Avocado or the butter fruit is a delicacy in many parts of the world. Irrespective of the different cultural food preferences, many people around the world like to eat this fruit. Usually, this is one of the most healthy fat-rich food that you can easily reach. Not only healthy fat, but it is also rich in dietary fibers, minerals, and vitamins too. Therefore It makes it a good solution for a healthy diet. But everything has pros and cons. Avocado allergy is one of the main problems of avocado consumption. In this article, we will provide you all the details regarding avocado allergy. This will include prevention steps and the treatments as well.
How a normal allergy occur in your body??
The allergic reaction starts sooner when your body’s immune response to the allergen. When allergens enter your body, Your body immediately starts to produce antibodies. We call these antibodies, IgE proteins. Of course, every allergen is not harmful. But These antibodies identify them as harmful. Clearly this is the reason why your body shows various bad symptoms during an allergy.[1][11]
How Avocado allergy occurs??
This is quite the same process as in the above chapter, Surely the allergy starts when certain proteins in avocado enter your body. The body’s immunity system produces antibodies. Then those antibodies identify the proteins as harmful substances. Clearly similar reactions will start to occur. But of course, the severity varies from person to person.
Usually, You may get this allergy due to proteins with cross reactivity. Clearly these proteins are available in avocado pear. However, this allergy is mostly related to your mouth and throat. We can simply classify allergic conditions into two categories.
- Allergy due to birch pollen
- Latex allergy
Avocado allergy due to birch pollen
Simply we can define this as the oral allergy. Surely if you are a sensitive person, after consuming avocado the symptoms will start to appear. Depend on the person it will take 1 to 2 hours. There’s no difference if you eat raw avocado or avocado combined foods, in terms of symptoms. They will still appear if you are sensitive to avocado allergens. However, the symptoms occur mainly in the mouth and throat. Other than that you will see some general allergy symptoms too.[2]
Avocado allergy due to Latex
In simpler words, we can define this as a relationship between sensitivity to latex and fruit allergy. We call this allergy latex-fruit allergy syndrome. According to the latest studies, scientists say that There’s is cross-reactivity between latex and avocado. However, scientists say that allergen proteins in latex are complex. [5]. Therefore it is difficult to diagnose the particular allergens in them.
Furthermore, this allergic condition shows Cross – sensitive reactions to different fruits and vegetables. They include tomatoes, peaches, potatoes, bananas, melons, Pineapple, etc.
What is this cross-sensitivity??
This is a condition that will appear when proteins in one food are similar to proteins of some other food. If your immune system identifies them as harmful, it will produce antibodies. And will start allergic reactions in your body. If there are a number of fruits that have similar proteins, After consuming any of these fruits you may become allergic.[4]
This is a significant reason for cross-reactive conditions with other fruits and vegetables. Therefore it is somewhat difficult to identify a particular allergy due to an allergen.
What about the latex fruit allergy?? this cross-reactivity is starting with latex. There are some foods showing cross-reactivity to latex. That means the presence of similar proteins in them. So if you are sensitive to latex, there is a high possibility for you to have an avocado allergy.[3]
What about Symptoms??
- There can be itching conditions in your mouth
- swelling of the tongue
- Wheezing and tightness in the chest ( Symtpms relate to asthma)
- Diarrhea conditions can be more frequent
- Cramps in the abdomen[3]
- Runniness in the nose is common in latex -fruit allergy
- Hives
- In severe conditions, Anaphylaxis can occur[6]
What is the relationship between anaphylaxis and avocado??
Well, Anaphylaxis is the extreme form of an allergic reaction. Your whole body will react to the allergic reaction. And also the immune system acts in an inappropriate manner. Considering the severity, it can be a threat to a patient’s life. But however, it is most unlikely to occur anaphylaxis with avocado alone. Because there is very little evidence on this aspect for study results.
But be cautious!! if you get anaphylaxis, you should know the symptoms that may appear. It will be helpful for you to get the necessary remedies quickly.
- You may feel fainting
- Shortness in breathing (that means fast breathing)
- heart beating may become fast
- Loss of consciousness
- You may be Anxious
- and may have a feeling of confusion[7]
- Low blood pressure and Warmness[8]
If you get these symptoms after eating avocado, Then there’s a high chance that you have anaphylaxis. So immediately you should do the following things.
- First, check whether there is breathing difficulty. If there’s no breathing difficulty keep the patient in a flat position. If not keep in a sitting position.
- Inject adrenaline as soon as possible.
- If There’s no response, then increase the dose of adrenaline
- Observe the patient for about 3-4 hours. if not recovering he needs medical attention.[9]
How do you diagnose Avocado allergy?
The first thing you have to do is check for symptoms after eating an avocado. If the symptoms are positive then go for the following tests. Before going for tests look for the family history of allergy and the medical history of having an allergy. If there’s an allergic history definitely you should go for the below tests.[10]
- Skin prick tests
- Blood tests
In the skin prick test, the triggers are inserted into your skin by a prick. And then check for allergic reactions. If the allergic symptoms occur then you are allergic to those allergens.
In the blood tests, they take a blood sample to check for allergic reactions outside the body. Like in the above case entering potential allergens is not necessary.
How to prevent avocado allergy??
There are number of things that you can do to prevent this allergy conditions. They are as follows.
- The first thing you have to do is avoid avocado. It is present in many forms of fruits. So Try to prevent the below foods.
- avocado may present in certain salads and different recipes. They may present as a main ingredient or as an ingredient to add a creamy texture
- Or else avocados may present as butter or fat substitute
- And also some baked products include avocado to get a smooth puffy texture
- some use them in cookie recipes.
- In addition to food, people use them in cosmetic products like body lotions, shampoo, etc.
2. Go for avocado substitutes
- Squash is a good substitute for avocado. Although it is not very rich with flavor, you can use it along with many other foods like onion and garlic.
- Broccoli and asparagus are some other substitutes for avocado with a stronger flavor
- Smashed banana also has a similar texture to avocado in different recipes[13]
- Additionally, Chia seeds, almond, peanut butter can also be used as substitutes for avocado in many recipes [12]
What are the treatments for avocado allergy??
Similar to many other allergies you can use anti-histamine drugs f9or avocado allergy. There is a number of other treatments you can use for this allergy.
- for itching, you can use cortisone cream
- For severe allergic situations, you can use epinephrine
- And also as a solution, you can undergo immunotherapy too ( It is a long term method of treatment to relieve severe allergic reactions)
We hope this article will provide all the answers to your questions regarding avocado allergy. If you have any questions feel free to ask!!
