Soy Formula Connected to Peanut Allergy?

I don't know about allergies, but in researching formulas for my own daughter, I recently learned that both similac and enfamil make formulas that are dairy based but lactose free. Maybe that would be an option for you?

Hi M.,
I have never heard of a connection. I have 3 children and every one of them were on soy formula and are on soy milk daily. They don't have any signs of a peanut allergy at all. I give my oldest 2 peanut butter and peanuts and anything that has nuts and they have no problems.
K. :~)

There is a relationship between peanut allergies and soy allergies. Peanuts and soybeans are both members of the legume family. Many children who are allergic to soy are allergic to peanuts and visa versa. This does not mean that using a soy formula will cause a peanut allergy however. Doctors used to tell moms not to expose kids to certain common allergens before they were the age of 3 because it could increase the chances of the child becoming allergic to these allergens. New research shows that this early exposure to potential allergens does not cause the allergy--kids are either born with the tendency toward food allergy or they are not.

what does the ped. say about the percentage of children getting this allergy. Has it become that big problem 4 numerous children? There must be a test for the baby to see if he's allergic to peanut before you switch him over, no?

Dear M.,

I am so glad that I read your question because it made sense of something that my daughter went through last year. We tried to supplement my breastmilk (I was going back to work part-time) with soy formula because my older daughter and I both have lactose intolerance. Well, my baby had a horrible (two hospital visits in two weeks) reaction to the soy formula. I was told that she was allergic to soy and that I should not eat/drink soy containing foods while I was nursing her. She is now almost 14 months old and we just had her tested for food allergies. She did not react to the soy during the test, however, she did react to peanuts and eggs. I never knew that there was a connection between soy formula and peanut allergy. I do have to say that my older daughter who was on soy formula from 2-12 months has no problems with peanuts. I would ask the pediatrician and maybe consult with a pediatric allergy specialist. Best of luck to you and thank you for opening my eyes to a possible etiology for my baby's peanut allergy!

Nutragemin (spelling?) is what my son had to have for his intollerances. He had bloody stools from the intollerances. I found that his teeth rotted from have the product. The teeth just kaved in. If you use it brush the gums and teeth often. It is never easy to decide what to feed our children.

I know that some birth disorders that cause food absorbsion issues do not allow someone to eat nuts, soy, milk, wheat, gluton etc. Every human being is a different chemical make up. Finding the right foods is very important. I wish you great luck on your diet search for your child.

Have you tried Nestle Good Start formula? From personal experience I know that a baby who has difficulty with lactose based, and even soy based formulas, this was not only well-tolerated, he THRIVED on it. It has been around for many years, and has been tried, tested and proven.

You can see some reviews by other parents as well:
http://www.colichelp.com/ReviewPost/showproduct.php?produ...

I have never heard of this. I can't imagine one would cause another. But if he needs soy you should give it to him. You don't want him to be sick from the regular. My son could never handle regular formula. He has been on soy formula and milk. He is two now. He doesn't have a peanut allergy. A friends son does have peanut allergy and never had soy milk. Do what makes his tummy feel good. They have a hard enough time at that age anyways.

Six weeks is so young to wean from the breast. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends breastfeeding for at least 1 year. If it's at all possible to continue, the health benefits to your son are enormous. La Leche League (lli.org) or a lactation consultant are available for support.

Here is an article that points out some serious issues with soy formula:

http://www.westonaprice.org/soy/infant.html

I have never heard of this connection. However, my son was on soy formula when he was an infant and I loved it. He had less gas and was less fussy than many other babies. He is now 8.5 years old and has no food allergies and is a very good eater. Hope this can help.

Never heard of it. Daughter has been on Soy for 9 months and is fine. Possibly, if you or your husband has a peanut allergy, she may be at a higher risk...but the chances of a baby just developing this allergy I believe are slim. Double-check with your dr though, but our dr. knows our daughter has been on Soy and never once mentioned this.

Good luck!

I'm not sure about that but I breastfed my daughter and she has a peanut allergy. I have to be extra careful with her diet. She is a healthy three year old active preschooler. You can get your son tested to see if he has any allergies.

A little about me:
I am a single mom of a 3 year old daughter.

Dear M.,

I have had a peanut allergy since I was 7 years old. I am now in my 40's. Peanut allergy was not common and I had not met any until my children went to school. It seems to be an outbreak now. My peanut allergy has gotten worse with age. It depends on the time of year, I am really bad during May and August with the change of season.

As far as soy allergy is concerned, my soy allergy also worsened over time. I used to just get a rash, which I did not attribute to soy because I just assumed it was peanut. After a near death experience, I realized it was the soy.

Supposedly a peanut, soy, cantalop/melon allergy are related. All have worsen over time. I think a child is born with a sensitivity and through exposure we become more sensitive. Do other people in your family have food allergies? Everyone, including me, brothers, mother, cousins all have food allergies. I would not worry too much if there is not a pattern in your family.

