Speaker 1: Welcome to brain stuff, a production of iHeart Radio, Hey
Speaker 1: brain Stuff, Lauren vog obamb here ever had an itch
Speaker 1: you couldn't scratch well up to Adults who are allergic
Speaker 1: to birch tree pollen and who eat common fruits and
Speaker 1: vegetables raw like apples, cherries, pears, celery, and carrots have
Speaker 1: that exact problem, and hay fever a k A. Allergic
Speaker 1: rhinitis is the primary culprit Let's back up a step.
Speaker 1: Allergies are the result of the immune system's mistaken response
Speaker 1: to some harmless substance. Your immune system stands guard and
Speaker 1: defends your body against intruders that can be dangerous, such
Speaker 1: as viruses, bacteria, and other harmful things. When it encounters
Speaker 1: an invader, your immune system releases histamines and other compounds
Speaker 1: to destroy the invader and flush it out of your system.
Speaker 1: Histamines cause a runny nose, sneezing, itching, and watery eyes
Speaker 1: and swelling as tissue nearby prepares to help in the fight,
Speaker 1: which are all great for helping get bad stuff out
Speaker 1: of your system and are all unpleasant symptoms that we
Speaker 1: associate with being sick and with having an allergic reaction.
Speaker 1: And when it does its job well. Your immune system
Speaker 1: keeps you from getting sick every time some ill intentioned
Speaker 1: germ finds its way into your body. But your immune
Speaker 1: system can also overperform, going on the offensive when it
Speaker 1: encounters dust or pet dander or pollen, and it turns
Speaker 1: out the proteins and some fruits and vegetables mimic proteins
Speaker 1: and pollen. This cross reaction is known as oral allergy
Speaker 1: syndrome or o a S or pollen food syndrome, which
Speaker 1: may cause itchiness or swelling in the mouth, face, lips, tongue,
Speaker 1: and throat immediately after eating raw fruits and vegetables. You
Speaker 1: can go for years without having the condition. It usually
Speaker 1: appears in late childhood to young adulthood, but don't be
Speaker 1: alarmed if eed the you have it. O S is
Speaker 1: a mild food allergy and only in rare cases causes
Speaker 1: harmful reactions like anaphylaxis or severe throat swelling. Those reactions
Speaker 1: are another example of how the immune system can overperform,
Speaker 1: essentially throwing way too much firepower at the potential problem.
Speaker 1: Just like other allergies, o S can occur at any
Speaker 1: time of year and isn't the same for everyone. As.
Speaker 1: Some people may get an allergic reaction by eating only
Speaker 1: one variety of apple, or multiple types of fruits or vegetables,
Speaker 1: or a specific kind of nut, such as peanuts or
Speaker 1: hazel nuts. Researchers in Japan who tested sixty three patients
Speaker 1: with O I S over six years found that apples, peaches, kiwi,
Speaker 1: and melons produced the most OAS cases in the study.
Speaker 1: But a person's OS allergy depends on their specific pollen allergy.
Speaker 1: For instance, people with allergies to grasses may have a
Speaker 1: reaction to peaches and tomatoes, while people allergic to ragweed
Speaker 1: may react to bananas and zucchini. In case you're itching
Speaker 1: to know, there's no specific test for O A S,
Speaker 1: but an allergy skin test or blood test for specific
Speaker 1: pollen should do the trip. Because protein is often concentrated
Speaker 1: in a fruit or vegetable's skin, peeling at first may help,
Speaker 1: or you could turn up the heat and opt for
Speaker 1: microwaving or baking, which breaks down the proteins the trigger
Speaker 1: O A S. But the best of defense is to
Speaker 1: avoid the raw foods that cause the reactions. Today's episode
Speaker 1: is based on the article Your hay fever could make
Speaker 1: You allergic? To some fruits on how stuff works dot Com,
Speaker 1: written by Shelley Dancy. Brain Stuff is production of by
Speaker 1: Heart Radio in partnership with how stuff Works dot Com,
Speaker 1: and it's produced by Tyler Klang. For more podcasts my
Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,
Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.