If you have a peanut allergy, you may tiptoe carefully around eating tree nuts, too. Tree nuts, which include almonds, all belong to different families — and peanuts don't really belong in the nut family at all, so you might well be able to eat almonds if you have a peanut allergy. The proteins in peanuts and tree nuts cause the allergic reactions; different nut families contain different proteins.
Different Nut Families
Almonds belong to the plum family, while peanuts are actually legumes, part of the same family as chickpeas, lentils and peas. Different families contain different types of protein, so an allergy to one nut family doesn't mean an allergy to all. Reactions are much more likely to occur to nuts within the same family, such as to pistachio and cashews, both members of the mango family. Walnuts and pecans also belong to the same family. Hazelnut, filbert, hickory nut all belong to the birch family. No other nuts belong to the plum family.
Frequency
Around 1.2 percent of Americans have a peanut allergy, with the same number reporting a tree-nut allergy, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology reports. Almonds appear to cause the fewest allergic reactions of all the tree nuts, Canadian pediatrician and allergy expert Dr. Anthony Ham Pong adds on the Calgary Allergy Network website. Around 20 percent of children with peanut or tree-nut allergy outgrow their allergy, while 20 percent get worse over time and 60 percent stay the same, according to the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy.
Cross-Reaction Potential
Between 20 and 50 percent of people with a peanut allergy have a cross-sensitivity to one of the tree nuts, the AAAAI warns. Most people with a peanut allergy can safely eat other legumes, but ask your doctor before testing this on yourself. Allergy testing is the only way to determine which nuts will cause a reaction outside of trial and error, a method not recommended if you have severe allergic reactions. Many manufacturers process several types of nuts on the same equipment or in the same factory, which means that cross-contamination of one product with a dusting from another may occur.
Risks
You might well have no reaction to almonds even if you have a peanut allergy, but don't take the risk without having allergy testing done first by your physician. Peanut and tree-nut allergies can cause life-threatening symptoms, with 20 percent of peanut or tree-nut allergic reactions causing anaphylaxis, a severe reaction characterized by airway swelling, difficulty breathing and circulatory collapse, according to the AAAAI. Of fatal anaphylactic reactions, 50 to 62 percent occurred from peanut exposure and 15 to 30 percent were due to tree nuts.
