Any thoughts on the "link" between soy milk and peanut allergies?

[etwahl]

i can't site any references, but i have read several articles where they site a possible link between soy milk and peanut (or is it just nut?) allergies.

i'm wondering what others thoughts on this are. since we do have family allergies (although not food, unless you count my lactose intolerance) i am definitely cautious. at this point, she does get soy products (no milk yet though) and the only thing i keep her away from is shellfish and nuts.

and one other question, i STILL am not eating nuts, but i eat everything else (including shellfish). should i still be concerned about ME eating nuts while bfing? i don't eat any nuts whatsoever.

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[nitaghei]

Tammy,

I'm still not eating nuts or shellfish - as per DS's ped's suggestion. She said no to both until we wean, or he's 2 - which ever comes sooner. It's sort of hard - because they are important protein sources for me (and I LOVE biscotti!), but I'd rather err on the side of caution.

Nita
mom to Neel, January 2003
dog mom to a cocker and a PWD

[deborah_r]

Oh god, I've had clams, and I've definitely had nuts! Nobody told me this. I thought I was making my sacrifice by not eating sushi!!!

Tammy - I am so confused on this soy issue right now, I never knew it was a common allergen and he had tofu so early! I thought they had soy formula because it was less allergenic than regular (I don't know much about formula...). I feel so bad that I gave him the tofu early, but he seems to be doing OK with it. I have not tried the soymilk yet.

Someone also posted about soy not even necessarily being good for adults (and possibly harmful) which just stunned me, because I thought it was some kind of wonder-food and I eat it all the time.

[COElizabeth]

Deborah,

If you aren't pregnant, I think it's fine for you to eat sushi. My understanding, anyway, is that all the warnings about deli meats, soft cheeses, and raw or undercooked fish apply to pregnant women but not to nursing women.

As for the soy, I don't know that much about it, but I think that soy formula is given to some infants not because it's less allergenic in general, but because babes who are allergic to cow's milk can often tolerate it (because they don't happen to be allergic to soy, too). Soy is definitely a common allergen, just like cow's milk, egg white, shellfish, strawberries, etc.

As for the possible health risks of too much soy, I don't know enough about that to give any advice. I did hear about the association between use of soy formula and peanut allergies, but I don't know if there is a similar concern about tofu, soy milk, etc. For most kids, I would think there would be a big difference between eating a few cubes of tofu a few times a week vs. drinking 32 oz. of soy formula every day for a year in terms of how sensitized they get, but as I said, I don't know that much about it and also think the research is relatively preliminary.

Elizabeth, Mom to James, 9-20-02
EDD #2, 10-30-04

[COElizabeth]

That's interesting, Nita. Mine never mentioned it, but then again we hardly ever talked about my nursing (other than that I was doing it). I stayed away from nuts for several months, but I did start eating them again, and I also ate shellfish. I didn't eat a whole lot of either, though, and never ate peanuts (except in Reeses!) because I don't like them.

Elizabeth, Mom to James, 9-20-02
EDD #2, 10-30-04

[nitaghei]

Our ped's very pro- BF'g and was incredibly supportive through the initial problems. So I listen to her! :)

Confession time: I actually had crab soup - once, and have had a few pecans in ice-cream - but I'm hoping that won't trigger anything. I don't care about peanuts - but I love almonds, and pesto, and some other stuff, which has been hard to resist. My feeling is that the ped is being extremely cautious (she also said no wheat until 1 year), especially because there is no family history of food allergies. But this is one piece of advice I still take seriously.

FWIW

Nita
mom to Neel, January 2003
dog mom to a cocker and a PWD

[papal]

NO NUTS? I have never heard of this.. my ped did not mention anything. I have been eating peanuts, walnuts, cashews, pecans... you name it and i have eaten it!!!

As for Soy Milk.. that is all i drink... my tummy cannot tolerate cows milk.

And as for shellfish.. i am sure i have had more than my fair share of it.

Luckily it has not affected dd in any way (that i know of). But i will be sure to read more on bfing for the next baby.. this is crazy!

[deborah_r]

I've been buying up all of the Limited Edition Haagen Daaz Black Walnut ice cream and devouring it! I guess if Kai isn't showing any reactions, we're OK.

[papal]

LOL Deborah! You make it sound delish.. i must send dh out to get some.. i have never had that flavour... hopefully you have not bought their entire stock. :)

[MartiesMom2B]

Yes, I heard that a new study just came out saying that more than 2 servings of soy is bad for adults. Particulary for the thyroid and the testicles (maybe). Is it because of the estrogen found in soy? Has any of our friends in the medical community find out about this? I'm concerned because I want to give DD soy milk. I have an appointment with our ped. on Monday, but I'm not sure how well he keeps up with new medical studies.

I know that I did read in a pregnancy magazine to be cautious about soy when pregnant because of the estrogen. . .

Sonia
Proud Mommy to Martie 4/6/03

[houseof3boys]

I am a bad girl then! I eat nuts everyday (cashews or pistachios), I eat sushi, I eat soy products, I could go on and on.

