Is Salicylate Allergy a Condition You Should be Worried About?

Among different types of food sensitivities coming forward nowadays, gluten and lactose intolerance remain the most common ones. But a new one joining this list is Salicylate Allergy.

But even if it is quite uncommon, it doesn’t mean that it cannot pose a big threat to the health of people suffering from this. Just like other allergens, salicylates are a group of chemicals that negatively affect the health of people who aren’t able to tolerate them.

Let’s understand what is this Salicylate allergy, the causes behind it, and the food items to avoid in case you are suffering from it.

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What Might be Causing Salicylate Allergy?

how dangerous is the allergy due to salicylate? (Image via Freepik on Freepik)

You might have heard about the term salicylic acid which is quite popular due to its active skincare properties. Salicylates are naturally occurring in many food items, consumption of which does not have any repercussions unless you have a Salicylate allergy.

When a person’s body cannot break down salicylate into simpler molecules and excrete it from the body adequately, they are said to be suffering from an allergy to salicylates.

Our body is home to many different kinds of enzymes, which are proteins that catalyze metabolic reactions taking place in our body. Each one of them performs its own function of acting on different chemical compounds in our body. One of them is the ‘Cyclooxygenase’ enzyme, which controls the processing of salicylates in our body. Improper functioning of this enzyme ultimately leads to Salicylate Allergy.

While the probability of the occurrence of this allergy is quite low, it is commonly observed in people with asthma or other food allergies. Inflammatory bowel diseases are also sometimes observed to be connected to it.

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Symptoms of Salicylate Allergy

Effect on skin, respiratory tract, and intestinal tract by allergy (Image by Stefamerpik on Freepik)

The symptoms associated with this allergy are not specific at all, and hence, are quite difficult to identify. They are very similar to other allergies, so their diagnosis can be quite a challenging task.

However, the skin, respiratory tract, and intestinal tract are generally the more affected parts in the case of Salicylate Allergy. Some of the symptoms are lung or throat-related problems, abdominal pain, and skin reactions.

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Foods to Avoid with this Issue

Aspirin has a very high salicylate amount (Image by Wirestock on Freepik)

Like other allergies, Salicylate Allergy can also manifest differently from person to person not only through symptoms but also on the basis of amounts of salicylate which triggers the allergy. Based on individual tolerance people show the symptoms of this allergy. Some show early signs while other takes a little time.

Both natural and synthetic food sources have salicylates in them. Natural sources include some of the following food items.

1. Dried Fruits like Raisins are often found to have higher amounts of salicylates than fresh fruits. Berries like cranberry, strawberry, and blueberry are also bad news if you have this allergy.

2. Salad items like cucumber, radishes, and zucchini should be avoided with Salicylate allergy.

3. Several spices have good amounts of salicylate in them like Cumin, Ginger, Clove, and Cinnamon. Hence, it is best to reduce their consumption.

Other than food items, some non-food products that contain salicylates include medicines like Aspirin, skincare items like serums and lotions, and hygiene products like toothpaste and mouthwash.

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Therefore, allergy due to salicylate is not a very common ailment. However, if you suspect that you are suffering from it, then getting a proper diagnosis done and taking care of the ingredients in your food and non-food items can be a good enough step to keep allergic symptoms at bay.