Link Between Food Allergies and Pollen Allergies
Evidence suggests that in some people with seasonal allergies, their immune system mistakes a plant protein in certain fruits and vegetables for pollen, resulting in sometimes strange symptoms like:
• Itching in your mouth, lips and back of throat
• Tingling in your mouth
• An itchy tongue
• Throat and lips that feel swollen
Allergy specialists call this a “cross-reaction,” and say that about 25 percent of people with a pollen allergy may suffer from food-pollen syndrome. However, many who experience these symptoms are completely unaware that their itchy mouth upon eating an apple or cantaloupe has to do with their seasonal allergies.
With food-pollen syndrome, the allergy is to pollen. It’s only when you eat a food with a similar protein structure to pollen that you have a reaction, and the reaction is short-term and confined to your mouth and throat because the offending plant proteins cannot survive the acids and enzymes in your digestive system. Only in rare cases will food-pollen syndrome lead to anaphylaxis, with can cause blocked airways and high blood pressure, and may be life-threatening.
There are two ways to determine if your allergy symptoms are due to food-pollen syndrome:
1. The symptoms are confined to your mouth, lips and throat
2. The symptoms go away in 10-30 minutes
3. The problem is only associated with raw fruits and vegetables. Cooking appears to destroy or inactivate the allergic proteins.
According the Mayo Clinic, common cross-reactivity between pollens and fruits and vegetables: If you are allergic to: | Birch pollen | Ragweed | Grasses | Mugwort |
You might also be reacting to: | Apples
Carrots
Celery
Hazelnuts
Peaches
Pears
Raw potatoes | Bananas
Cantaloupe, Honeydew Watermelon Tomatoes | Kiwis
Tomatoes | Apples
Carrots
Celery
Kiwi fruit
Peanuts
caraway seeds, parsley, coriander, anise seeds, fennel seeds |
| | | Latex also reacts with banana | | Gelatin can cross react with tree/pine nuts. Once sensitized, tree nut allergies can crossreact with peanuts. |
Here are a few suggestions to help to reduce your food-pollen syndrome symptoms:
• Try removing the peel from the fruit or vegetable
• Opt for freshly picked varieties (storing foods increases the amount of allergen)
• Try a different variety of the food
• Rinse your mouth with water after you eat the offending food
You may notice when pollen season goes away, so do your food sensitivities. That's why it may be difficult to identify the connections. Fortunately, there are numerous ways to keep seasonal allergies from interfering with your health.
At OsteoMed, our proprietary program, called SRT, can eliminte your reactivity to both the foods and the pollens. Call today for an an appointment of more information. 440-239-3438