Cranberries are widely and variedly used - fresh, in cooking, in food additives and extracts. It has a moderate degree of allergenicity (implied careful use), despite the fact that the berry has a rich red color and sour taste. From the article you will find out what causes allergic reactions to cranberries, you will find information about the symptoms of the disease, diagnosis and treatment methods.

The main characteristics of cranberries

Cranberries are a type of evergreen shrub that grows in moist places, in marshes or in wetlands. This culture comes from the northern regions of America. The shrub has small dark green leaves, pink flowers and dark red rounded berries.

Cranberry, or “cranberry berry,” got its name for small pink flowers on a long stalk that appear in spring and resemble the head and beak of a crane. Berries are harvested in September - October, and they can be stored until the new harvest, filled with water in barrels. Cranberries are harvested on an industrial scale in a wet way - plantations are poured with water, berries are knocked off branches, and, thanks to air chambers, they float to the surface. Cranberries are very healthy due to their high content of nutrients and antioxidants.

Nutritional and energy value of 100 g of product:

• calories - 46 kcal;
• proteins - 0.39 g;
• fats - 0.13 g;
• carbohydrates - 12.2 g;
• dietary fiber - 4.6 g;
• organic acids - 3.1 g;
• water - 87.13 g;
• monosaccharides - 3.91 g;
• disaccharides (sucrose) - 0.13 g;
• ash - 0.3 g.

Due to its very acidic taste, cranberries are rarely used fresh. Most often it is consumed in the form of juice, which is usually sweetened and mixed with other fruit juices. Other cranberry-based products include sauces, dried berries, and powders and extracts used as additives.

The high content of vitamin C, which is a powerful natural antioxidant, allows you to block some cell damage caused by free radicals, improves the absorption of iron from plant sources, increases the efficiency of the immune system and stimulates the production of collagen, which helps to heal wounds. But it is cranberry acetylsalicylic acid that acts as an allergen.

Did you know? Cranberries are sometimes used to aromatize wines, but they themselves are not amenable to natural fermentation, like grapes, which makes it unsuitable for the traditional wine-making process.

Cranberries, like many other acidic fruits and berries, contain a lot of natural salicylates (salicylic acid). These same chemicals are also found in aspirin. For this reason, people who are allergic or sensitive to aspirin may experience adverse reactions after consuming cranberries or cranberry juice.

Possible but not all symptoms of salicylate allergy include:

• asthma-like symptoms such as wheezing and shortness of breath;
• runny or stuffy nose;
• headaches;
• itching or skin rashes;
• abdominal pain;
• swelling of the hands, feet, or face.

In severe cases, an allergy to salicylate can even lead to anaphylaxis - a potentially life-threatening reaction that can lead to loss of consciousness, impaired breathing and blood circulation.

With the ability to cause allergic reactions, cranberries can nevertheless give some anti-allergic effects with increased sensitivity to peanuts due to the high concentration of quercetin (10 mg per 100 g of product) - a compound with antihistamines and anti-allergic properties. Tests in laboratory mice showed that adding cranberries to peanut flour made it hypoallergenic, and animals had 75% lower biomarker levels to release molecules that trigger an allergic reaction.

What can trigger an allergy?

If you have mild symptoms, your doctor may recommend keeping a food diary and recording all the foods you eat or drink to determine the exact source. Another way to diagnose a mild food allergy is to remove certain foods from the diet and then slowly reintroduce them to see if the symptoms return.

This is especially important if the family has an allergic child, since in children the onset of allergic reactions is more likely and more severe than in adults. In case of more serious allergic reactions, skin tests or blood tests may reveal allergens.

Individual intolerance to berries

Allergic reactions associated with the production of antibodies by the immune system appear immediately after taking cranberries. If the symptoms appear after a longer time (several hours) and with a large amount of food eaten, then this is intolerance.

Cranberry hypersensitivity and hypersensitivity to this product should not be confused. Individual intolerance to berries means that the food is not digested properly, which can cause a number of symptoms, including digestive problems. Food intolerance (hypersensitivity), as a rule, is less pronounced than food allergies, and in most cases affects only the digestive system.

Intolerance may cause the following symptoms:

• bloating and gas;
• heartburn;
• nausea;
• diarrhea (often watery);
• irritable bowel syndrome;
• Crohn's disease.

People with cranberry intolerance lack the enzymes necessary for the proper digestion of this product.

The use of berries or dishes from them in large quantities

Cranberries, cranberry juice, fruit drinks and cranberry extracts are generally safe for most people when used properly. But even the most healthy foods and drinks can cause side effects and reactions in people who are allergic to them, especially when consumed in excess.

Important! If you are taking cranberry supplements, any side effects or allergic reactions may be caused by other ingredients in the supplement.

Eating too much cranberry causes mild stomach upset and diarrhea. Drinking more than 1 liter of cranberry juice per day for a long time increases the likelihood of developing kidney stones, and interaction with Warfarin and Kumadin can cause increased bleeding.

