Walnuts are often used in food, they are an important source of healthy and wholesome food, but can cause a pathological reaction, which is one of the most common food allergies. The article will talk about the causes of hypersensitivity to nuts, symptoms of the disease, prevention and methods of restoring health.

Walnuts - allergen or not

A nut allergy is one of the most common food reactions with a high degree of activity. Along with peanuts and shellfish, walnut is also one of the food allergens. The most common manifestations are anaphylaxis, a potentially life-threatening reaction that impairs breathing, exacerbates severe attacks of bronchial asthma and can lead the body into a dangerous shock state.

Did you know?Peanuts are often called nuts, but they are not. Nuts grow on trees, and peanuts grow underground in pods and are a member of the legume family. But about 40% of peanut allergy sufferers are hypersensitive to at least one tree nut.

Walnut allergies can be of two types.

The first type is considered the primary food allergy when a person is allergic to walnuts as a result of direct contact with them or products derived from them, such as peanut butter.

The second type of walnut allergy can be considered a secondary food allergy. In a person with this type of allergy, the reaction to pollen first appears, and then to the walnut kernels. This is due to a process called cross-reactivity, when the protein contained in pollen is similar to the protein contained in the nuclei.

Causes of Allergies

The main cause of a walnut allergy is a malfunction and an erroneous reaction of the immune system. She regards nut substances as foreign and hostile allergens that pose a potential threat to the body, and begins to produce specific antibodies and histamine, which is usually inactive.

These substances, when they enter the bloodstream, cause immunopathological irritations in the body. The immune system remembers the allergen, and sensitization develops - cell hypersensitivity to this pathogen, regardless of its concentration, even small doses can provoke a violent reaction.

Allergenicity is associated with substances in the composition of walnuts - these are proteins, amino acids, vitamins, fatty oils.

They have strong sensitizing activity, which is enhanced by heat treatment. The substances responsible for this type of allergy are thermostable and resistant to digestion in the stomach, so patients who respond to these proteins can experience serious allergic reactions.

Cross reaction

If you are hypersensitive to walnuts, you should be wary of the same manifestations on other tree nuts - almonds, macadamia, hazelnuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios, cedar and Brazilian.

Cross-reactivity can be triggered by:

• food allergens of stone fruits - apricot, apples, peach, mango, olives, cherry, plum;
• grapes, soy, corn;
• not food allergenic components - pollen of hazel, alder, birch, latex and products from it.

If you are allergic to walnuts, you can safely use coconut and nutmeg, since the former is classified as fruit, and the latter as a spice, and they do not cause cross-reactions.

Dangerous symptoms

Biological sensitization to nuts is common and can develop at any age. Symptoms can be mild or serious, and manifest quickly (2–4 minutes after exposure to an allergen) and reach maximum activity within 2–3 hours.

In children

The prevalence of these allergies in children is growing, and according to studies over the past decade has tripled. The immune system, which is able to prevent pathological reactions, is formed in children by the age of 7, so the child belongs to the most vulnerable category of allergy sufferers. Introduce new food should be gradually with extreme caution.

• The manifestation of an allergy can be expressed in a child in this way:
• redness of the skin, rashes and blisters (as from mosquito bites);
• peeling and seborrheic dermatitis on the head;
• a tingling sensation in or around the mouth;
• swollen eyelids, dark circles under the eyes, hyperemia due to impaired functioning of blood vessels;
• rhinitis (hay fever);
• itching, diathesis, diaper rash, prickly heat;
• gastrointestinal pain, flatulence, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.

These symptoms according to the degree of manifestation can be attributed to a mild or moderate reaction. If after eating any nut component in children such symptoms appear, then you need to exclude the product from the menu and re-enter the diet in a week.

Important! Many of the listed symptoms are similar to the symptoms of childhood and respiratory diseases, therefore, the correct diagnosis and treatment is established by the pediatrician, and if necessary, an allergist after conducting test samples and enzyme immunoassay.

