Beef
Reactions to beef have been implicated in a range of conditions as shown in the following examples.
Jenkins et al found that food allergy was a major cause of infantile
colitis; beef was a problem for one of the children studied (5).
In a study of 27 people with chronic diarrhoea of unknown origin, Read et al found that, for one person, the cause was an allergy to beef (8).
Lagrue et al found links between certain foods and idiopathic
nephrotic
syndrome (kidney disease) - one of these foods was beef. (7)
Grant found that for some migraine sufferers the triggering food was beef (3).
Fiocchi et al estimate that beef allergy has an incidence of between
3.28%
and 6.52% among children with atopic dermatitis, and may be as much as
0.3% in the general population (2).
Allergies to raw beef have been identified amongst meat workers, usually leading to contact dermatitis (6).
A paper by Holland in 1995 outlined the theory that the Persian Gulf
Syndrome (PGS) was caused by beef allergy. It is supposed that during
the
first symptomless phase, as a result of the US Army immunising program,
the
soldiers developed immunity to targeted substances and also became
sensitised to other substances in the immunising sera, specifically to
beef
protein. Whilst in the war zone their diet was restricted and
essentially
free from beef so they remained healthy. On return to the US symptoms
began
to develop as a result of the change in diet (4).
Cross reactivity with milk has been noted (9) and Ayuso et al found
crossreactivity between beef, venison, lamb and milk leading them to
suggest
that pork, rather than lamb, should be included in hypoallergenic diets
(1).
Different forms of cooking can also effect the degree of sensitivity.
For
example, Werfel et al found that some of those allergic to beef were
able to
tolerate well-cooked beef but not medium-rare and rare beef and
suggested
that specific IgE antibodies to heat-labile beef proteins could be the
reason (9). Their findings indicate that some people with a beef
sensitivity may be able to tolerate well cooked beef and strengthen the
argument for very careful testing of foods - in this instance by
examining different cooking methods. The number of
amines in food is also
increased by certain forms of cooking and these can cause problems for
some people.
You can find out about testing for food intolerance in Change Your Diet and Change Your Life.
REFERENCES
(1) Ayuso R, Lehrer SB, Lopez M, Reese G, Ibanez MD, Esteban
MM, Ownby DR, Schwartz H. Identification of bovine IgG as a major
cross-reactive vertebrate meat allergen. Allergy 2000;55(4):348-54.
(2) Fiocchi A, Restani P, Riva E. Beef allergy in children. Nutrition
2000
Jun;16(6):454-7.
(3) Grant EC. Food allergies and migraine Lancet 1979;1(8123):966-9.
(4) Hollander DH. Beef allergy and the Persian Gulf syndrome. Med
Hypotheses 1995 Sep;45(3):221-2.
(5) Jenkins HR, Pincott JR, Soothill JF, Milla PJ, Harries JT. Food
allergy:
the major cause of infantile colitis. Arch Dis Child 1984
Apr;59(4):326-9.
(6) Kumar A, Freeman S. Protein contact dermatitis in food workers. Case
report of a meat sorter and summary of seven other cases. Australas J
Dermatol 1999 Aug;40(3):138-40.
(7) Lagrue G, Heslan JM, Belghiti D, Sainte-Laudy J, Laurent J. Basophil
sensitization for food allergens in idiopathic nephrotic syndrome.
Nephron
1986;42(2):123-7.
(8) Read NW, Krejs GJ, Read MG, Santa Ana CA, Morawski SG, Fordtran JS.
Chronic diarrhea of unknown origin. Gastroenterology 1980
Feb;78(2):264-71.
(9) Werfel SJ, Cooke SK, Sampson HA. Clinical reactivity to beef in
children
allergic to cow's milk. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1997 Mar;99(3):293-300.