Corn Allergic or Crazy?
Seeking a Kernel of Truth

By Judy Ciarcia Keller

Donna Hoaglin was born 59 years ago during the middle of the corn harvest on her family’s farm. In those days, it was common practice to put corn syrup in cow’s milk and feed it to babies. After drinking this formula, Hoaglin would draw up her tiny limbs and scream for hours. The doctors called it colic. But an elimination diet showed she was corn allergic. “I never outgrew it and am still trying to cope with it,” Hoaglin says.” Corn is in nearly everything, and it’s almost impossible to avoid.”

She is a cautious, educated on sumer and well aware of the many ways corn can be hidden in a prod uct. She reads labels on everything. She knows that if she eats corn or corn products, her mouth and throat will swell and that later, she could have a life-threatening allergic reaction.

But this knowledge didn’t help her one April evening when an undiagnosed thyroid condition caused her to pass out. She never heard the ambulance sirens and didn’t know paramedics were preparing a supposedly life-saving dextrose IV for her. The IV brought Hoaglin back to consciousness enough for her to ask,” What’s this? Is it made of corn? I can’t have it!” She was assured that the IV didn’t contain corn.

“I nearly died that night,“ Hoaglin recalls.” The IV was dextrose made from corn. The medics didn’t know that dextrose could be a corn product.”

Corn Country
Corn is the largest crop in the United States, states Rhonda Brandt, agricultural statistician with the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Agency. Brandt says corn production in the United States is more than double any other single crop. Last year, grain corn measured 9.97 billion bushels, worth $18.6 billion. It’s no wonder that corn growers are continually seeking new ways to utilize corn in products and other food. Corn is used in everything from vitamins to amino acids, from toothpaste to baby powder. It’s a major food component in nearly all cereals, peanut butter, and snack foods, according to the Ohio Corn Marketing Program.

Corn is often in the ethylene used to ripen some fruits and vegetables and in the glue on lickable stickers and envelopes. It can be found in hairspray, deodorants, make up, and play dough. Almost every brand of aspirin in the United States is made with cornstarch. High fructose corn syrup is a frequently used sweetener. Fruits and vegetables are coated with a corn-based wax before shipping. Food-additives, such as xanthan gum, citric acid, maltodextrin, and dextrose or modified food starch, can all be made from corn. Add to the list ascorbic acid, crystalline fructose, lecithin, grain alcohols and vinegars, and it’s clear why, for the corn allergic, reading food labels is like negotiating a minefield.

Most of the corn-derived ingredients are the “hidden corn” in foods the ones that aren’t obvious to the uninformed, the ones that can send the unsuspecting to the nearest emergency room.

Lend an Ear
Conventional wisdom regarding food allergies is to read the label and avoid the offending food, says Anne Muñoz Furlong, founder and CEO of the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN). According to FAAN statistics, only 2 to 21/2 percent of the general population suffers from a true food allergy. Of the nearly 7 million Americans with food allergies, 3 million have peanut or tree nut allergy.

Eight foods account for 90 percent of allergic reactions. These include peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, eggs, milk, soy and wheat. FAAN has been working with the food industry and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to revamp labeling requirements so that foods and additives derived from the top eight allergenic foods are clearly identified for consumers.

But where does corn fall on the list of allergens? Is it in the top 10,the top 20? “It’s not considered an allergen,” Muñoz Furlong says.” Some people believe they are allergic to corn. But we are not convinced that corn allergy even exists.” She points out that many people with food intolerances think they are allergic when they are not. The official stance of FAAN is that most corn allergic people fall into this category.

Muñoz -Furlong suggests that the few people who are diagnosed by a doctor as having corn allergies contact the FDA for information on which foods have corn products in them. She adds that “corn is in nearly everything and very difficult to avoid.” Because her agency is committed to educating the public about food allergies, she says it only makes sense to start with the top eight and work from there. FAAN has no plans to include corn in its information any time soon. It’s just too far down the list. The FDA, which regulates food labeling and conducts inspections that lead to recalls for undeclared ingredients, also does not consider corn to be an allergen. An FDA spokesperson refused to give her name or comment about corn allergies other than to say,” It is not an allergen. We don’t bother with it.”

And yet many doctors disagree. “Anything with protein in it can be an allergen,” says Dr. Seth Craig, an allergist practicing in Fredericksburg, VA. “Corn is a protein. It’s rare, but people are allergic to it.”

Stalking a Solution
Jennifer Ghodsi found herself alone in a special diet world when her four-year old daughter, Madison, was diagnosed with a corn allergy. From the time Madison was 18 months old, she displayed hives, rashes, and bouts of aggressive behavior that included hitting, kicking, biting and throwing things.

“Some people believe they are allergic to corn. But we are not convinced that corn allergy even exists.”

“I was really beginning to wonder if she had an emotional problem,” Ghodsi says.” But after we eliminated corn from her diet, she became a new person.”

“When the allergist diagnosed Madison as allergic to corn, I had no idea how prevalent corn is in all our foods. Then I began reading labels. Now I also call manufacturers to find out if there is any chance of cross-contamination with corn and to learn if the product contains an additive made from corn.”

“I cook three meals a day from scratch, but it’s worth it to have my sweet daughter back,” Ghodsi says.” For birthday parties, I send along a safe cupcake for my daughter. For holidays, we give non food treats.”

