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Soy allergy often lasts longer than expected in children
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Soy allergies last longer throughout childhood than previously believed, according to research from the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore.
Researchers reviewed the medical records of 122 children with soy allergy, and noted 45% of the children stopped having allergic reactions to soy products by age 6, while 69% did so by age 10. The results refute the notion that most children are no longer allergic to soy once they reach preschool age.
The researchers noted that allergy persistence was directly linked to the levels of soy IgE antibodies in the blood — the higher the antibody count, the more persistent the reactions.
Most of the children in the study who outgrew their allergy early experienced a peak in soy antibodies by age 3. By contrast, children with persistent allergies had a slow, gradual increase in antibody levels, not peaking until around age 8. Most of the children that were allergic to soy also had another allergic condition such as asthma, peanut allergy, rhinitis or dermatitis.
Savage J. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2010; 125: 683-686.