DEAR DR. GOTT: I am puzzled as to why eating lamb causes such an extreme reaction to my system. One bite of lamb cooked any way or lamb dishes of any kind causes me to become nauseated within 10 minutes. It continues for up to three days and includes continuous vomiting and diarrhea. The first time this happened, I was hospitalized for three days. The second time it happened, I ate lamb by accident because my great-aunt did not believe me when I said I could not eat it. I was pregnant at the time and almost lost the baby. It took five days to totally rehydrate my system.
Do you have any idea why lamb meat would cause such a violent reaction?
DEAR READER: Meat allergy may be more common than thought.
An intolerance to any food is ordinarily caused by an enzyme deficiency. Either that or the intestines may be overly sensitive to this particular food. In an allergic reaction, the offending substance — in your case, lamb — the body perceives the protein (or sugar in other cases) as foreign, causing the release of histamine, which leads to the body’s overreaction.
Other common products for people to consider are the sugar in milk that causes lactose intolerance, shellfish, soy, wheat, nuts and food additives. An allergic reaction can occur within minutes of ingestion and might include hives, diarrhea, vomiting, rash, itching and difficulty breathing. Lamb intolerance is uncommon, but does occur.
