Over the last ten years, “healthy” eating behaviors have progressed, with diets such as gluten-free, veganism and vegetarianism. These diets include bread with cerealscerealsflours, biscuits, as well as seeds and legumes or goat’s milk, thus promoting the appearance of allergens emergingemergingidentified by the allergo-vigilance network.
New allergens are appearing in France and around the world linked to the increased consumption of certain foods including seeds and legumes, responsible for sometimes serious allergic manifestations (“severe anaphylaxis”). In food allergology, we speak of an emerging allergen when it is responsible for 1% or more of cases of severe anaphylaxis or has a potential for molecular cross-reactivity with an allergen already frequently declared and belonging to the list of 14 allergens to mandatory declaration.
More and more followers of vegetarianism and veganism
This trend of a diet (almost) without meat or cow’s milk, including seeds, plants, legumes and lots of spices affects a diverse population. While 57% of people over 50 adhere to flexitarianism (base vegetarianvegetarian but animal flesh from time to time), growth is marked among those under 35, going from 14% in 2015 to more than 20% in 2020. “ This development suggests that these new eating behaviors will be transmitted to subsequent generations, hence a continued increase in new allergies in the future. », presents Dr Christine Delebarre, allergistallergist (St Vincent de Paul Hospital, GHICL-Lille).
Beware of seeds, responsible for acute allergic reactions
In 2021, a French review of the literature on allergic manifestations known as “ IgEIgE mediated” severe reactions linked to seeds has shown that these serious reactions most often involve certain proteinsproteins called “storage” and “lipid transfer proteins” (LTP, produced by many plants, pollens, fruits, etc.). These proteins are powerful allergens, stable during cooking and the cause of severe generalized allergic reactions. These include sesame (already included in the “list of 14” allergens requiring declaration). For its part, buckwheat has become the 1er purveyor of food allergies in Korea, 4e in Japan. It is responsible for 4.5% of anaphylaxis in France.
Cases of severe anaphylaxis have also been reported with the seeds of sunflowersunflowerpumpkin seeds, linenlinenamaranth, millet, quinoaquinoaas well as for sesame and sunflower oils.
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Beware of spices!
For its part, mustard allergy is among the major causes of food allergy in children, with clinical manifestations that can go as far as anaphylaxis. Allergy to other spices remains rare, representing 2% of food allergies (Apiaceae: anise, dilldill, coriandercoriander, cumincumin, celerycelery), and primarily affects adults.
Beware of cross allergies with legumes
“ We are seeing an increased consumption of legumes in our countries and at the same time an increase in allergies to these dried vegetables (Fabaceae), with 30% of patients allergic to legumes.peanutpeanut suffering from an allergy to legumes, » points out Dr Ariane Nemni, head of the adult-child allergology department at CHI Robert Ballanger (Aulnay-sous-DrinkDrink).
The phenomenon is in fact mainly caused by the cross-reaction with peanut, which also happens to be a legume (therefore having allergenic proteins in common). “ Thereforeshe explains, children allergic to peanuts can, through prior sensitization to other legumes, break tolerance and declare allergic manifestations towards peaspeaslentils, ChickpeasChickpeassplit peas, soysoybeans, beansbeans or even lupinelupine ; the latter being increasingly consumed in processed or masked form “. In summary, the increase in allergies to legumes, linked to their increasingly common consumption, is largely linked to cross-reactivity with peanut.
Four new allergens soon in the list of 14 allergens requiring declaration?
In 2023, the Allergo Vigilance Network has identified the first four emerging allergens responsible for severe anaphylaxis, some of which are favored in vegetarian diets, lacto-vegetarianslacto-vegetarians And veganvegan : 2.83% of severe allergic manifestations with goat’s and sheep’s milk; 2.36% with buckwheat (used as a substitute for glutengluten by the population); 1.83% with peas and lentilslentils and 1.63% with pine nuts.
“ It is therefore necessary to review the legislation relating to compulsory declaration by incorporating these 4 allergenssupports Christine Delebarre. To limit the risk of severe allergic manifestations, we recommend eating a diverse diet, varying your diet without limiting it to one or a few food categories. “.
