Chickpea allergy and exercise-linked reactions
What it found
Chickpea is a non-priority legume that can cause allergic reactions, including severe reactions after eating chickpeas and then exercising.
The evidence comes from case reports in people.
What they found
Studies in people
Chickpea allergy cases
Old reports from 2008 describe cases of food-dependent exercise-induced anaphylaxis related to eating chickpea. A 16-year-old boy and a 17-year-old girl both experienced anaphylaxis after eating chickpeas and then exercising.
Chickpea allergy tests
Both patients had positive skin prick tests for chickpea. The girl also had high IgE levels for chickpea and soybean.
Cross-reactivity with other legumes
The most common patterns of clinical cross-reactivity among legumes are between peanut, lupine, soy, chickpea and lentil. This depends on geography and how common these foods are in the diet.
Other findings
Chickpea in vegan foods
Chickpeas are among the most frequently eaten legumes and are used in popular vegan recipes such as falafel and hummus. Despite the low incidence of chickpea allergy, the authors say these cases point to a potential allergenic risk.
Need for more research
The authors note that most studies on non-priority legumes like chickpea are case reports. They call for large-scale studies that are geographically distinctive.
What the authors conclude
“These cases point out the potential allergenic risk of chickpeas and the need for further research.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that non-priority legumes, including chickpea, are associated with anaphylaxis, often in patients allergic to priority legumes.
- They advise that there is a need for large-scale studies that are geographically distinctive because most studies are case reports.
- They also call for better molecular diagnostics for these emerging non-priority allergen sources to evaluate cross-reactivities and identify true allergic reactions.
How it was done
The authors wanted to review which legumes besides peanut and soybean should be considered for allergy diagnosis and treatment, as more allergic reactions to plant-based products have been reported.
They reviewed published case reports and studies on legume allergies, focusing on non-priority legumes including chickpea. They looked at allergic reactions, the proteins involved, and how allergies are diagnosed.
What it can’t tell you
- These are case reports, so they cannot show how common chickpea allergy is in the general population.
- They cannot prove that chickpea causes allergy in everyone, only that these individuals reacted.
- They cannot show whether chickpea allergy is becoming more common over time.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung; Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (from the PubMed record).
- Conflicts
- The authors declare no conflict of interest. The graphical abstract in Fig. 1 was created with biorender.com.
- Authors work at
- Research Center Borstel, Germany; German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Germany; University of Lübeck, Germany
The paper
- Title
- Legume Allergens Pea, Chickpea, Lentil, Lupine and Beyond
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Abu Risha M, Rick EM, Plum M, Jappe U (2024). Legume Allergens Pea, Chickpea, Lentil, Lupine and Beyond. Current allergy and asthma reports. doi:10.1007/s11882-024-01165-7Free full textPubMed 38990406DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error