All three of my kids were on soy formula and none have developed any kind of food allergy. I have not heard that there is a connection. My kids are 5, 12 and 14 now.

My daughter was on soy formula and has no allergy to peanuts. We feed her PBJ several times a week and also almond butter and sunflower butter with no reactions. But she does have allergies to several other things- mostly chemical related though. (She has a rare disease called Mastocytosis)

I have never heard of the connection between the soy and allergies but I dont doubt them.

With that being said... would you rather have your son comfortable and gaining weight properly and possibly have an allery later or would you rather have your son gain weight properly, be comfortable, able to sleep and you also be able to sleep? Weigh the risk vs benefit.

Just remember that there is no guarantee that he will or will not have the allergy. Just like when you do his vaccines and the risk of Autism. You will weight the risk vs benefit. Go with your gut on it- whatever you decide will be the right choice!

Many blessings to you and yours!

It's not that soy formula is connected to or would cause a peanut allergy. It's that a significant percentage of kids who are allergic to peanuts are also allergic to soy, due to both soy & peanuts being legumes. My son is allergic to both peanuts & walnuts, and his allergist also tested him for soy. Fortunately he is not allergic to soy, so I am able to buy soy products to substitute for peanuts. There is probably very little chance that consumption of any particular food would CAUSE an allergy to another food. If your son is allergic to peanuts and/or soy he is allergic. You are not going to to cause an allergy. Don't be "terrified" that he might develop a peanut allergy or an allergy of any sort. It is not the end of the world; you will adjust, like the millions of families who have done so. If you really want to decrease his chances of developing food allergies, don't switch to formula. Keep nursing; it's the best thing for him.

Dear M.,

I have three children, two of whom have been diagnosed with a peanut allergy. The oldest, now 7, was exclusively breastfed until age 6 months, then fed very carefully until age one to avoid contact with potential food allergens because we have a family history of other food allergies, but never peanut (go figure.) The youngest, now 18 months, was mostly breastfed for 8 weeks. He was a miserable baby, the pediatrician suggested switching to Nutramigen, which is a special hypo-allergenic formula, (but not soy based) and he thrived. Allergy tests at age 6 months showed allergies to egg, soy, and peanuts. We only discovered my oldest's peanut allergy 6 months ago!

Sorry for the background, but I thought it might help. I do know several people who were all on Nutramigen whose children later turned out to have a peanut allergy. Some of those parents seem to believe that there might be a connection. However, it may also simply be a case where the baby had the allergy first and needed the nutramigen. I know that my husband was really ticked when we learned that our little guy has this allergy because we had specifically talked about the whole peanut allergy thing when we put him on Nutramigen. However, he needed the nutramigen, and I wouldn't change that decision for anything. Within 12 hours of making the switch, he stopped crying, started sleeping, and started packing on the weight. He had only been gaining the minimum 1/2 lb / week with breast milk when my first two children had gained twice that. Plus the fact that he turned out to have other food allergies as well makes me think that the peanut allergy came first. With my oldest, I ate peanut butter almost every day during my pregnancy but she never tried it until she was 3. It isn't even fair to say she tried it then, she just sniffed it and rejected it! She probably had the allergy then and I just didn't know it.

I hope all of that helps. Good luck!

I have not heard of this connection, although I have heard that soy is a common allergen in general. It made both my kids projectile vomit. My daughter had a harder time transistioning from breast milk to formula...I want to say it took a good month or so before her tummy adjusted to formula...she was on lactose free formula as well, as was my son. The regular formula, or even the Gentlese, or The Good Start was just to hard to digest. My doctor had me start mixing in an ounce at a time of formula to breast milk. Every 4-6 days add one more ounce. Poor baby, I hope he feels well soon. As my doctor told me too, give it some time..new tummys need time to adapt to digesting anything.

Don't know where that info comes from but it sounds silly to me. My son was on soy for his first 18 months or so and he eats peanult butter sandwiches almost everyday now (is seven now.) Check out where the info came from. Sometimes things we hear or even get on email are more hoax than fact.

Hi M.! Both my kids were on soy and have no nut allergies (4 1/2 and 2 1/2). Two of my neices and two nephews were on it too and none have them. I'm not saying that it's not a "New" thing out there, but there are 6 kids that were not affected by being on soy. I know for us we got a totally different baby when he was switched at about a month. We are expecting #3 any second now and I know our ped. said the new trend is to put babies with milk allergies on this new cow's milk based formula. I believe it is called Gentle Ease in either Similac or Emfimil. Might want to check into that. Good luck!

Soy and peanuts are in the same allergy "family," so yes, they could be connected. My daughter suffers from multiple food allergies, and if I were you, I would pick a formula that is not soy or dairy based just to be on the safe side. Besides, I would worry about a soy allergy as much as a peanut allergy, because soy is in EVERYTHING! If he were to develop a soy allergy, his diet will be very limited.