Allium is one of the most important groups of flowering plants. It has more than 500 species whose classifications are poorly understood. Some of the important species of alliums to humans are onions, French shallots, leeks, scallions, garlic, and chives. However, many people complain of experiencing Allium allergy to the consumption of these vegetables.
Why People Are Prone to Allium Allergy?
The characteristic taste of all the species of these flowering plants is primarily due to the chemical compound Cysteine sulfoxide. It is a semi-essential amino acid. The body naturally produces this chemical, which can also be supplied through our diet.
Garlic: The garlic intolerance is primarily caused by the presence of Alliin lyase.
When some people take onions and other vegetables mentioned above, the body’s natural protection system or immune system becomes confused. It fails to acknowledge the Cysteine sulfoxide compound supplied by the diet to be the same as the one produced by the body.
Due to this confusion, the immune system identifies the diet-supplied Cysteine sulfoxide molecules as a threat to the body called an allergen. It immediately triggers the IgE antibodies in the blood. These antibodies, in turn, activate a type of white blood cell called the mast cell to fight the allergens. This rejection of the diet-supplied Cysteine sulfoxide molecules by the body results in the appearance of allergy symptoms.
Allium Allergy Symptoms
- Itchiness
- Gas
- Bloating
- Hives
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Headache
- Shortness of breath
- Drop in blood pressure
- Dizziness
- Rashes
- Vomiting
- Wheezing
- Eczema
- Inflammation
- Stomach upset
- Stuffy nose
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that these symptoms can appear within a few minutes or might take several hours to be apparent after the intake of food.
Treatment of the Allium Hypersensitivity
Awareness of this immune system disorder goes a long way in reducing its discomfort. There is a strong genetic connection to allergy. Identical twins have a 70 % chance of experiencing the same allergy, whereas non-identical twins have a 40 % chance of suffering from an allergy in the family.
Young children are most at risk of suffering from it. This information proves handy to the family members in taking prevention steps before their loved ones. The experience of the foods and environments that trigger the onset of the allergy to avoid them on time is a proven way of naturally tackling the condition.
Medications like antihistamines are available to deal with mild to moderate degrees of the mentioned symptoms. They have prescribed the physicians to the patients after undergoing diagnostic tests like RAST, Skin-prick, and blood tests. Montelukast (Singulair) or Zafirlukast (Accolate) are some FDA-approved drugs for treating food allergies.
There is no cure for any allergy. A treatment technique known as Immunotherapy is emerging as the best possible treatment for allergy symptoms. In this technique, the patient’s body develops tolerance to the very allergen causing the condition. In the case of Allium allergy, the patient’s body is injected with small shots of the possible allergen Cysteine sulfoxide.
The quantity of this chemical injected into the body is sufficient to trigger the immune system but insufficient to make it take any reactionary steps. Slowly, over time, the dosage of the allergen in the shots increases, and the body’s immune system responds positively. However, Immunotherapy calls for a long-term commitment to treatment from the patient.
Allium Allergy being fatal is less likely, but people suffering from this allergy should take all the necessary precautions to avoid this in the first place. People suffering from this are highly intolerant or are sensitive to Allium family foods. That means their digestive system is not well equipped to digest these foods. Allium sensitivity and its intolerance might differ from person to person.
Allium Allergy FAQ
What are alliums?
Alliums are a group of plants that includes onions, garlic, leeks, scallions, shallots, and chives.
How is an allium allergy diagnosed?
A skin prick test diagnoses an allium allergy. It can also be checked with a blood test that measures the levels of specific antibodies for alliums.
What foods should be avoided if you have an allium allergy?
Avoid all foods that contain onions, garlic, leeks, scallions, shallots, and chives. This includes prepared foods like soups, sauces, dressings, and marinades.
What can be used as a substitute for alliums in cooking?
One can use ginger, turmeric, cumin, coriander, etc., to add flavor to cooking. One can also substitute spring onions, fennel, celery, or asafoetida.
Can an allium allergy be cured?
No, there is no cure for an allium allergy. However, the symptoms could be managed by avoiding alliums and using their substitutes while cooking. Some people might outgrow their allergy with time. One should always have an emergency plan in case of a severe reaction.
11 Comments
I believe I am allergic to the allium family but I don’t see the symptoms I get listed above. I get a very bad sore throat, pwith slight swelling and itchiness (in the throat). With raw onions, its a very sharp pain in my throat, almost like razor blades. It can last for hours after just one bite. With garlic, I get a duller pain but it is in my chest as well as throat, and can last for half a day or longer. Taking a benedryl before or after does help somewhat. Anyone else get similar symptoms?