Usually during this time the symptoms subside, but in the event of a violent reaction, you should seek help from specialists. A severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) is associated with problems of breathing, heart rate and blood pressure and affects the functioning of the heart and lungs of a person.

Any of the following symptoms, as well as one or more of the above (mild or moderate), indicate that the child has an anaphylactic reaction:

• shortness of breath and noisy breathing;
• wheezing, debilitating cough;
• swelling of the tongue, throat and suffocation;
• incoherent speech and hoarse voice;
• fainting, loss of consciousness, or collapse;
• pallor, weakness and lethargy.

Recent studies have shown that the introduction of products that contain allergens during the first 12 months of a baby’s life can actually reduce the likelihood of future food allergies.

In adults

The severity of allergic manifestations varies from a mild oral reaction syndrome (itching in the mouth, lips, tongue shortly after chewing and eating) to severe and even potentially fatal systemic reactions (anaphylaxis, angioedema, urticaria, throat edema, asthma).

The general condition depends on what kind of nut proteins in patients appeared hypersensitivity to, on the amount of allergen and on the functional activity of the immune system.

• Histamines cause skin, digestive and respiratory symptoms, which in adults are as follows:
• leather - itchy pink blisters and rash (urticaria); eczema, tissue necrosis, redness and swelling of the face or limbs; itching and swelling of the lips, tongue, and mouth (skin reactions are the most common type of reaction)
• Gastrointestinal tract - abdominal pain, flatulence, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation;
• respiratory system - hay fever, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, cough, hoarse and wheezing shallow breathing, dyspnea, shortness of breath, difficulty in swallowing and narrowing of the larynx;
• the cardiovascular system - Loss of orientation, convulsions, tremors, dizziness, collapse, fainting, profuse sweating.

Sometimes an allergy can cause a serious reaction called anaphylaxis, even if the previous reaction was mild. Anaphylaxis can begin with the same symptoms as a less severe reaction, but it can rapidly develop and worsen the condition. A person develops stridor breathing, arterial hypotension, and loss of consciousness. If you do not help, then anaphylaxis can be life threatening.

People often confuse food allergies with food intolerances due to similar symptoms. Symptoms of food intolerance may include: belching, upset stomach, flatulence, loose stools, headaches, nervousness, which can be unpleasant, but rarely dangerous. But food intolerance does not involve the immune system.

Treatment

Walnut allergies usually develop at an early age and often persist throughout a person’s life.. The effectiveness of treatment and prevention depend on the correct diagnosis and determination of the causes of allergies. The complexity of such measures is associated with cross-reactions and the similarity of symptoms with other diseases, so it is important to exclude these factors for the analysis of the immune system.

An allergist performs a medical examination, a clinical assessment of the anamnesis and collects information about potential allergens, the frequency of seizures, and a genetic predisposition, and prescribes tests, which will help to make the final diagnosis:

• skin tests to determine sensitivity to food allergens;
• blood tests to check for antibodies to certain foods;
• mucosal tests;
• food provocations - during this test, a person gradually receives an increasing amount of a potential food allergen until severe symptoms manifest that the doctor registers;
• catering in order to exclude allergic reactions - an elimination diet.

Based on the examination, the allergist will help to draw up a treatment plan, recommend desensitization processes to increase tolerance to nuts and prescribe appropriate measures to restore health.

General principles for the treatment of allergic conditions:

Modern medicine and its level of development do not completely cure allergies. All the advice and recommendations, medicines and traditional medicine give only the opportunity to facilitate the course and prevent the development of complications.

Often, the most effective treatment for walnut allergies is to eliminate under any circumstances a dangerous allergen and all products that contain it to prevent unwanted irritations.

To reduce itching, skin irritation, swelling and strengthen the body's defenses, medicinal herbs can be used: chamomile, oak bark, calendula, aloe, motherwort, valerian, celandine, coneflower, St. John's wort. From these fees prepare decoctions for lotions, baths or drink for internal use.

