Sesame seed allergy: how common it is and how it is diagnosed
What it found
Sesame seed allergy is estimated to affect 0.1 to 0.2 percent of people where sesame is available, about half the rate of persistent cow's milk allergy.
The authors say many diagnoses rest on sensitivity tests alone, which may not be justified.
What they found
Studies in people
How common it is
The authors estimate sesame seed allergy affects 0.1 to 0.2 percent of the population in areas where sesame is available. They say the true figure is hard to pin down because there are not enough well designed studies following whole populations.
Compared with milk allergy
The estimated rate is about half that of persistent cow's milk allergy. The authors describe the sesame rate as relatively low.
Severe reactions
Only one death has been reported, but a significant number of people with sesame seed allergy have had anaphylaxis. The authors say this points to a potential risk.
Diagnosis by sensitivity alone
Many reports diagnosed sesame seed allergy using sensitivity criteria alone, especially in patients with atopic dermatitis. The authors say removing sesame from these children's diets on that basis is not justified and may even raise the risk of developing the allergy.
What the authors conclude
“Elimination of sesame from the diet of these children utilizing such criteria is not justified, and may even increase the risk for developing SFA.”
Also in their conclusions
- They estimate that sesame seed allergy affects 0.1-0.2 % of the population in areas where the food is available.
- They say that elimination of sesame from the diet of children diagnosed on sensitization criteria alone is not justified, and may even increase the risk for developing sesame seed allergy.
How it was done
Reports of sesame seed allergy have risen sharply worldwide over the past two decades, and the authors wanted to work out how common it really is and how it should be diagnosed.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- The paper is based on available reports, not on well designed studies that followed whole populations over time.
- It cannot show whether the rise in reported cases is a real increase in allergy or just more awareness of it.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Tel-Aviv University, Israel
The paper
- Title
- Sesame seed food allergy
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Dalal I, Goldberg M, Katz Y (2012). Sesame seed food allergy. Current allergy and asthma reports. doi:10.1007/s11882-012-0267-2PubMed 22610362DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error