Anaphylactic Allergies to Meat

Filed in archive Food Allergies on March 14, 2010

© TheBusyBrain

I never really believed that there were people allergic to meat. Sure, I personally know of people who do not like meat, or won't eat certain types of meat for religious reasons. But meat allergic?

Obviously, I'm misinformed. In fact, meat allergy is not that rare, and anaphylactic reactions to meat is more common that people think.

A study of 60 patients who had unexplained severe allergic reactions suggests that a compound in meat known as alpha-galactose may be the culprit, according to research presented at a meeting of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology in New Orleans.

They found immune system proteins called IgE antibodies in 25 out of 60 patients who had unexplained allergic reactions.

The strange thing is, when an anaphylaxis reaction occurs, it is often not linked to the meat consumption because typically, anaphylaxis occurs within minutes of consumption of the culprit food. In the case of meat, however, anaphylaxis can occur several hours later. Here's why:

Alpha-galactose is produced in most mammals but humans and great apes make an antibody to the sugar, Commins said.

"So the problem becomes when people make IgE antibody to this sugar and then they eat meat or dairy products that contain the sugar then they get a delayed reaction," Commins said.

The anaphylaxis may seem to appear out of the blue because the meat or dairy may have been eaten four to six hours earlier, Commins said.

Do you know anyone who is alergic to meat?