Rayshell Clapper for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online
People around the globe eat peanuts. We eat them raw, fried, boiled, roasted, dry roasted, and even mushed into that delicious concoction called peanut butter. However, many people, particularly in the Western world, have serious peanut allergies. But why is that? Oxford University researchers recently discovered a possible answer to just this question.
Oxford researchers found strong evidence that the act of roasting and dry roasting peanuts may be the culprit responsible for many of the peanut allergies in the world. The study found that roasting and dry roasting changes the chemical composition of the peanuts, which the immune system recognizes and then becomes primed for an allergic immune response at the next exposure to peanuts.
To further support this, the study team looked to the East, where people eat lots of peanuts. In the East, fewer people have peanut allergies despite the fact that they ate just as much or more peanuts. The major difference? In the East, people eat their peanuts raw, boiled, or fried, but rarely do they eat them roasted, whereas in the West people eat far more roasted and dry roasted peanuts than raw, boiled, or fried.
In an effort to better understand the peanut allergy and just how it begins, the study, which was funded by the National Institute for Health and Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, the US National Institutes of Health, and the Swiss National Science Foundation, had researchers exposing mice to purified proteins from dry roasted peanuts and from raw peanuts. The researchers either injected the peanut proteins under the skin of mice, or applied them to broken skin, or introduced the proteins to the stomach directly. Then the researchers measured the immune responses of the mice at a later date.
As the Oxford researchers point out, “The mice that had been initially exposed to dry roasted peanuts generated greatly increased immune responses to peanuts, compared to mice that had been exposed to raw peanut proteins. The types of immune responses seen are characteristic of allergic reactions.” This directed the research team to the conclusion that dry roasted peanuts are a potential and likely trigger for peanut allergies.
According to first author Dr. Amin Moghaddam of Oxford University, “Our results in mice suggest that dry roasted peanuts may be more likely to lead to peanut allergy than raw peanuts: the dry roasting causes a chemical modification of peanut proteins that appears to activate the immune system against future exposure to peanuts.”
A peanut allergy, like many other food allergies, is not something to trifle with because for those with extreme allergies even a whiff of peanut particles in the air can lead to a closed throat and the need for an EpiPen
According to MedlinePlus if someone has an allergic reaction to peanuts, they are likely to experience some or all of these symptoms:
• Itching or swelling in the mouth
• Stomach issues such as vomiting, diarrhea, or abdominal cramps and pain
• Hives or eczema
• Tightening of the throat and trouble breathing (otherwise known as anaphylaxis)
• Drop in blood pressure
Other symptoms may vary from food allergy to food allergy and person to person, but on the whole at least one of these will present itself. It is important to note that anaphylaxis, a serious drop in blood pressure, and stomach issues can all lead to death if extreme enough.
Understanding what triggers food allergies will better help to prevent more in the future. Moreover, understanding symptoms will help us to react and seek proper medical attention. Ideally, though, the Oxford University findings will better help all to prevent peanut allergies so that we can enjoy the tastiness of this nut, especially in the form of peanut butter, only raw instead of roasted.
The study is published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
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