Allergy sufferers avoid nuts study reveals even though they are not allergic to them: A new study reveals that 4 out of 10 people with peanut allergies choose not to eat tree nuts, even though they have no allergies. these nuts. The study, titled, "Real-World Tree Walnut Consumption in Peanut Allergic Individuals," was published in the latest issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. The journal is the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI).

The team of researchers behind this work says that many people with a peanut allergy can safely eat tree nuts, but not those because of cross allergies. The team evaluated the consumption of tree nuts as "almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, walnuts, pistachios and walnuts".

Allergy sufferers avoid nuts study reveals

Shahzad Mustafa, MD, an ACAAI member and lead author of the study, said: "The results showed that almost 90 percent of those with a peanut allergy in the study could potentially tolerate almonds. , but 33 percent of this group preferred strict avoidance due to fear of An allergic reaction The most common reason for choosing to avoid all nuts was to minimize the risk of cross-contact. when a food is cooked with or near something that contains an allergen. Kitchen tools like knives or spoons can also contribute to cross-contact when used to mix multiple foods. "

The team wrote: "Peanut allergy affects 1-2% of people in the United States, and is increasing in prevalence ... Peanut allergy significantly affects quality life, as it is usually lifelong, is the leading cause of food-induced anaphylaxis in children, and the leading cause of deaths from food allergies ... Historically, allergy sufferers were advised peanuts to avoid tree nuts for a variety of reasons, including concerns about cross-contact, concomitant allergy to tree nuts, and risk of developing tree nut allergy in the future. "

The study enrolled 258 individuals who had a peanut allergy, and of these, 37 percent and 24 percent consumed all or some nuts, respectively. The study was performed at Rochester Regional Health (HR) Outpatient Allergy in Rochester, NY between January and April 2019.Of these people, 39 percent did not consume new of tree. Of the 100 people who did not consume nuts, the team found that 50 percent were afraid of cross-contact and 16 percent did not want to eat nuts. Another 12 percent did not eat tree nuts for fear of being allergic and 13 percent did not eat nuts because they were too young for nuts.

Allergy specialist Allison Ramsey, an ACAAI member of the ACAAI Anaphylaxis Committee, and one of the authors of the study, said: "We find that people who are allergic to peanuts who consume food with caution labels (PAL) are more likely to choose tree nuts than those who do not eat PAL, in the study 37% of people with a peanut allergy consumed PAL and 63 percent reported avoiding all foods with PAL. " These PAL foods are mentioned as a warning if the ingredients contain allergic substances but do not warn of their overall safety.

They warned that avoiding tree nuts could be unjustified and detrimental to health. They wrote: "Avoiding tree nuts unnecessarily in individuals who are allergic to peanuts can have multiple detrimental effects on overall health and quality of life. Avoiding multiple foods can adversely affect growth, and Tree nuts can be an important source of nutrition in people who avoid other food groups, either because of co-existing food allergies or in their dietary preferences. " They added: "Consuming tree nuts has also been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, total cancer and all-cause mortality. In addition, patient-reported quality of life has also been shown to decrease. the number of foods to avoid. "

Dr Mustafa added, "People with peanut allergy need to be aware that eating some, if not all, walnuts can be safe, and consuming tree nuts can contribute to In addition, our data indicate that avoiding PAL foods can have an excessively restrictive impact on the diet of people with a mannose allergy Eating foods with PAL is something that people with Food allergies should discuss with your allergist and consider when creating your diet. "

In conclusion, they wrote!