Recent Situation of Food Allergy in Japan and Measures for Patients

The increase in allergy patients in the developed countries, including Japan, has become a serious social problem. Of the many foods that elicit adverse reactions, soybean and soybean products, at the same time as representing an important protein source, are known as one of the major allergenic foodstuffs for the Japanese. However, no effective cure for allergic patients has been established. The strict elimination of the offending foods from the diet is therefore generally adopted as a prophylactic method in the treatment of food allergies, but may, if nutritional-fundamental foods are withdrawn for extended periods, lead to malnutrition in young patients. Accordingly, there is an urgent demand for food scientists to identify the proteins responsible for the allergic manifestation following ingestion of the foodstuff and to reduce allergenicity to enable the healthy use of soybean products. The present paper reviews recent information on the major allergens in soybean and the development of hypoallergenic soybean products. Further information on soybean allergens, sensitization to soybean allergens, persistence and symptoms of soybean allergy, and diagnostic features are available in a database at the Internet Symposium on Food Allergens: http://www.food-allergens.de.