Some drugs are altered and broken down by the liver. Cranberries can reduce the rate of splitting and enhance the side effects of certain drugs (Damilen, Diazepam, Ibuprofen, etc.) Increased consumption of cranberries contributes to the accumulation of salicylates in the body, which causes allergic reactions in people who are allergic to aspirin.

In combination with what other products can cranberries cause allergies

Like other fruit allergies, sensitivity to cranberries can occur with cross-reactivity with other berries from the genus Vaccinium - lingonberries, blueberries, blueberries. People with salicylate intolerance should not eat cranberries together with other products that contain high levels of vitamin C: berries (rose hips, currants, sea buckthorn), citrus fruits, peppers, tomatoes.

If you are allergic to cranberries, other foods that contain berries, dietary supplements, and medications can cause the same reaction. For this reason, carefully read the labels and the accompanying instructions for use.

Cranberry Allergy Symptoms

When the body’s immune system responds inappropriately to cranberry consumption, this is called food allergy. Symptoms of food allergies can range from mild to severe. They appear suddenly or develop within a few hours.The human immune system is capable of responding even to a small amount of an allergen, so food allergies can be life-threatening, especially with respiratory failure in patients with asthma. They are at increased risk of an allergic reaction to food.

From the epidermis

Quincke's angioedema is a tumor of the deep layers of the skin. It occurs most often in soft tissues, for example, on the eyes, on the face, lips, hands, feet or genitals in response to the action of histamine. It can manifest as swelling of the pharynx, larynx, as well as the gastrointestinal tract. The patient feels pain in the abdomen, general malaise. Symptoms can last from a few hours to 3 days. Other symptoms in this condition are abdominal pain, belching, nausea, itching, urticaria, and vomiting.

From the gastrointestinal tract

Digestive reactions:

• nausea or vomiting
• stomach cramps;
• stomach ache;
• change in taste
• diarrhea and intestinal disorders.

From the cardiovascular system

Reactions from the respiratory and circulatory systems:

• sneezing
• cardiopalmus;
• lowering blood pressure;
• dizziness or weakness;
• labored breathing, including wheezing and wheezing;
• bronchospasm and asthma attacks.

From the nervous system

Nervous system reactions and psychological problems:

• dizziness;
• loss of orientation;
• confusion of consciousness and speech;
• loss of consciousness;
• hyperactivity or anxiety.

Treatment methods

In order to accurately determine the product causing the allergy and prescribe the appropriate treatment, the allergist should analyze your diet and make tests:

• a skin test allows you to determine the causes of allergies and identify an allergen;
• a blood test detects and measures the amount of specific antibodies in the blood.

These procedures will help to identify and eliminate the allergen from the diet in order to avoid allergic reactions. This is the most important step in preventing allergic reactions and reducing symptoms. If you have a food allergy, you need to keep a food diary and exclude certain foods from your diet in order to accurately determine the cause of hypersensitivity reactions.

Important! Carry an allergic medical passport and make a list of actions to be taken in case of an attack, — keep them with you, as laryngeal edema may make it impossible to speak.

If the only method of treatment is the complete exclusion of cranberries from the diet (elimination diet), then all dishes, additives, extracts and medicines based on it should be excluded. But this extreme measure should be applied when others have not yielded positive results. Check all labels on food products to identify allergens, and in the catering system find out what is included in the dishes.

If you have any allergic symptoms (laryngeal edema, palpitations, breathing problems or shortness of breath), call an ambulance immediately by phone 103 or contact the emergency department and, if possible, enter adrenaline. These reactions can be life threatening. Untreated or untreated allergies cause chronic diseases and even death.

Medication

Depending on the severity of the allergy, medications can help reduce the response of the immune system and alleviate symptoms. Your doctor may suggest over-the-counter or prescription drugs in the form of tablets or liquid, nasal sprays, or eye drops. It can be antihistamines, steroids, decongestants and bronchodilators, skin softeners.

Immunotherapy is used to treat serious allergic reactions: in this case, a series of injections is carried out with purified extracts of allergens, usually prescribed for several years. In urgent cases with rapidly developing allergic reactions, an injection of adrenaline and emergency treatment will be required.

Did you know? Seasonal allergic rhinitis, commonly known as hay fever, is caused by an allergy to pollen, not hay. In 1819, the English physician John Bostock made the first official report of hay fever, believing that it was associated with hay.

Folk

Alternative and folk remedies for the treatment of allergies:

• aromatherapy;
• herbal medicine;
• homeopathy;
• acupuncture;
• Buteyko breathing method;
• relaxation, yoga.

Carefully monitor the body's reaction when eating new foods. Timely treatment of allergies can help alleviate or even eliminate the manifestations of the disease, and precautions can prevent allergic attacks. Lead a healthy lifestyle and strengthen immunity.