ALLERGETIC RESPONSE OF HUMAN BODY FOR DIFFERENT ANIMAL MEATS

Meat Allergy is extremely rare with the red meat being often tolerated by humans although it is a trifle harder to
digest. However, animal products may sometimes cause an allergic reaction, which turns out to be quite severe
in most cases.
It is also known as alpha-gal allergy or mammalian meat allergy (MMA). It is mainly a reaction to the
galactose-aplha-1,3-galactose (alpha-gal), thereby the human body is overloaded by immunoglobulin E (IgE)
antibodies on contact with the carbohydrate. The fact is that sugar acts as the allergen instead of protein.
The risks for developing the allergy are likely to be high for,
 Australians who are believed to be more prone to this type of allergy.
 People with tick bites might experience severe kind of allergies resulting in delayed anaphylaxis
 People with Blood Groups A and O are believed to be susceptible to red meat allergies.
Main symptoms of this type of allergy are given below,
 Constriction of the throat
 Tingling around the mouth
 Profuse Sweating
 Alternative constipation and diarrhea
 Gaining of body weight.
 Headaches and Insomnia including blurring of sight.
 Breathing problems and wheezing
In this study we are mainly considering three types of commonly used animal meats which are beef, goat meat
and lamb meat. We will be discussing some of the specific allergetic reactions for the above mentioned anima
meats.
Effects of beef on human body:
Hives
Hives, or urticaria, are a common allergic response to beef. Skin itchiness in response to the histamines your
body release during an allergic reaction is the first sign of the condition. Hives sit on the skin's surface as red,
clearly defined welts. They often spread into large, inflamed areas. Hives subside on their own, sometimes for
hours, only to reappear.
Angiodema
Angioedema, or angioneurotica edema, produces subsurface skin swelling. This allergic reaction to beef occurs
most often on the face, especially in the eye and lip area. It also appears as spreading or linear inflammation of
the throat, hands and feet. The swollen welts cause painful pressure, often without itching. Symptoms
accompanying include abdominal or respiratory distress and swelling, or chemosis, of the inner eyelid or eye
surface tissues. Chemosis can make closing the eyes impossible.
Anaphylaxis
Anaphylaxis is a life-threatening allergic reaction to beef. Unlike hives or angioedema, anaphylaxis involves all
the body's systems and develops almost immediately following exposure to the beef allergen. Histamines flood
from several types of tissue, closing off the airways. They may also cause abdominal cramps, dizziness or
fainting, coughing, anxiety or irregular breath sounds.
The effect of goat meat is same as that of the beef but the effect is not that much wide spread as compared to
beef.
Effects of lamb meat on human body:
Lamb meet is considered as the safest types of meat among the common one’s and often prescribed by the
doctors. In spite of its safe nature and well known acceptance it can also cause allergy to the consumer body.
The effect of lamb meat on human body is given below,
 The commonest symptoms include skin rashes and intense itching coupled with redness of the skin in
localized areas
 Common cold or hay fever like symptoms appears which include a runny nose, watering eyes and
persistent coughing or sneezing
 Breathing difficulty due to the congestion in your respiratory tract may cause you to wheeze and become
winded due to shortness of breath
 Severe, life threatening symptoms are extremely rare after consuming lamb meat but can result in fatal
consequences if they occur
Diagnosis of meat allergy:
 Blood Tests - for detection of the antibody IgE.
 Food Challenge - The suspected food is given to the patient and reaction noted.
 Food Elimination Tests - The food likely to cause the allergy is removed from the diet of the patient for
a period of time.
 Desensitization - Introducing the offending allergen in miniscule quantities into the patient's body over
a long period of time so that the patient gets used to it.
 Skin Prick tests are not effective against meat allergies.
 Avoidance of all meat products
 Anti Histamine Drugs - for relieving the hay fever like symptoms.
 Bronchodilators - For relieving respiratory distress
 Epinephrine injections - In severe cases where the patient loses consciousness
Diagnosing meat allergy is quite difficult and may require several tests before the cause of the allergy becomes
apparent. However, the incidence of the allergy is extremely low and most people can safely consume meat and
meat products without any kind of associated effects.

