Science/Medicine : Warning Issued on Cereal Grain

Psyllium, a cereal grain that is supposed to do wonders for a person’s cholesterol count, may spark a life-threatening allergic reaction.

Allergist Martin J. Kaplan of Highland Park, Ill., reported in the New England Journal of Medicine that a 43-year-old patient developed an allergic reaction shortly after eating Kellogg’s Heartwise cereal, which contains psyllium. Her face, eyes, mouth and tongue swelled, and she coughed and vomited before fainting.

The woman, a nurse, recovered in a local hospital.

In a response to the report, a Kellogg Co. official acknowledged that “there have been approximately 50 reported allergic reactions to the product.” The official, Daryl Schaller, said the company had added a warning to its packaging telling consumers they may develop an allergic reaction to the grain.

Said Schaller: “The overwhelming majority of these allergic reactions were among nurses who had handled psyllium as a bulk laxative.”