During the season of spring blossoms, the scent of flowers can trigger sneezing, leaving many people with a lingering fear of pollen allergies. As high summer arrives, fruits like peaches, mangoes, and lychees are alluring, yet most people know little about fruit allergies. A tingling and itching sensation around the mouth after eating a peach is actually a symptom of a fruit allergy. Moreover, there can be a phenomenon of cross-reactivity between pollen and fruit allergies, and summer and autumn are precisely the peak seasons for this.
Yin Jia, Secretary-General of the Chinese Society of Allergy and Immunology and Director of the Department of Allergy at Peking Union Medical College Hospital, stated in an interview with the *Life Times* that fruit allergies are quite common nowadays. However, the allergic reactions in most people are mild, manifesting as an uncomfortable tingling or itching in the mouth, or swelling of the oral mucosa and lips, which generally subsides within one to two hours. In more severe cases, symptoms like a runny nose and sneezing may occur, and in very rare, severe cases, asthma and anaphylactic shock can develop, which require immediate medical attention.
"Some people believe that peeling the fruit is enough to eat it safely, but that's not the case," Professor Yin explained. The allergens in fruit are not necessarily confined to the peel; the flesh and even the pit can contain them. Clinical tests using fresh mango juice on the skin can induce a strong positive reaction, indicating that mango juice contains a large amount of allergens. Therefore, eating peeled fruit does not reduce the risk of a fruit allergy.
Heating fruit in a microwave for 30 seconds to destroy the allergenic components without cooking the fruit through is a "clever trick" some people use to deal with fruit allergies. Professor Yin believes this method has some feasibility, but it depends on the specific fruit. Relatively speaking, eating fruit raw is more likely to cause allergies. Some allergens that are unstable to heat may have their components destroyed or their structure altered by heating, thereby reducing the fruit's allergenicity. However, for allergens that are heat-stable, heating may not be effective. Director Yin believes that the most effective way to treat fruit allergies is still to avoid the allergens.
Director Yin explained, "Sometimes, a certain pollen and certain fruits share the same allergenic components. This means a person allergic to that pollen might also be allergic to those fruits containing the cross-reactive allergens; this phenomenon is called 'cross-allergy.' In northern China, mugwort pollen is the primary allergen in summer and autumn. People allergic to mugwort pollen may experience allergic symptoms when eating peaches, mangoes, lychees, and other fruits. Birch pollen is an important allergen in the spring, and those allergic to it may also experience allergies when eating apples, plums, apricots, kiwis, and other fruits."