Talking Allergies

Its seems to me that a lot of companies are getting in on the Shea Butter Bandwagon!
Bath products, and other items all seem to contain this ingredient. My question is, has anyone with a nut allergy tried lotions, or hand washes containing shea butter?
I have stayed away from it, as I know I had a reaction to Life Brand Brazilian Nut Body Butter.
Shairose

FYI> Shea (Vitellaria paradoxa, syn. Butyrospermum parkii, B. paradoxa) is a tree indigenous to Africa, occurring in Mali, Cameroon, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, Senegal, Sudan, Burkina Faso and Uganda. The shea fruit, called a nut, contains a seed much like an avocado, from which is extracted shea butter, which has multiple uses.

Some common names are shétoulou ("shea tree butter") in the Bambara language of Mali and ghariti in the Wolof language of Senegal.

The tree is perhaps better known as Butyrospermum parkii (the genus name meaning "butter seed"; the epithet honouring Mungo Park, who learned of the tree while exploring Senegal). However, Vitellaria paradoxa is the earlier name and has priority, and should therefore be used (a proposal to conserve Butyrospermum parkii failed narrowly).

Shea trees take approximately 30 years to reach maturity.

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Something I found on the internet..


allergy to shea butter
2005-01-31

Question:

I recently purchased a product (Olay bath wash) with shea butter in it. After using it, my forearms and legs have become itchier than before and have red itchy bumps. I am also allergic to all tree nuts, but can eat peanuts and almonds. Am I suffering an allergic reaction to the African tree nut from which shea butter is made? What shall I do? Thanks.

Answer:

This is not an uncommon complaint. I would stop using the Shea butter bath wash. It appears as this product is becoming more and more popular more and more people are experiencing the same type of reaction you are having. Please refer to previous answers to questions on this topic. There hasn't been alot of research into the allergenicity of Shea butter tree nuts. You could see an allergist who could do appropriate testing to see if this is the culprit. Avoidance is the treatment of choice. I recommend you use the Vanicream skin products which are designed for people with sensitive skin. They have no preservatives or unnecessary chemical irritants. Visit Stopallergy.com "Irritant Free Products" to purchase these excellent skin care products.

Jonathan A. Bernstein, MD

There is a question about shea butter in "Ask the allergists".

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15 year old - asthmatic, allergic to cats, dogs, horses, waiting to be "officially" diagnosed for anaphylaxis
12 year old - asthmatic, allergic to tree pollen and mold, OAS
Husband - Allergic to amoxycillin
Self - Allergic to housework only

Here's another thread about shea butter and the nut allergic: http://www.allergicliving.com/forum/vie ... php?t=1649

so basically, if in doubt, stay away is the message I am getting.....
good advice!

I just saw my son's allergist this month and mentioned to him about shea butter after reading so much about it and he said to stay away from it...there goes all my yummy smelling body creams!!!

Ang

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6 1/2 year old son - anaphylactic to tree nuts, allergic to dust and moulds
5 1/2 year old son - no allergies
15 month old son...allergies unknown

I've noticed the veritable explosion of shea nut/butter products on the market. It's even contained in at least one brand of baby wipes! When I saw that, I confess that I rolled my eyes, and said something like "Here comes the next emerging allergy."

There's nothing wrong with shea in itself, but it's a nut, and it's become a fad -- the latest new thing. It's suddenly been placed in many products at once, and so there may be a greater risk of sensitizing large numbers of atopic people.

In my opinion, manufacturers are simply repeating the same mistakes over and over again, only with different foods and substances. They don't seem to learn from research, or from the mistakes made with ingredients like peanut oil, which was frequently placed in nipple cream for nursing mothers -- and still may be in some places.

I wonder how closely related it is to avocado. Katie used to eat avocados but once we gave her too much (I think) and she threw up and ever since then she has an aversion. But maybe it has more to do with her tree nut allergy than the one incident??

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Kate - born 11*17*2005 - allergic to eggs, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, dust mites
Amanda - born 5*31*2008 - dairy sensitivity
Mom - dyshidrotic eczema, teenage-onset allergy to fish, but skin tests are now negative...no oral challenge.

Hmmm. . . I've heard that both shea and avocado cross react with latex . . . so maybe they would cross react with each other too?

I just read about latex (in Toddler 411 book) and how it cross-reacts with some fruits that are picked by workers wearing latex gloves - bananas, kiwi, avocado and papaya. Never would have thought about that.

I also wouldn't have thought about another issue - giving kids meat where the animal has eaten something they're allergic to (ie chicken is fed corn, kid is allergic to corn, therefore kid is allergic to corn-fed chicken). So far we haven't encountered any meat allergies but then again we haven't eaten elephant.

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Kate - born 11*17*2005 - allergic to eggs, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, dust mites
Amanda - born 5*31*2008 - dairy sensitivity
Mom - dyshidrotic eczema, teenage-onset allergy to fish, but skin tests are now negative...no oral challenge.

Have you seen this documented somewhere? I thought that foods eaten by an animal were broken down in such a way that they didn't pose a risk to the person who eats the animal. In other words, the proteins that would cause an allergic reaction in the allergic person don't stay in the form that would cause that allergic reaction when they are digested by the animal. (Does that make sense?)

Otherwise (for example), my son, who is allergic to cow's milk, wouldn't be able to eat beef, since all cows who end up as beef are raised on cow's milk. Right? (But he's fine with beef.)

I could be wrong - I'm definitely not an expert.

K.

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Karen, proud Mom of
- DS1 (12 yrs): allergic to cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, potatoes, some legumes, some fish, pumpkin seeds; OAS
- DS2 (1o yrs): ana. to dairy, eggs, peanuts; asthma

I've been using shea butter Softsoap for about 9 months or so, with no problems... in fact, my partner uses it to wash his face after he's eaten something that I'm mildly allergic to so I can kiss him again!

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ana to peanuts, nuts, eggs, shellfish, bananas
mild asthma and eczema, seasonal allergies

I think one of the concerns with shea nut butter is that people who already have other food allergies might be more likely to become allergic to the shea nut if they use a lot of products that contain shea nut butter.

So while a person might not react right away, there is the risk that they would become allergic because of constant exposure.

K.

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Karen, proud Mom of
- DS1 (12 yrs): allergic to cashews, pistachios, Brazil nuts, potatoes, some legumes, some fish, pumpkin seeds; OAS
- DS2 (1o yrs): ana. to dairy, eggs, peanuts; asthma

I was just theorizing, grasping at straws, really, from some things I'd read on various boards...but technically, the beef you eat is from animals who've been fed grains for a long time, as they're weaned off the cow's milk very early. I don't know about veal; they might still get some milk.

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Kate - born 11*17*2005 - allergic to eggs, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, dust mites
Amanda - born 5*31*2008 - dairy sensitivity
Mom - dyshidrotic eczema, teenage-onset allergy to fish, but skin tests are now negative...no oral challenge.

Karen is that true of those that have nut allergies or any type of food allergy?