Sesame and other edible seeds linked to allergic reactions
What it found
Allergic reactions to sesame and five other common seeds can be severe, with sesame allergy estimated at 0.1-0.2% of people.
Pinpointing the exact seed causing a reaction is often difficult.
What they found
Studies in people
How common sesame allergy is
Sesame allergy was reported more often than allergies to the other five seeds. The estimated rate in people is 0.1-0.2%.
Severity of reactions
Allergic reactions to these seeds can be severe. Reactions may happen through different routes of exposure, including their oils.
Diagnosing seed allergies
Routine allergy tests have limited reliability for these seeds. Doctors need a careful patient history and specific challenge tests to confirm an allergy.
Current treatment options
Management relies on avoiding the seed in food and using symptom-relief medicines. These medicines may include epinephrine auto-injectors.
Studies in people and animals
Cross-reactions between seeds
People allergic to one seed may also react to other seeds or certain foods. The authors identified the main proteins responsible for these reactions.
What the authors conclude
- They note that no well-designed studies on immunotherapy for seed allergies exist yet.
- They hope that safe and effective treatment protocols will be developed soon.
How it was done
Seeds are being added to more foods, raising the chance of severe allergic reactions. Identifying which seed caused a problem is often hard or not attempted.
The authors searched English-language medical literature from January 1930 to March 2016 for reports on allergies to six edible seeds. They looked at sesame, sunflower, poppy, pumpkin, flaxseed and mustard seed. Most published work consisted of single case reports rather than large studies.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- Most evidence comes from individual case reports rather than large studies, so true rates may differ.
- This summary cannot show how often mild versus severe reactions occur across all people who eat these seeds.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Louisiana State University Health, USA
The paper
- Title
- Hypersensitivities to sesame and other common edible seeds
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people · animals · lab
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Patel A, Bahna SL (2016). Hypersensitivities to sesame and other common edible seeds. Allergy. doi:10.1111/all.12962PubMed 27332789DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error