Is your glass of wine making your nut allergy deadlier? Study reveals shocking details

For people with allergies, alcohol can have more severe implications than previously known.

A shocking study led by Dr. Moshe Ben-Shoshan, McGill University states that alcohol consumption can pose serious health threats for people with allergies, especially nut allergies. The study arrives right before the holiday parties are about to kick off.

Lead author Roy Khalaf, a fourth-year medical student at McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, in a media release, said, “For doctors, spotting patterns could mean faster, life-saving treatment in emergencies. For people with allergies, understanding the role of alcohol and other triggers can help them make safer choices. With the holiday season’s abundance of nut-based treats and specialty beverages, the risk of accidental exposure to allergens requires careful attention.”

Findings of the study:
The study, published in the International Archives of Allergy and Immunology, was observed on 1,100 emergency cases across Canada over a decade. It was done to understand the main triggers for allergic reactions and how they are manifested. While for a long time, medications were believed to be the main triggers for allergic reactions, the recent study focuses on how alcohol consumption can add to severe implications.

The study was conducted on adults from different age groups with an average age of 35.5, including food triggers such as peanuts (13.5%), shellfish (10.2%), and tree nuts (8.7%) being the most common allergy triggers. It was observed that medications are also responsible for causing allergic reactions with antibiotics being the most frequent trigger.

The study also observed the ways the allergic reactions are medically treated. For people with peanut allergies, emergency epinephrine auto-injectors (like EpiPens) are available outside the hospital for use, reflecting on the awareness of peanut allergies being more rampant. However, for people with tree nut allergic reactions, epinephrines are available only inside a hospital setting.