Apples

Anyone had an apple and trigger asthma flair up,I eat loads of apples always have done 4/6 day.Always put them under the tap first,but forgot yesterday.I was ok one minute and WAM.Breathing went down,chest so tight.neck and chest red and still rough today,so taking my reliever.I think the apple out of a pack of 6 from tesco may have had a spore or chemical on it,may be before bagged up.So if anyone has had the same please reply xxx

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Hi Glynis

Stupid question, but do you suffer with hayfever, and in particular are you allergic to Silver Birch Pollen? If the answer is yes, here is the explanation.

There is an enzyme in apples that is similar to Silver Birch Pollen, and for those who are allergic to Silver Birch, it is common to have a reaction to raw apple. The enzyme is destroyed on cooking of the apple, hence why some people like me can drink apple concentrated apple juice and cider.

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Hi glynis,

I thought you were OK after I pm'd you yesterday? from my reckoning you've been like that for 14-15 hrs, what did NHS direct say.

Could it also be a different variety than you normally eat, I know someone else, for whom certain apple varieties can exacerbate there asthma slightly.

Chris

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Hi Katina, thanks for that answer, I remember when I first saw my consultant he asked about reactions to specific foods and I told him I had reactions much like that described, very itchy mouth, throat, difficulty breathing etc. to apples but that I could eat apple crumble, apple pie etc without a problem and he just looked at my oddly! However I do have severe hay-fever so that would make sense - oddly, I'm OK with peeled apples - it seems to be the skin that causes the problem.

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Ratty, and Glynis try this tinyurl.com/yaos75l (scroll to bottom of page)

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OMG - woody-som you might have hit on something - I can't eat celery at all (I thought it was some psychological reaction because I just don't like it!!) and carrots cause some problems too. I'm not a fussy eater (honest!) but those three things - apples, celery and carrots - are the ones I avoid because of 'odd' reactions I can't explain.

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Is it usually plants that cause this sort of reaction? The only thing I'm aware of that does it for me is egg yolk - and it's more of a problem raw or lightly cooked. It only started in the last year or two.

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ratty, sorry, I can't take credit for that link, that belongs to Ginny.

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Chris and I were chatting about apples a few weeks ago which is when we came across the weblink.

There was also an article in the New Scientist about food allergies back in July ...

tinyurl.com/lo5d8e

or

newscientist.com/article/mg...

Apple allergic people in northern Europe can tolerate cooked apples and pasteurised apple juice, but those in Southern Europe can't tolerate apples in any form (there apple allergy is due to a peach-like protein that isn't broken down on heating).

Glynis, you could try cooking your apples before eating - the taste is a bit sharp but add a bit of sugar if too acidic. Peel and cut into wedges, then put in a saucepan with a bit of water and simmer for a few minutes until cooked through. It works although not quite the same as eating raw ones. Also tell your GP about the reaction - and ask if it's okay to try cooked apples?

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thank you

thankyou to apple info.I eat apples 4/6 aday and done it since I was a nipper.Never had that reaction before,eat all kinds of apples and oranges.pears etc love apples the most xxx