All About Oral Allergy Syndrome

Oral Allergy Syndrome Serious for Some

While usually a mild form of allergy, 1 to 2 per cent of those with oral allergy syndrome are susceptible to severe (anaphylactic) reactions. This is more often the case when the offending foods include nuts or peanuts. (Consult an allergist if you react to peanuts or nuts of any kind.)

What Foods are Linked to Oral Allergy Syndrome?

The list is long and made up of common, healthy fare that in a perfect world would be part of a balanced diet. The foods associated with birch or alder pollen allergies, for instance, include apples, pears, peaches and tomatoes, as well as vegetables like carrots, celery, potatoes, and peas.

If some of those bother you, cumin or coriander may as well. The tree pollen list goes on to include: hazelnuts, soybeans and sunflower seeds. (Though not everyone with tree pollen-related food allergies will react to all foods on these lists.)

Peanuts may cause a reaction but this is not the same as someone who has a serious peanut allergy, whose life may be at risk if he accidentally ingests a trace of them. That said, if you have even a mild oral allergy syndrome reaction to any kind of nut, Ham Tong counsels that it’s best to stop eating them altogether because of their allergenic properties. Better safe than sorry!

The allergist says foods that may trigger a more extreme oral allergy syndrome reaction include celery, kiwi, hazelnuts, peaches, apricots and apples. And speaking of apples, Granny Smith and Golden Delicious have proven to be more allergenic than other varieties.

Ragweed allergies have been linked to oral allergy syndrome reactions to bananas, melons, zucchini and cucumbers, while those who are allergic to grass pollens may find themselves sensitive to produce like oranges, kiwis and tomatoes.