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I have noticed a very odd and perplexing trend in recent years. Allergies to red meat seem to be on a slow but definite rise. They are currently most prevalent in the Southeastern United States.
While not a lot of folks I know have this strange type of allergy, there are definitely a few who do and this is something I had never observed prior to just a few years ago.
What is Causing Red Meat Allergies
I have been at a complete loss to explain to folks why they might be allergic to red meat. I have generally considered it to be yet another symptom of the rampant and worsening gut imbalance problems people subsisting on modern foods and pharmaceuticals suffer from and have advised looking into healing and sealing their gut wall a la the GAPS or SCD protocol with their holistic health practitioner.
Now, there appears to be at least one possible explanation: tick bites.
The Journal of General Internal Medicine has published an article by Susan Wolver, MD, and Diane Sun, MD of Virginia Commonwealth University. Their research identifies the rising trend of red meat allergies which first appeared in the Southeastern United States.
Dr. Wolver and Dr. Sun stumbled upon this connection by analyzing the case histories of three patients. People with an allergy to red meat, a very new syndrome, wake up in the middle of the night about 3-6 hours after eating red meat for dinner with hives. Worse, a severe, life threatening condition known as delayed anaphylaxis may present.
The reaction is thought to be caused by antibodies to a carbohydrate known as alpha-gal.
A patient produces these carbohydrate antibodies after sustaining a Lone Star tick bite. This same carbohydrate is in all red meat – pork, venison, beef, and lamb.
First Allergic Reaction Generally Severe
When the allergic individual consumes these foods, the immune system releases histamine in response to the ingestion of the carbohydrate alpha-gal which is the cause of the hives or anaphylaxis.
Most worrisome, anaphylaxis triggered by red meat appears to be the very first life threatening allergic reaction due to consumption of a carbohydrate rather than a protein. What’s more, this is the first anaphylaxis that occurs hours after exposure rather than immediately upon contact or ingestion.
Could more carbohydrate induced anaphylaxis be on the way?
The conclusions of Dr. Wolver and Dr. Sun:
“Where ticks are endemic, for example in the southeastern United States, clinicians should be aware of this new syndrome when presented with a case of anaphylaxis. Current guidance is to counsel patients to avoid all mammalian meat – beef, pork, lamb and venison.”
The Good News
Some red meat allergy sufferers are reporting that their symptoms disappear when they consume only meat from organic grassfed animals fed no GMO animal feed.
While this information is only anecdotal, it seems that the answer to red meat allergies may be much more complex than the effects wrought by a simple tick bite.
Source: Carnivores: Beware of Ticks
Some folks still have trouble even if the cow just eats grass.
This happened to me and I have tried 100% grass fed meat from a friend and it made no difference
Grass fed does not mean it’s clean…Grass Finished is the term that everyone needs to be educated on. Unless cows were raised in feedlots, 70% of a Grass Fed cow was grass…the last 30% of it’s life is spent on Grains/Soy feed. Thanks to our wonderful (insanely sarcastic) labeling laws, we are being fed a bunch of crap by our “grass fed” labeling.
In 3 months of that Grain Finished cow’s life it is fed grains to “fatten” them up for more profits…that fat is now poisoned with grain, and WILL transfer to the people who have “the allergy” for sure.
@Tim actually some folks are having problems even with grassfed meats.
Find some Grass Fed and Grass Finished/Pasture Raised Wild Caught meats/eggs/fish, and I will pretty much bet that there will be NO such allergies. Karen Pendergrass chime in here please 🙂
Allergies from Meat are directly caused by what the meat EATS!! Corn/Soy/Grain fed feeds that our food is being fed are the direct cause of what people call “meat allergy” you aren’t allergic to the meat itself, but the hypersensitive perceive it as an allergy because they are truly allergic to the FEED.
Meat contains fats protiens and carbs- in fact glycogen is the way carbs energy is stored for muscle activity
I’m confused. You write that this is the first known example of an allergy to a carbohydrate, not a protein. But, isn’t meat a protein and not a carb? You repeat it lower down too. So, please help me understand what you mean – thanks!
I live in Ausraila, so we have different ticks, and I have had thousands of bites over the years. I can not believe that a tick would cause a red meat allergy – it would most likely be what they feed the animals in confinement! We have an aquaintance that sells chemical free grass fed beef and lamb to people that have had problems for many years and that is the only meat they can eat. Why can’t people see that the cause of so many of our health problems are caused by the food we eat. It is so logical, but the big pharmaceutical company’s can’t make money if everyone gave away junk food and only ate real food!
I have had serious trouble from ticks twice in my life. When I was a raft guide in colorado I had a tick which resulted in several months of on and off fever, headaches and serve joint and muscle pain interspersed by days of normality.
The second incident is were i pulled a tick out of my neck and left it there for 3 months ignoring the
irritation. Eventually I woke to have weakness,racing heart dizziness and so on. The doctor was stunned that I was silly enough to ignore it till it became almost fatal. Ticks are not to be messed about.
However much of the allergy to beef is probably not allergy to real beef. A friend works as a government inspector in the beef industry. The stories are horrific.He as a vet sometimes has tears in his eyes at the suffering of the animals. They are held in lots fed, chicken manure, ground up plastic milk containers(hence contaiminated with BPA). The animals are help in lots were they can not move, so they gain weight- I mean unable to move 6 inches. I was in teh military and knwo the pain of standing at attention for hours on end. The animals come in from their soft lot covered in feces,balls of it on their coats the size of soccer balls- legs and feet so weak from not being able to move- and they are in extreme pain after being trucked and then having to walk on concrete with their soft hooves. the cattle are fed antibiotics ,pain killers and so on, Here may be part of the problem. My daughter and i are allergic to most antibiotics and feel very ill if we eat commercial eggs or chicken. we get nausea sometimes and sometimes a rash. We have our own chickens which are on the bugs and grubs diet and have no problem with these eggs- we don’t eat our chickens they are much loved pets- just as affectionate as dogs and cats-so has made me appreciate the cruelty of factory chickens- Nazi death camp conditions for these beautiful loving birds.
In summary- yes it could be ticks -but it could also be the antibiotics excetra- did u know they add caffeine to the chickens food to keep them awake eating then to stop the meat being tough they feed them prozac and paracetomol. they then add by weight 30% a saline /salt solution with MSG because the chicken meat is so tasteless. The birds have chronic chest infections from constantly breathing in manure and dust stirred by the flapping wings- many die from ammonia poisioning as the ammonia lays low on the ground. Factory cows are similar- no wonder people may be adversley reacting to factory beef- In Australia they can call it grass fed if has some of its life in the field then fattened the last 100 days in a lot -grain fed- ie chicken manure-scraps off the battery hen floor,ground plastic milk bottles fast food oil waste and so on. Why do people react to beef-no wonder-
Doug, after reading your comment, I just felt sick about the whole meat industry.. If I didn’t have a blog like this one to come to and hear others who are also sickened of all this horror and travesty…well, I would just go crazy.. I already knew most of what you spoke of.. but, when I think of how people are so cruel to not just animals, but other people…it is just an endless cycle of pain. Thank you for reminding me and helping to stiffen my resolve not to give them a cent of my money and tell others that we must all BEWARE for the survival of our families. God bless.
more likely a drug used in the raising than the beef- try true 100% organic grass fed
people should start getting their own chickens- if one million people got 6 chickens each that would be six million less in concentration camp conditions, ps today i shared a big cuddle session with my chickens today. they love being picked up and patted- most wait calmly for their turn some will pull my leg hair if they feel ignored.