If you experience inflammation after consuming soy products, you most likely have a soy allergy or intolerance. MayoClinic.com states that a soy allergy and intolerance are different medical conditions with different causes and treatments. Call your doctor if you experience inflammation after ingesting soy products. A soy allergy can lead to a severe reaction that could be life-threatening.
Soy Intolerance
A food intolerance occurs when your body doesn't create enough enzymes to break down the food. If you have a soy intolerance, your small intestine doesn't produce enough enzymes to fully digest the soy. A soy intolerance causes inflammation in the small intestines, which leads to common soy intolerance symptoms.
Soy Allergy
A soy allergy can cause inflammation virtually anywhere in the body. During an allergic reaction to soy, your immune system mistakes the proteins in the soy as dangerous substances and creates antibodies to fight them off, according to MayoClinic.com. The introduction of these antibodies into the blood stream causes mast cells to produce histamine. Histamine is a naturally occurring chemical in the body that helps to protect the body from infection and disease. Too much histamine causes inflammation in soft tissue, commonly in the lungs, nose, skin or digestive tract.
Common Symptoms
A soy allergy and soy intolerance will produce similar symptoms in the digestive tract. Both conditions cause inflammation in the small intestines, resulting in nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, cramping, gas and bloating. Symptoms from a soy intolerance will appear between 20 to 30 minutes after soy is ingested, while symptoms form a soy allergy can appear from within a few minutes to up to one hour after eating soy.
Allergy Symptoms
Inflammation from a soy allergy can develop anywhere in the body where there's soft tissue. The most common places, besides in the gastrointestinal tract, are in the nose, the lungs and the skin. You might experience nasal congestion, sneezing, a runny nose, postnasal drip and sinus pressure pain from nasal inflammation, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The lungs can swell, leading to asthma symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest tightness and wheezing. Hives, eczema and general itching are common skin inflammations from a soy allergy.
Warning
A severe allergic reaction can cause extreme bodily inflammation, leading to anaphylactic shock. Anaphylactic shock causes your airways to constrict, your blood pressure to drop and your heart to race. Call 911 immediately at the first signs of these symptoms.
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