The cherry provides many benefits. Its blossoms lend aesthetic beauty to the world in spring. Cherry leaves release live-giving oxygen to the atmosphere through the process of photosynthesis. The cherries themselves have a sweet flavor and are good ingredients for pies and jellies. Cherries also occasionally are the cause of allergic reactions.
Cherry Pollen Allergy
The cherry tree belongs to the botanical family Rosaceae. This family includes other well-known fruit trees, such as the apple, plum, pear and peach. These plants are not the chief cause of hay fever, since their flowers are normally pollinated by insects rather than wind. Nevertheless, some cherry pollen does get into the air and may affect sensitized people, according to “Aerobiologia.”
Oral Allegy Syndrome
The ingestion of fresh cherries may cause a mild allergic reaction called the oral allergy syndrome. It is a contact allergy that affects all parts of the mouth with which the fruit comes into contact. The lips, the tongue and the palate begin to itch and may become swollen. However, the ingestion of cherry pie, cherry muffins, or cherry jelly does not provoke an allergic reaction because heat effects a change in the allergen which causes the oral allergy syndrome, according to the Informall Project.
Relation to Hay Fever
People who have the oral allergy syndrome generally suffer from hay fever as well. They typically develop hay fever first and become sensitized to cherries several years later. This is because an allergen in silver birch pollen is similar to an allergen in cherries. For this reason, the oral allergy syndrome is sometimes called the birch-fruit syndrome, according to the Informall Project.
A Serious Allergy
The consumption of cherries occasionally provokes a more serious allergic reaction. In addition to the oral symptoms, the patient may suffer hives, rash, stomach cramps and diarrhea. In an exceptionally severe case, anaphylactic shock may occur, a condition that involves a weak pulse and breathing difficulties and may lead to unconsciousness and death. The allergen that causes this type of allergy is not deactivated by heat, so the ingestion of cherry pies or jellies may cause an allergic reaction in this case, according to the Informall Project.
IgE-Mediated Allergic Reaction
Cherries contain several proteins that cause allergic reactions. One of them resembles a substance called thaumatin, a sweet protein used as a commercial sweetener. Its official name is Pru av 2. The weight of its large molecule is equal to that of 23,000 protons. Sensitized individuals have antibodies designed to attach themselves to this specific thaumatin-like allergen. This antibody belongs to a class of proteins known as immunoglobulin E, or IgE. When the allergen becomes attached to IgE, the immune system vigorously reacts, and an allergic reaction ensues.
References
- "Allergy Asthma Information Association Newsletter"; Oral...; Dr. A. Ham Pong, et al.; June 2000
- Phadia: Cherry
- BBC; Hay Fever; Dr. Adrian Morris; 2011
- Surrey Allergy Clinic; Oral Allergy Syndrome; Dr Adrian Morris; Oct. 2009
- "Aerobiologia"; Direct Evidence for the Presence of Allergens in...; G. Marzban, et al.; 2006
- The Informall Project; Cherry; Oct. 2006
- Phadia; Cross-Reactivity in Plant Food Allergy; Jan Hed; 2009
- "International Archives of Allergy and Immunology"; Biochemical...; C. Inschlag, et al.; May 1998
- "Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology"; Identification of...; E. Pastorello; et al.; Feb. 2003
- World Allergy; IgE in Clinical Allergy and Allergy Diagnosis; May 2003
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