Om Nom Burning!

November 26, 2008 2:30 PM

Edible filter: I've discovered that my experience of peaches burning, and peach fuzz being like a cactus, is an allergy that came along with puberty. Essentially what should be sweet and tart tastes sweet, tart and spicey. I don't mind the afterburn, but what happens if you keep eating allergy triggering food?

I ask this because of the stories that pop up now and then, of how peoples lives dramatically improved when they discovered a gluten allergy or whatever, and removed the food from their diet. However, peach cobbler and the like just taste like they've been peppered, and I don't get hives all over, trouble breathing or lousy digestion. I haven't noticed any improvement in health and well being when I don't eat peaches. Are there other risks (like an increased allergy over time) or am I just giving my immune system a harmless false alarm every time I tuck into nummy burning goodness? Certainly I'd eat curries with more kick.

posted by Phalene to health & fitness (8 comments total)

I've heard with other food allergies that there is certainly a risk of a worse reaction than usual - such as throat constriction. As an example, I have a severe allergic reaction in my eye once or twice a year, and although I can't pinpoint the source, my doctor said if I managed to get that same allergen in my airway in any quantity I could be in bad shape.
posted by shinynewnick at 2:39 PM on November 26, 2008

If you have arthritis, it can lead to a painful flare-up that takes a while to calm down or just increase existing inflammation.

If you have reflux/esophageal issues, it can worsen those - sometimes exponentially.

And, as shinynewnick says, you can suddenly end up having an unexpectedly dramatic situation all because your body has decided it is no longer okay with fighting off the allergic response by simple inflammation alone.

If you haven't had a doc check out the extent of your allergy, that might be a good idea.
posted by batmonkey at 2:48 PM on November 26, 2008

My doctor said that allergies generally worsen over time with each exposure. I already have anaphylactic reactions to certain nuts, so I must be very careful - currently I have about half an hour before it really takes hold, over time that could drop to minutes before breathing becomes extremely difficult.

What may happen is that if you keep eating this food, one time you may have a really bad reaction, seemingly out of the blue, and you will need to be prepared and react immediately. A doctor would tell you to get an allergy test now and avoid the food.

Is it that big a deal to not eat peaches? Are you allergic to apricots? Maybe switch to those.
posted by wingless_angel at 3:30 PM on November 26, 2008

Nectarines are the same species as peaches, all the copies of a necessary gene for the production of the fuzz are merely defective. Have you had enough experience with them to know whether it is the fuzz that's bothering you?

There is an interesting connection between a certain allergy to corn and sensitivity to peaches:

Maize contains lipid transfer protein, an undigestable protein which survives cooking. This protein has been linked to a rare and understudied allergy to maize in humans.[8] The allergic reaction can cause skin rash, swelling or itching of mucus membranes, diarrhoea, vomiting, asthma and, in severe cases, anaphylactic shock. It is unclear how common this allergy is but it has been noted that those with corn allergy almost always have peach allergy as well.

It's unusual for a protein to retain its allergenic properties after cooking, because the heat generally denatures it (drastically changes the folding). I think the fact you have this reaction to peach cobbler as well as raw peaches suggests that your allergy is probably due to the presumed lipid transfer protein -like allergen in peaches.

If that is the case, then it does sound as if it could progress to much more serious illness.

Have you noticed any problems with corn?
posted by jamjam at 4:09 PM on November 26, 2008

Um...have you been officially diagnosed as allergic to peaches? I'm not sure reading this if you just have different taste buds when it comes to peaches here.

But generally speaking, more exposure to the thing you're allergic to usually makes it worse.
posted by jenfullmoon at 4:10 PM on November 26, 2008

I experience burning from peaches and sweet peppers (the red, yellow and green non-hot). I haven't bothered to see a doctor about being typed, as yet. I think nectarines are also spicy, and after eating one my mouth has a comparable spice reaction. Rubbing a peach against my skin hurts, which is how I noticed the burning was abnormal in the first place. "Peaches are so soft!" "What? No, they're like sandpaper!"

I'm good with corn though. Never had any problem with that.
posted by Phalene at 5:17 PM on November 26, 2008

If this is really an allergy, it's an immune response and probably not something to screw with too much lest you be really surprised one day when your throat swells shut. I can tell you a really accurate way to determine whether it's an immune response or not, but you'd pretty much have to by enough chemicals to repeat things about 100 times.

It's unusual for a protein to retain its allergenic properties after cooking

Uh, I wouldn't bet my life on this. When you make antibodies you've already denatured the protein pretty thoroughly in your antigen presenting cells. Also, you can literally digest a protein with trypsin and will find that antibodies will usually stick to one of the fragments. That's not to say that this never happens, though.

All that being said, this sounds less like an allergy and more like some sort of weird sense response; like the people who find green peppers and onions to be almost painfully bitter.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 5:21 PM on November 26, 2008

Uh, I wouldn't bet my life on this. When you make antibodies you've already denatured the protein pretty thoroughly in your antigen presenting cells. Also, you can literally digest a protein with trypsin and will find that antibodies will usually stick to one of the fragments. That's not to say that this never happens, though.

If the fruit sensitivity is a result of a ragweed or birch allergy, cooking does reduce or eliminate the effects. I have a friend who can't eat melons, peaches, or apples (like Phalene, they burn) raw but can eat any of these things cooked.

More info here.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 8:11 AM on November 27, 2008