How Can Someone Be Allergic to Meat?

Published on Friday, September 5, 2008, by Michele Foley / Edit Post

A food allergy is the body’s exaggerated reaction to a protein it thinks is harmful. Perceiving an attack, the immune system produces specific antibodies to destroy the allergy-producing substances, called allergens, says Associate Professor Scott Sicherer of the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Whenever that food is ingested, the body releases chemicals (such as histamines) to protect itself. Symptoms of an allergy attack include rashes, hives, and nausea; in more severe cases, an allergy attack can lead to death.

Meat allergies are very unusual, and, as a result, aren’t studied as much or understood as well as more common food allergies such as those to peanuts, dairy, or shellfish, says Professor Steve Taylor, director of the Food Allergy Research and Resource Program at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Out of all meats, beef seems to be the one that causes more people to have allergic reactions.

The major beef allergen is called bovine serum albumin (BSA), a naturally occurring protein found in the blood of cattle. But BSA can be rendered harmless by the application of heat, so most people with a beef allergy react only to undercooked beef and have no problems eating a well-done steak, for instance. Similar albumin proteins found in pork, lamb, and chicken also seem to cause allergic reactions, but are different enough that a person with a chicken allergy may tolerate beef, and vice versa. There may be cases of cross-allergy, but they’re not well studied, says Taylor.

Low levels of these albumin proteins are also found in milk and egg yolks, so people with meat allergies are encouraged to consume only pasteurized dairy products and to make sure their eggs are thoroughly cooked.

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  • Pernicious anemia is a decrease in red blood cells that occurs when the body cannot properly absorb vitamin B12 from the gastrointestinal tract. Vitamin B12 is necessary for the proper development of red blood cells.

    Pernicious anemia is a type of megaloblastic anemia.

    In the past 9 years I have not been able to eat any meats accept for an egg or fish once in a while. I have had to find...+READ

    Pernicious anemia is a decrease in red blood cells that occurs when the body cannot properly absorb vitamin B12 from the gastrointestinal tract. Vitamin B12 is necessary for the proper development of red blood cells.

    Pernicious anemia is a type of megaloblastic anemia.

    In the past 9 years I have not been able to eat any meats accept for an egg or fish once in a while. I have had to find other foods to replace some proteins and vitamins. I had food poisoning and was told by a doctor that I had awakened a rare vitamin deficiency. It can cause many problems such as:
    Bleeding gums
    Diarrhea
    Fatigue
    Impaired sense of smell
    Loss of deep tendon reflexes
    Loss of appetite
    Pallor
    Personality or memory changes
    Positive Babinski's sign
    Rapid heart rate
    Shortness of breath
    Sore mouth
    Tingling and numbness of hands and feet
    Tongue problems
    Unsteady gait, especially in the dark
    Unfortunately for me is that I have been to so many doctors that none have been able to tell me if this is what I am suffering from. I have all of the symptoms and each time I am told that it is all in my head. It is also because of this problem my relationship is suffering really bad.-COLLAPSE

  • Paweebear: A few years of strict avoidance will usually "cure" one of an allergy by resetting the immune response. This DoEs NoT always work, however, only with "acquired" allergies. Another method is to heal underlying leaky gut syndrome (increased intestinal permeability). I have done this thrice, and all three times my "acquired" allergies completely disappeared, only to return after resuming...+READ

    Paweebear: A few years of strict avoidance will usually "cure" one of an allergy by resetting the immune response. This DoEs NoT always work, however, only with "acquired" allergies. Another method is to heal underlying leaky gut syndrome (increased intestinal permeability). I have done this thrice, and all three times my "acquired" allergies completely disappeared, only to return after resuming old habits (e.g. coffee drinking). Unfortunately my allergy to goat's milk and lamb are severe and can never be "cured."

    Serum food allergy testing (a blood test) by Immunolabs will demonstrate which foods one is allergic to, how severe it is, and whether the reaction is immediate or delayed.-COLLAPSE

  • can one grow out of an allergy? my cousin was once allergic to shellfish (when she was a kid), but now (at 40) she can eat them like crazy and not get ill. can that happen?

  • A few years ago, out of the blue, I became allergic to beef, rice, and coffee; I would break out in severe hives. I have since lost the coffee allergy, and have to be careful with rice, but I am still allergic to beef. My doctor explained to me that it was the blood to which I was allergic; I even reacted to blood sausage. He also indicated that veal was safe as they keep draining the blood in...+READ

    A few years ago, out of the blue, I became allergic to beef, rice, and coffee; I would break out in severe hives. I have since lost the coffee allergy, and have to be careful with rice, but I am still allergic to beef. My doctor explained to me that it was the blood to which I was allergic; I even reacted to blood sausage. He also indicated that veal was safe as they keep draining the blood in order to keep the flesh white: I find that my reaction to veal varies - sometimes I do not react and sometimes I do, but not to the same extent as to the beef. He also told me that Kosher/Halal beef should be okay as they drain the blood from the animal after they kill it. He is right; I do not react, but I do not llike the taste of Halal beef.-COLLAPSE

  • How can someone be allergic to meat? This is rarer than an allergy to peanuts, egg, or milk, but no more strange, and my son is allergic to the proteins in all those plus beef, lamb, and a few others. Your description of the immune system reacting to the allergen as if it were something harmful is unfortunately accurate.

