Over the last several
years, there have been many reported corn allergy reactions to some of the Pure
Encapsulations®
supplements by members of our online corn allergy groups of over 11K
members. These supplements are
manufactured by Atrium Innovations, Inc., and they list their other brands as
Garden of Life®, Wobenzym®, AOV, Douglas Laboratories®, Genestra Brands™, Klean Athlete®, Minami, Orthica, Pharmax,
and Tropic™.
My April 30, 2019 Inquiry:
"Your products are
often mentioned in our corn allergy groups of over 11K members. One of our
members just mentioned that her physician contacted your company to inquire if
any of your products contain corn (she should have asked if your products contain
any ingredients DERIVED from corn). Her physician was told that none of your
products contain corn; however, many of our members have reported corn allergy
reactions to your products.
For the safety of the corn
allergy community, we would like to finally resolve this issue. Do your
products contain any corn-derived ingredients?
Thank you!"
Their May 1, 2019 Reply:
"Hello Diane,
Many of our ingredients,
including vitamin C, B12 and B2 are derived from corn dextrose fermentation.
This process starts with isolating dextrose from corn (a sugar, so does not
contain allergenic corn protein), which is then fed to micro-organisms. The
micro-organisms produce these nutrients, and the nutrients are then isolated
and purified away from the starting materials.
While no corn proteins or sugar remain in the final product (and we have
tested with negative results), we do not routinely test for corn allergens and
therefore we would not be able to guarantee its safety for someone with a corn
allergy. I would add if you have a
specific product in mind, please ask and I can investigate further."
My Personal Recommendation:
If you are allergic to
corn, I would personally avoid consuming any of their products (including
products from their other noted brands).
I have previously contacted Garden of Life® and Douglas Laboratories®. Both companies confirmed that many of their
products contain corn-derived ingredients; and, therefore, recommended that
they be avoided by the corn allergy community.
I am concerned with their
comment that dextrose [the sugar derived from corn] "does not contain
allergenic corn protein." If this
were true, dextrose IV fluid would not contain a warning that dextrose IV fluid
should not be administered to corn-allergic patients. In addition, one of my most critical corn
allergy reactions was to Morton's iodized salt.
Morton's confirmed that iodized salt contains corn-derived
dextrose.
Reference Documents:
After reading disturbing
testimonies by members of our corn allergy groups that physicians insisted upon
administering dextrose IV fluid to corn-allergic patients requiring immediate
intervention with an antihistamine, it took me three years to forward the
following product information sheet from Baxter Labs to our nation’s hospitals and
colleges of medicine for the safety of corn-allergic patients. One physician actually told a patient that “no
one can be allergic to dextrose.” Their lack
of knowledge can endanger patients’ lives.
After a compounding
pharmacist told a corn-allergic patient that “cornstarch is not really corn,” I
contacted the majority of world-wide pharmaceutical companies and our nation’s
colleges of pharmacy.
Baxter Labs specifically
warns about administering dextrose IV fluids to corn-allergic patients.
"Solutions containing
dextrose should be used with caution, if at all, in patients with known allergy
to corn or corn products." - Page 3
BCPharmacists,
"Warning: corn-related allergens . . ."
"Probable
anaphylactic reaction to corn-derived dextrose solution."
Removing a Food Protein
Does Not Guarantee an Allergen Hypoallergenic
United States
Hospitals/Health Systems Contacted Re: Protocol for Treating Corn-Allergic
Patients
https://cornallergyadvocacyresources.blogspot.com/2017/07/united-states-hospitalshealth-systems.html
Pharmaceutical Companies
Contacted Re: Protocol for Treating Corn-Allergic Patients
Colleges of Medicine
Contacted Re: Protocol for Treating Corn-Allergic Patients
Colleges of Pharmacy
Contacted Re: Protocol for Treating Corn-Allergic Patients
Critical Corn Allergy
References, Studies, Statistics, & Petitions
(Includes my submission to
The Joint Commission, Congress, FDA, & U.S. Dept. of Health requesting
emergency mandate that hospitals stock corn-free foods, liquids, & drugs.)
https://cornallergyadvocacyresources.blogspot.com/2018/04/corn-allergy-reference-links.htmlDiane H., Corn Allergy Advocate
Corn Allergy Advocacy/Resources
@CornAllergy911
Thank you so much for all you do for the many of us with corn allergy.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Bren. I'm currently investigating companies who list dextrose as an ingredient in their products; e.g., Beanitos, PureVia, etc., yet they claim the product is "corn free." Some companies have complied with our request to remove their "corn-free" claims; however, some are still reluctant to comply. Please let me know if you would like me to investigate any other corn allergy issues.
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