For treatment with alternative methods, a specialist consultation is also necessary. Antihistamines, enterosorbents, and corticosteroids are over-the-counter and are used to treat mild symptoms (urticaria, runny nose, and abdominal pain).

Anaphylaxis reactions are treated with injections of adrenaline and cardiopulmonary resuscitation to restore life. Reducing blood pressure is stopped by intravenous injection of vasoconstrictors and, edema of the upper respiratory tract - inhalation, injection of beta-adrenergic agonists, and sometimes endotracheal intubation.

Important! Resuscitation measures should be carried out by an ambulance team, therefore, for dangerous symptoms, it is necessary to call doctors and inform them about the medications taken and the actions taken.

Prevention

For preventive purposes, people with any nut allergy should avoid all varieties of this product and know where it can be used to avoid the allergen.

Walnuts are used in their natural form and are used in baking, bread, biscuits, granola, confectionery, chocolate, ice cream. They are used in some brands of sauces, seasonings and in many dishes of oriental cooking.

Cold-pressed walnut oil, which can be found in grocery stores, is usually used for flavor, so it should be considered unrefined and unsuitable for people with walnut allergies. It can be used as salad oil or grilled food.

Refined peanut butter is safer, but it is difficult to guarantee that it is sufficiently refined and does not contain traces of peanut protein. It is best to avoid the use of peanut butter in the presence of an inadequate response of the immune system in an adult or a child, since oil production may contaminate the pressing equipment with other plant allergens.

In the field of catering, it is necessary to clarify the composition of the prepared dishes and warn about allergies. Medications, soaps, cosmetics, and personal care products sometimes contain nut butters.

It is difficult to determine the level of risk that these products pose, so it is recommended to avoid them.

Whenever you buy, you need to check the labels. Some manufacturers label them raw materials containing nuts.

Sometimes the labels show the ingredients in Latin - Latin name for walnut - Juglans regia, and as an option Juglans nigra (the black).

In order to prevent and prevent exacerbation of the disease, you can use the general tips:

• in acute manifestations, completely eliminate the nut as a food product and apply an elimination diet;
• a food diary will help to analyze the body's reactions to a change in diet;
• at the initial use of a nut, introduce it in small doses, monitoring the manifestations;
• carry over-the-counter antihistamines, an autoinjector with adrenaline and an allergological passport.

Allergy while breastfeeding

Breastfeeding helps protect your baby from allergies. But even a baby who has never been fed milk formula or other foods may have food allergies, including continuous crying, poor sleep, diarrhea, vomiting, colic, eczema, constipation, poor appetite, or a complete refusal to eat. This is because babies may be allergic to foods the mother consumes.

Allergens from eaten foods appear in breast milk within 3–6 hours after they are consumed.but there’s no reason to wean a baby if it shows signs of a food allergy. It is enough to change the diet of the mother and exclude these foods. After 1-2 weeks, the antibodies will disappear from the milk, and the baby’s symptoms will gradually improve and return to normal.

Most studies confirm that exclusive breastfeeding (even only 1 month) increases immunity, reduces the frequency of allergies and the likelihood that in the future the child will show reactions to the product to which parents are sensitive.

Did you know? Radio frequency identification tags are being developed that are applied to the plate and, when mixed with food, alert allergy sufferers to problematic ingredients.

There are no recommendations to avoid eating nuts while breastfeeding to prevent allergies. These restrictions are recommended only for children with symptoms.

Breastfeeding creates a special connection between mother and child, and the value and benefits of nuts for the composition of mother's milk are widely known.

But it is necessary to observe the measure (no more than 3 kernels per day) and introduce nuts into the mother’s diet when the baby is 2 months old. With extreme caution, you should eat nuts with a high genetic predisposition to allergies in any of the parents.

Carefully carried out diagnostics, a well-chosen diet, discipline and caution in choosing food will help to avoid undesirable manifestations during improper functioning of the immune system and the body's reaction to allergens.