    While your post is interesting, as the mother of a child with multiple...+READ

    How can someone be allergic to meat? This is rarer than an allergy to peanuts, egg, or milk, but no more strange, and my son is allergic to the proteins in all those plus beef, lamb, and a few others. Your description of the immune system reacting to the allergen as if it were something harmful is unfortunately accurate.

    While your post is interesting, as the mother of a child with multiple severe food allergies, I strongly suggest that you be more cautious in your presentation of medical information. No individual who has tested positive to a food allergy should attempt a food challenge without medical supervision, regardless of how the food is cooked.-COLLAPSE

  • It is possible to be allergic to the meat itself, I am allergic to chicken, among many other things. (However, I'm not allergic to eggs.) I did a scratch test at an allergist's office, so was sure it wasn't the processing, hormones, etc. in the chicken I react to.

    I'm curious about the fact in here about cooking the beef to make the albumin ineffective...in my experience, a protein is a protein...+READ

    It is possible to be allergic to the meat itself, I am allergic to chicken, among many other things. (However, I'm not allergic to eggs.) I did a scratch test at an allergist's office, so was sure it wasn't the processing, hormones, etc. in the chicken I react to.

    I'm curious about the fact in here about cooking the beef to make the albumin ineffective...in my experience, a protein is a protein no matter how much you cook it because even with my vegetable allergies, the allergen is a protein. Maybe it's just in beef? Curious.

    foodallergyqueen.blogspot.com-COLLAPSE

  • Hi zoo1023!
    You could be highly sensitive to campylobacter bacteria. I happened to see a health segment about this bacteria and chicken and took interest because my husband also gets sick on chicken now and then. We're just very careful where we order it. If cooked chicken comes in contact with uncooked chicken "juice or blood" (like a cooking utensil, a serving plate, etc.,) it can become...+READ

    Hi zoo1023!
    You could be highly sensitive to campylobacter bacteria. I happened to see a health segment about this bacteria and chicken and took interest because my husband also gets sick on chicken now and then. We're just very careful where we order it. If cooked chicken comes in contact with uncooked chicken "juice or blood" (like a cooking utensil, a serving plate, etc.,) it can become contaminated with campylobacter. If a cooked item with the contamination sits out for a while, the bacteria grow pretty quickly. I, myself, am not that susceptible to it. However, for example, recently I picked up the "last" salad at a restaurant at LAX on my way through - it had chicken on it and within 6 hours I had a roaring headache, nausea, etc., - classic symptoms. Some people have near-death reactions to this bacteria.
    From a website about it: Campylobacteriosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria Campylobacter. Campylobacter jejuni grows best at the body temperature of a bird, and seems to be well adapted to birds, who carry it without becoming ill. These bacteria are fragile. They cannot tolerate drying and can be killed by oxygen. They grow only in places with less oxygen than the amount in the atmosphere. Freezing reduces the number of Campylobacter bacteria on raw meat.
    This could be the culprit for you. It won't matter where the chicken comes from. The bacteria lives on chicken. What counts is the preparation.
    I always rinse chicken thoroughly with cold water before preparing in a meal. Make sure you change cooking utensils to clean utensils as the chicken cooks. In other words, don't use the same fork or tongs you use to place the chicken on a grill to later take it off the grill. Always cook your chicken thoroughly. Never place cooked chicken on a plate that held raw chicken unless you first wash the used plate or utensils with soap and hot water. Wipe your counter-tops with very soapy cloth or bleach if you spill chicken blood/juice. I have always worked with chicken in this manner (even before we knew my husband was susceptible) and he has never gotten ill on anything we've prepared at home.
    Hope that helps in the future.-COLLAPSE

  • I keep getting ill on chicken, so much so that I avoid it completely. I often wonder if it's more psychological than anything, but it seems to happen every time (I recently ate chicken liver at one of THE nicest, most free-rangy organic local-sourced restaurants in the area, working under the theory that it was antibiotics/hormones/whatever in the chicken that was making me ill, not the chicken...+READ

    I keep getting ill on chicken, so much so that I avoid it completely. I often wonder if it's more psychological than anything, but it seems to happen every time (I recently ate chicken liver at one of THE nicest, most free-rangy organic local-sourced restaurants in the area, working under the theory that it was antibiotics/hormones/whatever in the chicken that was making me ill, not the chicken itself, but there I was at 3am with the "chicken-sick").

    I can (and do) eat steak tartare with abandon. What gives? Turkey makes me queasy, too, I think, but it's hard to tell if it's the turkey or the overeating at Thanksgiving (which is the only time I'll go near fowl these days). Can one REALLY be allergic to chicken?-COLLAPSE

  • Oh thank you for this column!! I experience extreme illness whenever i eat even a tiny little piece of undercooked beef (i mean the most violent vomiting EVER, lasting up to 12 hours!) or some food that had been touching un/der cooked beef, so i had taken to telling people i was allergic to uncooked beef just to emphasize the importance of making sure my portion was cooked thoroughly. Seriously,...+READ

    Oh thank you for this column!! I experience extreme illness whenever i eat even a tiny little piece of undercooked beef (i mean the most violent vomiting EVER, lasting up to 12 hours!) or some food that had been touching un/der cooked beef, so i had taken to telling people i was allergic to uncooked beef just to emphasize the importance of making sure my portion was cooked thoroughly. Seriously, all it would take was a small part of the burger to not be cooked through, i'd eat it and wouldn't even know anything was wrong until the pain started :( Now it turns out i may have been more accurate in the allergy description than i'd thought! (Though i haven't eaten beef in about 10 years - i figured it was better to be safe than sorry!)-COLLAPSE