Hives, swelling of lips, tingling sensation in mouth are common symptoms of broccoli allergy. Common food items that trigger allergic reaction are nuts, fish, wheat, milk and eggs. There are few uncommon foods that result in adverse reaction.
Allergy triggers when proteins in broccoli are erroneously termed as harmful substance by your immune system, which then release IgE antibodies to detect broccoli proteins. This is the reason why most people will not experience allergy for the first time.
Next time when you ingest identical protein included food, antibodies signals immune system to release histamines. The reaction between histamines and protein in food leads to allergic symptoms ranging from mild to severe situations.
You may experience allergic reaction when you consume food with identical proteins. Experts say that aspirin like chemical substance (salicylate) in broccoli is the main cause of allergy.
Symptoms of Broccoli Allergy
Mild symptoms like itching, swelling and rashes can be treated by anti-histamine medication prescribed by the allergist.
Signs of allergy will be seen within minutes or after an hour of consuming broccoli. Signs include:
- Vomiting
- Dizziness
- Cough
- Nausea
- Difficulty in breathing
- Swelling of lips and hands
- Tingling sensation around mouth, tongue and throat
- Itchy rashes
- Hives
Severe conditions include sudden drop in blood pressure, asthma, unconsciousness and anaphylaxis. When you fail to recognize life-threatening symptoms, then it will result in multiple organ demise and heart attack.
Diagnosis
In case of severe reactions, epinephrine injection is given by the doctor. To determine broccoli allergy, person must be diagnosed by certified allergist. He/she will conduct different tests including skin prick test to specify the allergen.
People who know they have broccoli allergy are recommended wearing medication identification bracelet. You will be exposed to various allergens to determine the right allergen.
Severe allergic patients will be given epinephrine self-injector for immediate relieve from allergy. Mild symptoms people shouldn’t use this injection.
Prevention
Cornerstone of treating broccoli allergy is to avoid broccoli and other similar food items, which can irritate your immune system. Store brought food products with broccoli extracts shouldn’t be used.
Person who is sensitive to salicylate will experience this allergy. Other foods which may trigger allergy in salicylate sensitive people are apples, coffee, nuts, avocados and strawberries. You can get the whole list here.
Enough is discussed about side-effects of broccoli. It’s not like what it seems to be. Broccoli, which resembles cauliflower, has abundant benefits for your overall health. It can reduce cholesterol level, thwart free radicals, reduce inflammation, prevents osteoporosis, improves healthy functioning of heart and maintain blood sugar level.
Don’t confuse with intolerance
Raffinose is a complex sugar in broccoli, which can’t be broken by enzymes present in small intestine. So the sugar is sent to large intestine, where the sugar is broken by bacteria, this process results in gas and stomach cramps.
Though most symptoms of intolerance are identical to allergy, they are completely different. Only after diagnosis allergen can be confirmed.
Massaging with olive oil or castor oil on skin rashes and apply lavender oil to relieve from headache can give you relief from broccoli allergy symptoms.