A recent article in Current Allergy and Asthma Reports highlights a growing issue of allergic reactions to a wide number of legumes. Researchers found that, beyond peanuts and soybeans, other legumes such as peas, chickpeas, lentils, and lupins are emerging as significant allergen sources, with less frequent allergies to cowpea, pigeon peas, and fenugreek also warranting greater consideration.
Over the past decade, the popularity of plant-based diets has surged due to their perceived health and environmental benefits. Legumes, rich in proteins, nutrients, and fibre, are known to play a key role in plant-based diets. However, this increase in consumption has coincided with a rise in documented legume allergies.
While peanuts and soybeans remain the most prevalent legume allergens, others like beans, peas, lentils, chickpeas, and lupins also cause severe allergic reactions. Existing legislation requires the control and labelling of peanuts and soybeans with some countries (e.g. Australia & New Zealand) extending this to lupin. However, with the increasing incidence of legume allergies and greater inclusion of legumes as food ingredients, there may be a case for additional labelling regulation.
The authors propose large-scale studies and improved diagnostic measures are needed to better understand and manage legume allergies and to inform further steps to drive consumer safety.
Reference: Risha et al. Legume Allergens Pea, Chickpea, Lentil, Lupine and Beyond. Current Allergy and Asthma Reports (2024). DOI: 10.1007/s11882-024-01165-7.
For additional reporting, see Hidden threats in plant-based diets: Rising allergies to lesser-known legumes (news-medical.net)
