A dietitian says many who think they have a gluten allergy need to rule out other foods first. Photo / 123RF
A dietitian says many who think they have a gluten allergy need to rule out other foods first. Photo / 123RF
You are more likely to be allergic to fruit and vegetables than gluten, a dietitian has warned.
Despite many people choosing to cut out wheat from their diet because they believe it makes them ill, only 1 per cent of the population actually have a reaction to gluten, reports Daily Mail.
However, Dr Isabel Skypala, a teaching fellow at Imperial College London, has found around 2 per cent of people have an allergy triggered by fresh produce - double the proportion of gluten allergy sufferers.
The little-known condition, known as Pollen Food Syndrome, is often triggered by apples, peaches, celery and carrots, which contain allergens like the one found in birch pollen.
These substances cause a reaction very similar to hayfever in the body, which starts with itching in the mouth, and in extreme cases cause the throat to close up.
Dr Skypala, who presented a talk on food allergies at Cheltenham Science Festival yesterday, said: 'Three-quarters of people come to my clinic convinced they have a problem with wheat and dairy, and have already cut them out.
"In fact allergies linked to fruit and vegetables are far more prevalent. I have seen a man who went into anaphylactic shock after drinking carrot juice.
"It is raw produce which causes the problem, but people simply have no awareness of this type of allergy, because wheat allergies are seen as so much more fashionable."
The dietitian, who runs a food allergy clinic at the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust, found that 73 out of almost 3,600 randomly selected patients in the UK suffer from Pollen Food Syndrome.
This works out at 2 per cent of the population, double the proportion of those who suffer from coeliac disease, according to figures from Allergy UK.
She added: "Fruits like apples and cherries and vegetables like celery all contain allergens similar to those found in birch pollen.
"The body reacts to them as it does with hayfever, although people often don't pick up on the allergy until they get more serious symptoms from nuts, which contain the same proteins."
Dr Skypala's paper on the syndrome is published in the journal Clinical & Experimental Allergy and warns of a "significant problem" with the potential to become an "epidemic" in the coming years.
Previous research shows fruit more often cause problems than vegetables. Women are the most likely to have the allergy, with plums and cherries also among the triggers.
Pollen Food Syndrome is often triggered by apples, peaches, celery and carrots, which contain allergens like the one found in birch pollen. Photo / 123RF
Dr Skypala said: "For most people the symptoms are mild, with fruit and vegetables causing itching and swelling in the mouth.
"But for people with asthma, it can lead to problems breathing, and people's throats can close up completely. This is on the rise because of the link with hayfever, which more people now have, potentially because of pollution and climate change."
She has called for patients who believe they have an allergy to wheat and dairy to rule out other foods first.
The dietitian also told people to be careful when drinking smoothies, which contain higher levels of fruit and vegetables and can trigger symptoms.
Her warning comes after a US study found trendy gluten-free diets could put people at risk of type 2 diabetes caused by lack of nutrients.
Holly Shaw of Allergy UK said: 'Making the connection between pollen allergy (hay fever) and the development of allergic symptoms after the ingestion of specific fruit, vegetables and less commonly nuts, often in their raw form, is really important.
"This type of reaction can occur at any time of the year but is often heightened in the pollen season."
