Strawberry allergy facts

Information on Strawberry Allergy

There are many people around the world who areallergic or hypersensitive to strawberries, which means that strawberry allergyis a fairly common medical condition. Strawberries are bright red, juicy fruitswhich can be purchased in their fresh form during the springtime. It is verydelicious but it is also jam packed with numerous different types of preciousnutrients such as vitamin C, folic acid potassium and iron and so on. Eachstrawberry has more than 200 seeds and it may be the only type of fruit whichwears its seeds right on its skin. Strawberries provide the human body withnumerous different types of health benefits and they also contain low amountsof calories. Unfortunately they still can be associated with allergic reactionsand hypersensitivity in some cases, especially in toddlers and babies. Mostallergic reactions to strawberries in both children and adults are usuallytriggered by certain types of proteins contained in strawberries.

The actual allergic reactions occur when the immunesystem inside the human body considers those proteins to be harmful substances.An allergic response actually gets triggered as a protective response of the immunesystem. The protein responsible for triggering the unpleasant allergicreactions is also the same protein which is in charge of providing thestrawberries with their characteristic red color. Recent researches found outthat the protein responsible for allergic reactions cannot be found in whitestrawberries. The protein is very similar to the birch pollen on the molecularlevel. The first time the body gets exposed to strawberry the immune systemproduces immunoglobulin E and the proteins get neutralized so as to avoid theallergic reaction. The next time around the body produces histamine which leadsto the unwanted allergic reaction.

Strawberry Allergy Symptoms

All different cases of strawberry allergies haveincluded some or all of these symptoms: numbness in the mouth, swollen throat,tingling sensations in the mouth, swollen mouth, burning lips, swollen tongue, intestinaldistress, itchiness, swollen and closed bronchial tubes, diarrhea, shortness of breath,vomiting, contact dermatitis, watery eyes, hives and skin rash. Strawberriescan also be found in numerous products such as air fresheners, herbal teas, skincare products, conditioners, shampoos and laundry detergents, which mean thatthose who are allergic should be very careful. Strawberry allergies in childrenmay sometimes be a big issue because a child easily forgets about the allergywhen it comes to eating different kinds of sweets.