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A child may develop an allergy to currants completely unexpectedly. It is generally accepted that currant berries rarely cause a negative reaction in the body, but in fact this opinion is wrong.
Are currants an allergen?
Allergies to currant fruits are not very common; substances that can cause intolerance are present in relatively low concentrations in the berries. Because of this, one may come across the opinion that fruits are, in principle, a hypoallergenic product, but, unfortunately, this is not true.
Both red and black currant fruits can cause an individual negative reaction in a child and an adult. Sometimes it is congenital and obvious, and sometimes it appears completely suddenly for no apparent reason.
Can you be allergic to black currants?
When it comes to a child's diet, many parents think that black currant fruits are safer. It is believed that the most powerful allergens are any red vegetables, fruits and berries due to their high carotene content.
But in the case of currants, the opposite is true. Much more often it is black berries that cause intolerance. The fact is that they contain anthocyanin - a substance that gives the fruits a black color. Anthocyanin often causes a negative reaction in the body in both children and adults.
Allergen or not red currant
Red currants do not cause negative reactions so often, but they can also cause a negative reaction in the body. In red currant, allergies are most often provoked by the following substances:
- beta-carotene - the compound is useful for many body systems and especially for vision, but often causes the development of negative reactions;
- ascorbic acid - valuable vitamin C can also cause unpleasant symptoms and deterioration of well-being;
- lecithin, a substance that is a strong allergen, to which children react especially acutely, but adults are also intolerant to it;
- anthocyanin, a substance present in red berries in smaller amounts than in black ones, but nevertheless poses a certain health hazard.
If you plan to introduce berries into your child’s diet for the first time, then you need to be careful regardless of what kind of currant you are talking about.
Causes of allergy to currants
Allergies can develop for various reasons. There are several main types of allergic reactions depending on their origin:
- Absolute intolerance to a specific substance. Most often, anthocyanin, beta-carotene or vitamin C become irritants for the body of a child or adult. They are the most powerful and common allergens.
- Weakened state of the body due to illness. Sometimes allergies occur due to diseases of the digestive or respiratory organs in people who have never suffered from diarrhea and nausea after eating berries before. Most often, a negative reaction of this kind goes away simultaneously with the underlying disease, the condition returns to normal, and the body again begins to tolerate the product normally.
- Cross allergy. In this case, unpleasant symptoms will appear not only from eating currant fruits, but also when eating fruits and berries similar in composition to it. A positive aspect of cross-intolerance can be considered that its development is easy to predict; if a child does not accept berries with a similar composition well, then currant fruits are highly likely to do more harm than good.
- Hereditary tendency to allergies. Negative food reactions in children are especially common if one of the parents is allergic. Interestingly, the irritant will not necessarily be the same, for example, the mother may suffer a bad reaction to strawberries, but the child subsequently will not be able to eat red currants.
Allergy to currants in an adult
Allergic reactions do not always occur in early childhood; they can develop throughout life. The high-risk group includes:
- people with a hereditary predisposition to intolerance to certain products; if parents are allergic, then at any time a person may develop an allergy to any product;
- pregnant women - during the period of bearing a child, the female body undergoes strong hormonal changes, against the background of which negative reactions to familiar foods often develop;
- older people; with age, the hormonal system in men and women begins to work differently; the body stops or decreases the production of certain substances, which also often leads to the development of negative food reactions.
Intolerance often develops in those who suffer from chronic diseases of the stomach and intestines. When you eat even a small amount of berries, your health quickly and sharply worsens, since the substances contained in the fruits provoke digestive upset.
Allergy to currants in a child
In children, intolerance is more common than in adults, since the children's body in general is characterized by increased sensitivity. Most often, currant fruits are not digestible for the following reasons:
- The allergy is hereditary; one of the parents suffers from food intolerance to currant berries or other foods.In this case, the product should be offered to the child for the first time in very small quantities, anticipating in advance the manifestation of intolerance; the risk of its development is very high.
- An allergy to blackcurrant in a child is caused by the fact that the baby’s digestive and metabolic systems are not fully formed. Small children are not able to fully absorb organic acids, and fresh fruits contain a lot of such substances. If intolerance is caused by this reason, then most likely, as you grow older, the negative reaction to berries will weaken or even disappear completely.
Symptoms of allergy to currants
It is quite easy to recognize an allergic reaction to red or black berries, especially if you study a photo of an allergy to currants. Currant fruit intolerance is manifested by noticeable symptoms:
- allergic rhinitis, which develops without any connection with colds;
- tearing and redness of the eyes;
- a skin rash similar to hives;
- frequent sneezing;
- severe dry cough that occurs against the background of a sore throat;
- swelling of the face and throat.
A characteristic symptom of a blackcurrant allergy is skin irritation around the mouth, and a rash may also appear on the arms and legs. In addition to the listed symptoms, intolerance most often manifests itself as digestive disorders; after eating the fruit, a child or adult feels nausea, abdominal pain, and severe diarrhea develops.
As a rule, an allergic reaction after eating berries manifests itself very quickly, symptoms appear immediately or after a maximum of 2 hours.
Currant allergy treatment
If the body has reacted negatively to eating berries, intolerance cannot be ignored - this is especially true for children. Without treatment, allergies can lead to serious consequences, including angioedema and anaphylactic shock.
Treatment comes down to the following:
- stop using the product immediately; it would be wise to avoid berries that are similar in composition, in case there is cross intolerance;
- take activated carbon or other medicine with absorbent properties orally, which will help bind and remove toxins from the body;
- To relieve allergy symptoms, an adult can take any antihistamine with a minimum of side effects; it will help eliminate allergic runny nose, coughing and sneezing;
- skin irritations can be lubricated with hypoallergenic baby cream, it will help relieve itching and redness.
Conclusion
A child can develop an allergy to currants completely unexpectedly, and the same applies to adults. When consuming berries, you should always be careful and stick to moderate dosages.
