More and more children are allergic to cashew nuts

More and more children are allergic to cashew nuts Keystone-SDA

More and more children are allergic to cashew nuts, according to an analysis of a European allergy register, as reported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) on Tuesday. However, this allergy hardly ever occurs in adults.

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For the study published in the specialist journal Allergy, an international research team with Swiss participation analysed data from the European Anaphylaxis Register, which includes figures from 142 allergy centres in various countries.

It records so-called anaphylaxis – severe overreactions of the immune system to triggers such as food or medication. The symptoms range from skin rashes and swelling to shortness of breath and anaphylactic shock, in which the heart and circulation can fail in extreme cases.

In total, 23% of the food allergies recorded in the register were attributable to the category of nuts that grow on trees. According to the study, cashew nuts ranked first in this category among children, while the native hazelnuts and walnuts fell to second and third place.

Stronger than peanuts

Previous studies have confirmed that the immune system of children reacts particularly strongly to a protein in cashew nuts, as the SNSF explained. Anaphylaxis occurs even more frequently than with a peanut allergy. And even smaller amounts than peanuts can trigger an attack.

In adults, on the other hand, allergies to cashew nuts hardly played a role in the cases documented by the anaphylaxis register. The mature immune system is obviously less susceptible.

According to the researchers, the increase in cashew nuts is probably due to the fact that they have been consumed more frequently in recent decades. Cashew nuts are often hidden, for example in products such as pesto, or deliberately used as a vegan source of protein. “As a result, many more children come into contact with cashew nuts at an early age than in the past,” explained Karin Hartmann, a researcher and doctor from the University Hospital Basel who was involved in the study.

Translated from German by DeepL/jdp

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