Why is it often not enough for someone who is allergic to nuts to just not eat them like one would with other foods? Why does the entire environment need to be nut-free?
In: Biology
When some people eat nuts, their bodies get really confused and think the nuts are bad, like a germ or a bug. The body tries to fight the nuts, which makes them feel sick. Nuts have special parts called “proteins” that are very strong and hard to break down, so they get into the body and cause a big reaction.
Some foods are easier for the body to break, but nuts aren’t, so the reaction can be a lot worse. Even just a tiny bit of a nut can make some people very sick, and that’s why nut allergies can be scarier than other food allergies.
The allergy isn’t worse than shellfish or bee allergies, but nuts are “worse” in that nuts actually can make dust and stuff that gets spread around. Like you rarely get crab meat in the air but peanut dust? Sure, that’s a thing.
Nuts cause severe allergies because they contain strong proteins that trigger intense reactions in some people. These proteins are stable and don’t break down easily, even with cooking or digestion, so even tiny amounts can cause problems.
For people with nut allergies, it’s not enough just to avoid eating them. Even small traces of nuts or residue on surfaces or in the air can trigger a reaction. That’s why the whole environment needs to be nut-free to avoid accidental exposure.
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