Can Eating Honey Cause Anaphylactic Shock?
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Anaphylaxis
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Anaphylaxis is the term for a severe and rapid allergic reaction. If not treated quickly, it can be life threatening. Symptoms include skin reactions, such as hives, itching and flushing, constriction of airways, a weak pulse, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness and fainting. These symptoms occur within seconds or minutes after exposure to an allergen. According to the Mayo Clinic, common triggers for anaphylactic shock include penicillin, peanuts, shellfish, milk, eggs and stings from bees, wasps, hornets and fire ants. Anaphylaxis is not common, but people with a history of allergies or asthma are at increased risk.
Honey Production
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Honey bees gather nectar from flowers and store it in special stomachs used just for honey---they have separate stomachs for regular digestion. These bees then return to the hive where the nectar is sucked out of their stomachs, via their mouths, by worker bees called "house bees." The house bees then add their saliva to the nectar. The bee saliva contains enzymes that break down complex sugars into simple sugars. The house bees then spit the nectar into honeycombs. The bees seal the honeycomb with a wax plug after the honey has cooled and some of the water has evaporated. Beekeepers harvest the honey.
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Pollen Allergy
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Although rare, some individuals may have an allergic reaction to honey because of the pollen it contains. Nectar is derived from many plants. Honey contains small amounts of pollen from the plant that supplied the nectar. For example, sunflower honey was created by bees that gathered nectar primarily from sunflowers. If someone has a severe allergy to sunflowers and consumes enough sunflower honey, they may go into anaphylactic shock. Websites like Allergyfree-gardening.com and FitSugar.com suggest small amounts of honey local to an allergy patient's geographic area may gradually desensitize him to that region's pollen. It is unclear whether an allergic reaction can be caused by the honey itself, apart from the pollen it contains.
Bee Allergy
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Honey may induce anaphylaxis in individuals who are allergic to bee venom. A study titled "Food Allergy to Honey: Pollen or Bee Products?" and published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology found that secretions from bee salivary glands found in honey have some of the same components as bee venom. Thus, if someone is allergic to bee venom, they may also be allergic to honey. Other bee products, such as bee pollen, royal jelly and beeswax, may also cause a reaction because they are produced with the aid of or come in contact with bee secretions.
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