investigate cases of epidemic asthma that using inhalers with bronchodilators containing soy-derived occurred from 1957 to 1968 when more than 200 people sought excipients. Bronchospasms with laryngospasms and cutaneous treatment at Charity Hospital. Investigations of weather patterns rash have occurred even in patients who were otherwise not and cargo data from the New Orleans harbour identified soy dust affected by soy allergy.” from ships carrying soybeans as the probable cause. No association was found between asthma epidemic days and the | FUDGING STATISTICS ON SOY INFANT FORMULA presence of wheat or corn on ships in the harbour. The For years, the soy industry billed soy formula as "hypoaller- researchers concluded, "The results of this analysis provide genic". Herman Frederic Meyer, MD, of the Department of further evidence that ambient soy dust is very asthmogenic and Pediatrics, Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, that asthma morbidity in a community can be influenced by categorised soy formulas as "hypoallergic preparations" in his exposures in the ambient atmosphere".* 1961 textbook, Infant Foods and Feeding Practice, and named The first report of "occupational asthma" appeared in the Mull Soy, Sobee, Soyalac and Soyola products as good Journal of Allergy in 1934. W. W. examples.” Duke described six persons whose Over the years, the soy industry has asthma was triggered by dust from a promoted this and similar misinformation nearby soybean mill and predicted that in advertising, labels and educational lit- soy could become a major cause of . erature by ignoring relevant studies in allergy in the future.“ Today it is well Soy formula Isa far from favour of largely irrelevant studies based established at soybean dust is an optimal solution for on guinea Pies go John Erd Pap occupational hazard of working in . s late as , John Erdman, a bakeries, animal feed factories, food bottle-fed infants who are researcher honoured in 2001 by the soy processing plants, and health food allergic to dairy formulas. industry for his "outstanding contribu- stores and co-ops with bulk bins. Dust explosions are a safety hazard at soybean processing plants. tions to increasing understanding and awareness of the health benefits of soy foods and soybean constituents", claimed Most victims develop their "occupa- "hypoallergenicity" for soy in the tional asthma" over a period of time. In American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. one well-documented case, a 43-year-old woman spent six years A subsequent Letter to the Editor corrected his misinformation.” working at a food processing plant, in which soybean flour was The soy industry today has shifted from claiming hypoaller- used as a meat extender, before she developed asthma. Symptoms genicity for soy to minimising its extent. That has been fairly of sneezing, coughing and wheezing would begin within minutes easy, for no one seems to know quite how many sufferers there of exposure to soy flour and resolve two hours after the exposure are. Estimates are rough at best because diagnoses of allergy ceased.” include anything from parental complaints of spitting, fussiness, colic and vomiting to laboratory provings using RAST and ELISA tests, to clinical challenges and elimination diets. TH E MARGARI N E co N N ECTIO N Because the tests are not completely reli- able and anecdotal evidence tends to be taken lightly, many cases are not counted. The figures cited most often delineate 0.3 to Allergies to pollen dust, dander and foods are on the increase wherever margarine replaces butter. That's the conclusion of Finnish researchers who found that children who developed allergies ate less 7.5 per cent of the population as allergic to butter and more margarine compared with children who did not cow's milk and 0.5 to 1.1 per cent as allergic develop allergies. Nearly all commercially marketed margarines are to soy. However, evidence suggests that made with soy oil. soy protein is at least as antigenic as milk The study showed that children with eczema, dermatitis and other ff Protein. especially when gastrointestinal itchy skin conditions consumed an average of 8 grams of margarine compfaints and delayed hypersensitivity 4 * (non-IgE) reactions are taken into for every 1,000 calories compared to 6 grams among children account 7°"! without allergies, and 9 grams of butter compared to 11 grams of On the soy industry website "Soy and butter or more among the children without the allergies. Human Health", Clare Hasler, PhD, of the Laboratory testing revealed that the allergic children had a higher University of Illinois Urbana, Champaign, ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fat and a lower percentage of picks the low 0.5 per cent figure and claims myristic acid (an indicator of saturated fat intake) than children that soy protein is rated 11th among foods without allergies. They also showed lower levels of the EPA/DHA in terms of allergenicity.” polyunsaturated oils found in fish. This may have been true in the 1970s (her source is dated 1979), but soy is widely acknowledged as one of the "big eight" (Source: Dunder, T., Kuikka L. et al., "Diet, serum fatty acids and today. atopic diseases in childhood", Allerg 2001, 56(5):425-428) Indeed one Pr ominent researcher pus soy in ie Op Six and another 1n ie op four" foods causing hypersensitivity reactions in children.“ * The inescapable conclusion: butter is better. Rare reactions to soy have also occurred in asthmatic patients using inhalers with bronchodilators containing soy-derived excipients. Bronchospasms with laryngospasms and cutaneous rash have occurred even in patients who were otherwise not affected by soy allergy.” optimal solution for bottle-fed infants who are 28 = NEXUS Soy formula is a far from allergic to dairy formulas. THE MARGARINE CONNECTION www.nexusmagazine.com AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2004