Ryan has never really shown a reaction to any of it. He seems fine with the tofu too. Early on, he showed a milk allergy from my bf, so I switched to Lactaid since I had stopped drinking soy milk for some reason I honestly cannot remember.

Yowza. My ob and Ryan's ped are not as pro breastfeeding as I would love them to be so this has never been brought up as a topic of discussion. We sure have debated about bf, but I would never trust anything either one of them said about what to eat. That's what you guys are for!!!! :)

[MartiesMom2B]

I had some sushi when I was pregnant and I also eat it now. Not as often as I'd like to since I don't have the cash flow I used to have. Martie has never had a reaction to anything that I've eaten through breast milk.

Sonia
Proud Mommy to Martie 4/6/03

[etwahl]

i was so sick in the beginning that i drank chocolate soy milk like it was going out of style - i mean i went through it. so i'm wondering if that had an effect on me/lauren (had a rough pregnancy and you all know about her as a baby).....

gee, nothing seems safe, does it?

Tammy,
Mom to Lauren Genevieve
03/12/2003
www.evantammy.com

[pritchettzoo]

Me too! I thought we were supposed to avoid it if they showed a reaction. Have Rashmi and I predisposed our DDs to nut and who-knows-what-else allergies?

ARGH!

Anna
Mama to Gracie (9/16/03)

[heidi_timms]

Okay, I just did no peanuts/peanutbutter, etc while pregnant and still not while breastfeeding. I thought it didn't apply to other nuts.

~Heidi
Mom to Kailey Ashlin
4/27/03

[Rachels]

My ped (who tends to really keep up with research) said that the rate of life-threatening peanut allergies has soared since the advent of soy formula and the popularization of soy milk. Nothing has been proven yet, but the correlation is very strong. She told me that all the red flags are there, so she would err on the side of caution for a baby with allergic tendencies. I'm not eating any peanuts (other nuts are okay if the baby is okay when you eat them), and I don't give Abby very much soy. Obviously not all babies will have any kind of reaction, but because of the severity of the reactions of SOME babies (who literally experience anaphalactic shock), it just isn't worth the risk to me. It's pretty easy to avoid lots of soy and any peanuts.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[nitaghei]

Rachel,

So it's just peanuts? So my ped is being hyper-cautious about the No Treenuts at all? I'd love to be able to eat almonds, and pesto again.

I've been giving Neel veggie "meatballs" on a fairly regular basis - which are soy - but it's more like 1 or maybe 2 servings, and not every day. Hopefully that's not too much. He doesn't get any other soy. And on days he has tofu, I don't do the "meatballs." Does that seem safe?

Nita
mom to Neel, January 2003
dog mom to a cocker and a PWD

[nathansmom]

I'm agreeing with Rachel on this one. My doctor has told us to stay away from soy products due to the fact I'm allergic to peanuts and several others in my family are too. He did state that its not really proven yet but he also feels we should err on the side of caution.

[cvharris]

Jumping in here late...

DS has recently gotten ezcema all over his back, arms and stomach and we have found that my eating nuts triggers it. He never got it until he was 7-8 months old.

I never knew about avoiding nuts before, either, while breastfeeding. I wish I had, though!

Carolee and Ben (6/14/03)

[lizajane]

my lactation consultant/breastfeeding class instructor said you can eat anything at all while nursing, but to limit caffiene and alcohol.

my ped said there is NOTHING wrong with soy and schuyler can have as much as he wants. he drinks ONLY breastmilk and soymilk and i never intend to give him dairy milk.

[nathansmom]

I don't see a problem with giving your child soy. My ped doesn't want us to only because I have peanut allergies and he doesn't want to risk it. If a family doesn't have a history of peanut allergies and they want to use soy I don't see why they shouldn't. We have been in constant contact with a ped. allergist and he also recommends that we limit soy usage because of the history of peanut allergies.

[smkinc]

I just replied to Marcy's post with our experience with a peanut allergy, but I thought I'd reply here also.

Here's our background (copy from last post if you've read, skip to next paragraph): Jeremiah was diagnosed with a peanut allergy at 12 months after a reaction to a goldfish peanut butter cracker (that was given to him by an administrative assistant at DH's work--long story). When we saw the allergist, he said that he was likely exposed to peanut protein at some point before the 'cracker incident'. We have no idea where this exposure came from. He was adopted at 5 weeks and had never been exposed to peanuts as far as we know. He was breastfed the first week of life by his birthmother and the allergist said that this could have been when he was exposed as the peanut protein will pass through breastmilk.

The allergist also said that the peanut is part of the legume family (as is soy), so that if someone has sensitivities to legumes in general that they might have an allergenic reaction to soy as well as peanuts as well as peas. DS is not allergic to peas and we don't 'do' soy products either (although I'm not picky about soybean oil in foods and he hasn't had a problem with those foods).

He reccommended that no child under the age of 3 be exposed to (in order of allergenic reaction):
1. Peanuts
2. Treenuts
3. Seafood (including shellfish and regular fish)

Hope this sheds some light on the soy-peanut connection.

Mary
Mom to Jeremiah 2/4/03
and our 'first' Curie (6 year old Golden Retriever)