Label That Corn
Dr. Seth Craig has sever al patients who are corn allergic, all diagnosed through skin testing. Most of his corn allergic patients have the classic allergy symptoms of hives, vomiting, or swelling. It is not uncommon for people with food allergies to experience symptoms up to two or three days after exposure. Craig believes the FDA has been negligent in its food labeling laws and would like to see improvements beyond the recently proposed legislation that would require voluntary labeling of the top eight food allergens.

“The FDA has been lax to the point of letting companies use old labels that don’t reflect a change in ingredients. Disclaimers that a food could contain something is not enough,” he says. “Every person who is allergic needs plain labeling, period.” Craig says.” But unfortunately, this issue is more political than scientific.”

He urges any person with allergies to read labels carefully and to call manufacturers to check for hidden ingredients. If enough people do this, perhaps Washington will listen.

Eventually the corn allergic will be heard, Craig states.” Food allergies are on the rise and we don’t know why. It’s possible that more people could become allergic to corn just as there has been an unexplainable increase in peanut allergies — to the tune off our times the rate seen 30 years ago.”

Popping the Question
Avoiding corn is easier said than done, says Diane Hartman, whose seven-year old son, Tyler, was initially diagnosed with allergies in 1996.“Tyler was breastfed, and the pediatrician told us flat out that breastfed babies don’t develop allergies,“ Hartman says. “The doctors thought the swelling was a kidney problem and did exploratory surgery.”

After surgery showed Tyler’s kidneys functioning normally, Hartman went to a variety of doctors seeking answers. Eventually her son was checked for allergies and tested positive to tomatoes, strawberries, wheat, eggs and citrus. He was not tested for corn. While his seizures and behavioral problems lessened when the diagnosed allergens were eliminated from Tyler’s diet, the symptoms continued to recur without warning.

In 1998,Tyler was hospitalized. It was then a pediatrician tested him for corn. “His skin test was very positive for corn,“ says Hartman. “Despite that, doctors thought we were crazy for thinking corn might affect his behavior. It turns out we were right.”

Hartman explains that Tyler would bite, beat his head repeatedly, spin in circles and exhibit the classic allergic reactions ofhives, swelling and seizures when he ate food that contained corn. She finally convinced his doctors to do a challenge.

Tyler’s neurologist did a 24-hour video telemetry and an eight-hour food challenge that showed there was a very real, dramatic connection between Tyler’s behavior problems and the corn allergy. “From that time on, Tyler was diagnosed as having allergy-induced seizures and allergy-induced autism. This was a major feat because the doctors we see are mainstream doctors, and they were very adamant that allergies could not result in behavioral or seizure-related issues,” says Hartman.

Tyler is now performing at normal levels in all areas. The ill-behaved, seizure-ridden toddler has become a sunny, seizure-free child, except when he is exposed to high levels of airborne corn.

“We still have to limit his exposure to some public places because of corn products in cleaning solutions, carpeting, and perfumes. He can’t go to movie theaters because of the concentration of air borne corn protein in the popping corn. He has a tutor at home because exposure to allergens at school is too risky,” Hartman says.

Hartman went on a quest for the hidden corn in foods.” I went through every single food ingredient in the FDA’s listing—and we’re talking 2,000 pages here. They even use cornstarch to dust the lines where toilet paper is made!”

While the corn allergic continue to face a lonely battle, Hartman has taken her campaign online by hosting a weekly corn allergy Web chat. She also co moderates an online food allergy group. “Online, I’ve met many parents who share the same frustrations I have and who have seen a similar behavioral connection to the corn allergy.” she says.” We have to teach each other.”

Corn Allergic? Prove It!
Corn allergic people have a new champion in Dr. Samuel Lehrer, associate professor at Tulane University Medical School and originator of the only double-blind placebo-controlled corn allergy study in the United States. His study concludes that corn allergy does exist, although it is rare, and that it can cause severe problems.
Lehrer says many more people report corn allergies than actually have them. He says this is likely because most people do not know the difference between a true food allergy and a food intolerance.

During classic food allergic reaction, the body creates specific IgE antibodies to the food. These attach themselves to the mast cells so that when the person eats an offending food, the food attaches itself to the antibody and causes the mast cell to explode, releasing huge amounts of histamines in the body. These produce allergic symptoms, such as tingling in the mouth, swelling of the tongue and throat, difficulty breathing, hives, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, drop in blood pressure and loss of consciousness and can result in death.

Food intolerance does not involve the immune system but can produce metabolic disturbances, such as gas, bloating, or abdominal pain.

A skin or RAST test followed up by a food challenge or elimination diet will determine if a person has a true allergy.
“There is no big conspiracy to not recognize corn allergy. But most allergists I talk to say they have never seen it. There is not much documented in medical literature about corn allergies,” Lehrer says.

“At least now it can be accepted that it does exist,” he adds. “Just as there is more awareness about food allergies now than 20 years go, perhaps as time goes by the Food and Drug Administration and the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network will recognize corn allergies.”

Corn Allergic or Crazy?
Are you corn allergic? Do you know someone who is?
Write to us at: Living Without, Corn Allergy Survey, 800 Connecticut Ave., Norwalk, CT 06854