Margarine Linked to Allergic Sensitization in Boys
The use of margarine was shown to increase levels of IgE in the blood stream of boys. IgE is typically considered our “allergic” antibody and is responsible for many of the unwanted side effects found in hayfever and asthma. Margarine is one of those “foods” that is very hard to understand why it is on the market at all, and even harder to understand why anyone would actually ingest this substance.
Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2001;163:277-279 Margarine consumption appears to be associated with an increase in IgE production in young boys, German researchers report. Dr. Bolte and colleagues, from the GSF National research Center for Environment and Health in Neuherberg, used data from a cross-sectional study to examine the link between margarine and butter consumption and IgE production in 2348 children. Prior studies had indicated a relationship between dietary fat and IgE, and the authors sought to further characterize this association by fat type. The use of margarine, as compared with butter, was associated with a 30% increase in the risk of allergic sensitization and a more than 40% increase in rhinitis symptoms, the investigators say in the January 1st issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Further analysis revealed that this association was restricted to boys, in whom the corresponding odds ratios for sensitization and rhinitis symptoms were 1.57 and 1.76, respectively. Exclusive margarine consumption did not appear to increase the risks of physician-diagnosed asthma or hay fever in the population as a whole.