A Swedish study found that while allergic sensitivity to tree nuts was common in adults, most people never experienced symptoms.
Allergies to tree nuts are common and have become an important health concern as availability has increased. Tree nuts include hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, cashews, pistachios, almonds, and brazil nuts.Tree nuts, as a group, are one of the eight most common allergens, and allergic reactions to them can be severe. Availability of tree nuts has increased both in the raw form and within processed foods and bakery products; tree nut utilisation has increased by 1kg per capita from 1980 to 2015. Research has shown that the consumption of nuts has positive cardiovascular effects, such as decreasing cholesterol, triglycerides, and fasting blood glucose, and this has encouraged consumption.
The study, with a total of 2215 participants, found that eczema, asthma, and egg allergies at an early age were associated with developing a tree nut allergy by adulthood. Additionally, the researchers found allergen molecules to be better diagnostic tools for predicting allergic symptoms to tree nuts compared with analysing allergen extracts. The study was published in Clinical and Experimental Allergy.
“This study increases the understanding of tree nut allergy in a general population, followed from infancy up to adulthood. For example, our study reveals that most extract‐based tree nut‐sensitised individuals do not have tree nut allergy and hence extract-based testing for tree nuts without a specific clinical suspicion should not be performed,” said co–lead author Jessica Bager, of the Karolinska Institute.
Source: Wiley