Nope. I just get the gas, nausea and bloating. It sucks too because who doesn’t like garlic bread?!?!???
Join the Allium allergy page on Facebook. You are not alone. My symptoms started as migraines in my childhood. It wasn’t until I was in my 40’s that the symptoms got worse. I did an elimination diet and discovered the culprit was onions. This has progressed to all alliums and symptoms have gotten worse. I now carry an inhaler and an epipen.
I do not think that Benedril is very good for you, I am not sure. Check it and its side effects…
You are not alone in this. I get a burning sensation in my mouth and throat when eating anything with garlic on it ie: garlic bread. Onions can’t enter my mouth for more than a second or two before I start feeling like I’m going to vomit, or I do vomit, I’ll know immediately really. I can’t be in a room where a lot of garlic is being cooked because I feel myself having trouble breathing. Its really irritating to me. The article above mentioned inflammation so maybe thats what they mean, all the skin being inflamed, irritated?
It is interesting. I have lots of the symptoms listed above and I never thought it could be due to allium allergy. I have been eating garlic and onion and all the rest of it all my live… I am 80. The other day, I thought: ‘could it be the garlic?”. I stopped it and I am feeling better. I noticed also, some days ago that onion was having a bad effect in the mouth, gums, tongue. I just have not been able to eat onion for some 2 weeks now. Then, I stopped the garlic as well and I am fine, the gas is gone!!!
I’ve known I’ve had these for about two decades. One of the worst allergies (well, hypersensitivity) you can have, in my opinion. Because so many foods have onions or garlic in them! It’s almost impossible to eat Italian or Chinese food! So frustrating. One of the foods I can never eat is Salsa. Until today!!! I wanted to let people who have this allergy and might not know about it that there are two new salsas on the market that have no onions or garlic in them. The RED SALSA and the GREEN SALSA from Del Real Foods. I found it at my local safeway today. Tastes great and only 4 ingredients – and none of them are onion or garlic – YAY!!!! Check it out. I’m so happy!
If you are trying to eat an allium free diet, try Japanese or Jain food. Japanese food doesn’t usually have any onions or garlic, unless it is something influenced by another culture, and Jain food doesn’t have any at all. FODMAP foods are more likely not to have allium in them as well.
About 4 years ago I began experiencing stomach upset when I ate raw onion on a hamburgers. Early this year (2021) I began experiencing bad headaches across my forehead nearly every afternoon after eating dinner. I also began having a great deal of bloating after eating as well as some stomach upset and frequent diarrhea. I began sharing my problem with friends and family and eventually began searching the internet where I discovered “allium allergy and intolerance”. Once I removed all traces of all things allium from my diet (good grief it is in everything) all my symptoms disappeared. However if I happen to eat something containing any form of allium I would experience at a bare minimum the tell tale headache usually within an hour of eating. Clearly it was a case of allium INTOLERANCE.
Late in summer (2021) I was found to be Vitamin D3 deficient and began taking 5,000 iu per day vit D3 along with 200mcg vitamin k2 MK7 but 3 days a week I took 10,000 iu of vitamin D3 giving me 50,000 iu per WEEK of vit D3. After being on this regimen for 45 days my doctor did blood work including a Vitamin D 25-OH test which showed my vit D3 level had improved from less than 20ng/ml (insufficient) to 40 ng/ml which is in the optimum range of 40 to 100 ng/ml.
Early this past November while on vacation I ended up eating Mexican food which was full of onion and garlic, (it was so good). I had no Tagamet or Tylenol with me so I waited for the headache but it never came not even any stomach upset bloating or diarrhea. Since then I’ve cautiously consumed ever increasing amounts and types of allium foods and have not experienced any more intolerance symptoms…
Beside ridding my diet of all forms of allium for over 6 months the vitamin D is the only change in my health and so it may be purely coincidental that for whatever the reason my allium intolerance has ceased but I thought it worth mentioning.
When I eat onion, garlic, chives or scallions, I get a sore above my mouth that looks just like a cold sore, but goes away when I stop eating onions. My last D3 reading was 60. I don’t take K2.
NO! Spring Onions are an Allium! “What can be used as a substitute for alliums in cooking?
One can use ginger, turmeric, cumin, coriander, etc., to add flavor to cooking. One can also use spring onions, “