Welcome to brain stuff, a production of iHeart Radio, Hey brain Stuff, Lauren vog obamb here ever had an itch you couldn't scratch well up to Adults who are allergic to birch tree pollen and who eat common fruits and vegetables raw like apples, cherries, pears, celery, and carrots have that exact problem, and hay fever a k A. Allergic rhinitis is the primary culprit Let's back up a step. Allergies are the result of the immune system's mistaken response
to some harmless substance. Your immune system stands guard and defends your body against intruders that can be dangerous, such as viruses, bacteria, and other harmful things. When it encounters an invader, your immune system releases histamines and other compounds to destroy the invader and flush it out of your system.
Histamines cause a runny nose, sneezing, itching, and watery eyes and swelling as tissue nearby prepares to help in the fight, which are all great for helping get bad stuff out of your system and are all unpleasant symptoms that we associate with being sick and with having an allergic reaction. And when it does its job well. Your immune system keeps you from getting sick every time some ill intentioned
germ finds its way into your body. But your immune system can also overperform, going on the offensive when it encounters dust or pet dander or pollen, and it turns out the proteins and some fruits and vegetables mimic proteins and pollen. This cross reaction is known as oral allergy syndrome or o a S or pollen food syndrome, which may cause itchiness or swelling in the mouth, face, lips, tongue, and throat immediately after eating raw fruits and vegetables. You
can go for years without having the condition. It usually appears in late childhood to young adulthood, but don't be alarmed if eed the you have it. O S is a mild food allergy and only in rare cases causes harmful reactions like anaphylaxis or severe throat swelling. Those reactions are another example of how the immune system can overperform, essentially throwing way too much firepower at the potential problem. Just like other allergies, o S can occur at any
time of year and isn't the same for everyone. As. Some people may get an allergic reaction by eating only one variety of apple, or multiple types of fruits or vegetables, or a specific kind of nut, such as peanuts or hazel nuts. Researchers in Japan who tested sixty three patients with O I S over six years found that apples, peaches, kiwi, and melons produced the most OAS cases in the study. But a person's OS allergy depends on their specific pollen allergy.
For instance, people with allergies to grasses may have a reaction to peaches and tomatoes, while people allergic to ragweed may react to bananas and zucchini. In case you're itching to know, there's no specific test for O A S, but an allergy skin test or blood test for specific
pollen should do the trip. Because protein is often concentrated in a fruit or vegetable's skin, peeling at first may help, or you could turn up the heat and opt for microwaving or baking, which breaks down the proteins the trigger O A S. But the best of defense is to avoid the raw foods that cause the reactions. Today's episode is based on the article Your hay fever could make You allergic? To some fruits on how stuff works dot Com,
written by Shelley Dancy. Brain Stuff is production of by Heart Radio in partnership with how stuff Works dot Com, and it's produced by Tyler Klang. For more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.