Can you be allergic to corn? The short answer is, yes, but it’s not that simple. Of all the different types of food allergies, a corn allergy may be among the most difficult to deal with. Obviously, corn allergic individuals must avoid food items that contain corn – but these aren’t always so easy to identify. Many, many food additives are derived from corn, and, unless you know what these ingredients are, there is no way to know that certain foods may trigger a corn allergy. For example, baking powder and brown sugar with caramel color may both cause reactions in those allergic to corn.

But food is not the only concern for those with a corn allergy. Many toiletry products contain corn product, including some toothpaste, hair sprays, contact lens solution, lotions, and body powders, to name a few. Furthermore, items with adhesives or gummed papers (such as stamps, labels, etc.), cements, plastic containers, and charcoal briquettes can contain corn product and cause reactions in allergic individuals. A recent article entitled Corn-Allergy Sufferers Face Hidden Corn Everywhere outlines one person’s struggle to avoid corn.

Jenny Connors, a corn allergic individual who has developed her own extensive Web site devoted to living with corn allergies, discusses both ‘traditional and non-traditional’ corn allergy symptoms, drawn largely from her own personal experience. Typical allergic responses to corn, such as anaphylaxis, asthma attacks, rashes, and tingling are among the symptoms most widely recognized as allergy symptoms; however, she also mentions other symptoms accompanying corn allergies, such as depression, disturbed sleep, lethargy, and night sweats. AllergicChild.com also discusses some ways that corn allergic individuals may be inadvertently exposed to corn.

Clearly, a corn allergy is drastically different from an allergy to the ‘top eight’ foods (dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, seafood, shellfish, soy, and wheat) because corn-derived ingredients are so pervasive. Education, the proliferation of knowledge, and community support – both among corn allergic individuals themselves and between corn allergic individuals and their surrounding communities at work, school, and home – are vital to the health and well-being of allergy sufferers facing the challenge of a corn allergy.