Soya intolerant but not dairy

[cogitosum]

Is it possible (or likely) to be intolerant to soya but not dairy? Ds has some symptoms of intolerance (sleep issues that got worse with introduction of solids). He's been diagnosed with reflux but I've never been convinced as he is a really happy boy and rarely cries which doesn't seen characteristic of reflux. However he had occasional episodes where he'd scream in pain when I fed him (ebf) and he would often be sick (clear with white lumps) so it seemed linked to something I've eaten.

Also he wakes up at night sometimes with wind and straining and can't get back to sleep.

Having done food diaries it seems connected to soya (especially since I've realised the extent at which it's in food). In fact it was on here someone suggested soya when I mentioned that he seemed to react when I ate too many biscuits! However everything I've read seems to link soya intolerance with dairy and I've never seen it as a standalone issue. Is it possible to react to soya and not dairy?

Hi there, what your saying is indeed possible; soya is one of the 5 top food allergens. However, I've worked with children with allergies for over 10 years and you're right soy allergy does often and usually come in conjunction with a dairy allergy, but not always. Another usual culprit is gluten (wheat).

Something else you may want to consider (which may be more plausible considering your sons symptoms) is that he may be just finding it difficult to digest the proteins from soya that he is receiving through your milk. Soya, being a bean is actually very difficult to digest (for adults and children). Traditionally soy foods should only be consumed in a fermented state e.g. tempeh and soy sauce, where there are less indigestible products. These days soya finds its way into all kinds of products e.g. cakes, biscuits etc. and in this form it is very indigestible. If you're interested this article describes this clearly voices.yahoo.com/is-soy-hard-digest-3984954.html?cat=22

The only way you'll find out for sure is to do an elimination diet yourself. You could start by eliminating all soy from your diet and see how he is. If you're worried about unbalancing your diet in doing so I would see a qualified nutritional therapist to help you.

My blog talks about children allergies through breast milk if you're interested. Good luck with it all, sounds like you're being very vigilant with is great. mydaughterwontsleep.com/2013/12/08/a-sensitive-issue/

Thank you this is very interesting. If it's the thing with the soya protein would that have meant that it wouldn't be made worse by weaning? Until solids (blw) he was going 7-8 hours but since it's all gone out the window! I kept waiting for it to get better again but more than 2 months in it's not looking likely. On your blog you mention a gluton issue that may disrupt sleep when weaning. I don't think it's that though as he doesn't seem to react to wheat products.

Unfortunately dr is not much help. They diagnosed the reflux after a few weeks of slow weight gain at 10 weeks. He dropped from 25th to between 2nd and 9th however since then he's followed that curve so paed signed him off and doesn't seem that bothered any more.

If it is a food issue I understand you'd need to completely stop it for acfewcweeks to see the effect, however are the food diaries still worth it? Is it likely that if he has a bad night after a particular foodstuff then that may be a problem and visa versa? One of the best nights we had recently he'd had cheese on toast (soya free bread) which was what really confirmed to me it wasn't dairy or wheat but could that be completely wrong?

Also when he was sleeping well from 5-6 months I hadn't completely cut anything just cut down on biscuits , chocolate and had no supermarket bread.

Also I don't think I thanked you profusely enough. I really appreciate you taking the time to reply. Thank you.

my son is fine with dairy but not soya, all other beans cause problems too, so definitely possible.

Thank you piggyboo. Is this him actually eating it or through milk? How have you found eliminating soya? I think in terms of balance it's fine as in my experience it's mostly in convenience food which does not form part of a healthy diet. I've only found one chocolate bar that it's not in and no biscuits! Hopefully I'll lose weight and eat better as a side affect!

Carolinementzer is it more common to have a reaction when it's from breastmilk then because of the protein? This fits with what I've found apart from how much worse it became with solids. Sometimes I just think he's generally got a sensitive tummy!

No problem cogitosum, happy to help.

Firstly, if your son reacts through your milk to soya, then he should also react to soya directly.
Secondly, food intolerances are notoriously difficult to detect because a reaction to them can be slow - e.g. many hours later. So a food diary is useful but not conclusive.
Thirdly, what your saying about your son having a sensitive tummy could also be true, in which case he may be able to tolerate small amounts of these foods but just not often.

The only way you'll really find out is if you eliminate all suspected foods from your and his diet for a few weeks then slowly re-introduce them one by one (4 days apart) and note any reactions. Just take everything back to basics.

It may be that you find he can eat foods on rotation. E.g. once every 4 days, but not every day until he gets bigger and his tummy strengthens.

One question for you, has your son had any need for antibiotics at all since or at birth? If the answer is yes, you may wish to give him a course of probiotics to repopulate the gut. Even if he hasn't this may be something worth thinking about. How old is your son? As the probiotics you give are age dependant. Biocare is an excellent brand that do products for babies - e.g. Baby Bioflora.

Sadly, there are few reliable testing procedures for food intolerances. Your doctor would be looking for food allergy which would have a more severe and immediate reaction. So for now if the symptoms are mild and your son is gaining weight normally then I can understand why your son has been signed off by the paediatrician. That's not to say that your son's discomfort is not real or your concerns valid. If you struggle to get to the bottom of it all I suggest you seek out BANT (British Association of Nutritional Therapists) registered nutritionist in your area. Best wishes.

Caroline,

Thanks for sharing your advice on here and your website! I've found it really helpful.

My DDs allergy tests have come back clear but she comes up with a delayed eczema on her face after having anything with cows milk, egg, and I suspect gluten too.

I am dairy, egg, soya free as I am BF her, so will I have to go gluten free too? Her sleep is very poor, she is up every hour at night (she's 10 months) and I know there is something wrong ... She has seen both peadetrician and dietician who are both saying all is normal, but I suspect she has intolerances.

Do you have any advice? I'm dreading going gluten free too (I get hungry!!!) but she refuses to take milk from other sources.