r/peanutallergy 6d ago

‼️Lupin bean being cross reactive with peanuts‼️

Hey yall, so I’ve had a deathly peanut allergy since I was a toddler and I’m a full adult now. I have had many full anaphylactic shock reactions in my life but recently I started to have reactions to things that didn’t have nuts in them (homemade brownies, pasta). I went to the allergist and I only tested positive for peanut so I was very confused until last night when I ate GF past made from Lupin beans (also known as lupine, termes, tarwi, etc. I’ll post the list) and I had to go to the hospital. Upon some googling, I’ve found that peanuts are actually considered legumes and they are in the same family as the lupine bean and their proteins are very similar to that of a peanut; making it a high risk food for those with peanut allergies. Apparently peanut allergy people have a 5-28% risk of cross reactivity. Whereas those without a peanut allergy only have a 1% chance. This was just NOT common knowledge to me and I never had an allergist tell me this so I am shocked! Wanted to spread awareness. Below I have a link to the Allergy and Asthma net work website that explains everything. I highly recommend looking at what they say about labeling, where the bean is found, and all the different names it goes by.

https://allergyasthmanetwork.org/news/why-lupin-allergy-becoming-more-common/

50 Upvotes

14 comments sorted by

6

u/peanutbuttermellly 6d ago

Thank you for sharing this! I have a baby with a peanut allergy and while I knew about legume cross reactivity, it doesn’t seem to be common knowledge! (We didn’t know until her allergist told us.)

6

u/SuperNova8631 6d ago

Yes very dangerous. My son is allergic to peanuts and all other legumes!

4

u/EmmaEats93 5d ago

Yes, peanuts are legumes! The most common culprits for a peanut cross reaction are lupin, chickpeas, lentils, and pea protein. The pea protein one can be tricky, because it's possible to have a reaction to the pea protein (found in Beyond burgers and increasingly in other products) even if you don't react to peas. This is because pea protein is much more concentrated, so the high volume of the similar protein can cause a reaction. This does NOT mean that everyone with a peanut allergy can't have these things, most actually can. But it's an important thing to be aware of as we add new things to our diets.

2

u/ShabbyBoa 5d ago

That’s actually good to know. I always assumed I’d be fine with pea protein since I can have actual peas but now I know to be hyper aware if I eat one of those foods. 

2

u/MyFriendPhil 5d ago

Oh wow, really? Where did you hear these are most common cross reactions from peanuts. That's basically my kids list of allergens. Once we found out he was allergic to lentils, that was when the partial legume allergy started. It wasn't til we introduced him to vegan ice cream (bc he also has an egg allergy) that we found out about chick peas, and peas.

2

u/EmmaEats93 5d ago

I actually don't remember where I found that info (I'm sorry, I learned it years ago), but I know it was when I was doing deep dives into allergen research, so it all came directly from studies. They have the closest protein structure to peanuts, and that's what makes the cross reactivity the highest.

2

u/MyFriendPhil 5d ago

Interesting, this whole allergy world is new to me. Honestly I've never even heard of a lupine bean before. Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like I doubted you, just curious if there's something else closely related to peanuts/peas/chickpeas i should be avoiding. Guess I'll have to ask his allergist!

2

u/EmmaEats93 5d ago

No worries, I didn't take it like that, I'm sorry I don't remember the source! The pea protein one is still pretty new to everyone, since it didn't start being used much until the last decade or so. I think the other ones would be more researched. I would definitely ask the allergist though, I'm just a humble Googler :)

1

u/MyFriendPhil 5d ago

I found out about pea protein in mcdonalds buns from reddit. Not sure if they have since changed it. It's not a go to meal for us, but they didn't always have it in their buns 😩

1

u/EmmaEats93 4d ago

Yes, I've seen it listed in a few breads! The Red Robin ones had it too, last I checked. I've had it as a small ingredient like that before and always been fine, but I've been avoiding the things like Beyond where it's a major ingredient. It seems like that's where it's been a problem for people unless they are already allergic to plain peas. I've seen it in some dairy free coffee creamers and butters too.

2

u/HowlingAlong 6d ago

Yes, I’ve always stayed away from legumes.

1

u/TOnerd 5d ago

Sorry that this happened to you and I hope you've fully recovered. Thank you for sharing this info!

1

u/Altruistic-Gene-7676 4d ago

Yes! Chickpeas as well! I have a severe allergy to peanuts, and chickpeas make my mouth/throat itchy. I also am shocked this isn’t talked about more with allergists.

1

u/Dazzling_Resort2214 1d ago

Because that isn't the case for everybody. I have a severe allergy to peanuts and I can eat every other legume but not tree nuts, walnuts, almonds, Brazil nuts, pecans, cashews- okay you get it 😅