SPECIAL INFORMATION ON ANIMAL MEATS

This commonly used meats are well accepted by the society but there are some information which appears to be
non famous in general circumstances but may be of great priority if unboxed. These faint relation or effects or
flip faces of these animal meats are given below,
 Removing beef from the diet; to reduce green house gas emission?
Many people have suggested that removing beef from the human diet could significantly lower green
house gas emissions. According to the U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) beef cattle
production was responsible for 1.9 % of the total U.S Green House Emission (GHG) in 2013. Studying
the different resources like feed, water and land can be used more efficiently throughout the beef
lifecycle to reduce GHG emissions per pound of beef. This would provide the means to maintain the
same level of food production while reducing GHG emissions. Over 20% of the edible beefs at meat
stores, restaurants and home are wasted.
 Silver coated sweets; vegetarian? Think again!
Investigations by organizations such as Beauty Without Cruelty (BWC) and the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) of India have revealed that the bulk of the varakh available in the country is non
vegan and non-vegetarian besides containing harmful metals that are carcinogenic in nature.
Varakh is not derived from an animal source. However, a crucial material of animal origin, oxgut, is
used in its manufacture. This oxgut is obtained from the slaughterhouse. In the by lanes of the villages of
Ahmedabad and other cities, amidst filthy surroundings, placed bet een layers of oxgut, small thin strips
of silver are hammered to produce the glittering foil. The intestine (oxgut), smeared with blood and
mucus, is pulled out from the slaughtered animal by the butcher at the slaughterhouse, and sold for the
specific purpose. Note that it is not a byproduct of slaughter, but like everything else meat, hide, and
bones are sold by weight. This is then taken away to be cleaned and used in the manufacture of varakh.
The gut of an average cow, measuring 540 inches in length and 3 inches in diameter, is cut open into a
piece measuring 540″ x 10″. From this, strips of 9″ x 10″ are cut to give approximately 60 pieces of ox -
gut, which are then piled one onto another and bound to form a book of 171 leaves. Next, small thin
strips of silver are placed between the sheets and the book slipped into a leather pouch (note that the use
of leatheran animal product again). Artisans then hammer these bundles continuously for a day to
produce extremely thin foils of silver of 3″ x 5″. The leather and oxgut, being supple, can withstand the
intense manual hammering for up to 8 hours a day till such time as the silver is beaten to the desired
thickness. When ready, the foil is carefully lifted from between the leaves of oxgut and placed between
sheets of paper to be sold to the sweet makers (mithaiwallas). A booklet of 160 foils weighs
approximately 10 grams and costs about Rs. 200 ($5.00). To make a single booklet of 171 sheets, the
guts of 3 cows are used. According to estimations made by BWC, around 12,000 animals are
slaughtered to produce one kilogram of cruelty varakh. In India, the annual consumption of varakh is
around 30,000 kilograms. A straight calculation reveals that 3,60,000,000 animals are killed for that
ultra thin layer of silver we consume via our sweets and at times via paan, fruits, and in chvyanprash.

 Only animal meat causes allergy? Confident!

Though very rare but it has been seen that not only meat but some people has allergy in goat milk and its
products also creates allergy in human body. Last but not the least even their wool, touches and
company can effect in medium to severe allergetic symptoms in human body for certain persons.

 The tick connection.

Ticks are small arachnids, part of the order Parasitiformes. Along with mites, they constitute the
subclass Acari. Ticks are ectoparasites (external parasites), living by feeding on the blood of mammals,
birds, and sometimes reptiles and amphibians. A study headed by researchers from the University of
Virginia and presented in the May 2011 issue of the "Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology"
suggests that the antibodies causing allergic reactions to tick bites are responsible for increased
sensitivity to the alpha-gal in beef. In three of the studies tick bitten participants, sensitivity to the beef
allergen increased by a factor of 20 or more.