Is sunflower seed allergy increasing among children?

Published online August 6, 2024

With the rise of peanut allergy, allergen-free alternatives to peanut, such as sunflower seed-based foods, have gained in popularity. At the same time, sesame seed allergy has gained attention as the ninth major food allergen in the US. However, little is known about another type of seed allergy, sunflower seed allergy. Most of the existing studies are from Europe and describe patients with occupational exposures to sunflower seed who had reactions after eating sunflower seeds.

In a recent issue of The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, Treffeisen et al. describe the incidence, or new diagnoses per year, of sunflower seed allergy using a retrospective cohort study of children seen in a pediatric allergy clinic in the US over 27 years (1995-2021). Their theory was that the number of children diagnosed with sunflower seed allergy per year had increased during that time period. Children with eczema who are at risk for food allergies may have been exposed through their skin to sunflower seed butter in their home and school environments more often in recent years due to the emerging popularity of sunflower seed products as an allergen-free alternative. To account for the rise in food allergies in general during that time, the team also looked at the number of new mustard seed allergies per year over the same time period. They also described demographics and other allergies of children with sunflower seed allergy.

The study identified the largest cohort of sunflower seed allergy to date to their knowledge. From 1995 to 2021, the odds of sunflower seed allergy diagnosis increased annually by 21%, while the odds of mustard seed allergy diagnosis increased annually by 9%, suggesting that new sunflower seed allergy diagnoses increased faster than other food allergies. They also found that most children with sunflower seed allergy were diagnosed in early childhood, had high rates of other allergies, and had high rates of skin reactions to sunflower seed products. Taken together, the findings allude to the importance of the dietary environment in the development of specific food allergies.

The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice is an official journal of the AAAAI, focusing on practical information for the practicing clinician.

Full Article