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Pollen, Fruits, Veggies Help Trigger Oral Allergy Syndrome
Up to one-third of people with seasonal allergies may suffer oral allergy syndrome (OAS), which results from a cross-reactivity between seasonal airborne pollen proteins from weeds, grass and trees and similar proteins in some fresh fruits and vegetables. Common symptoms of OAS -- also known as pollen-food syndrome -- include: itchiness, tingling or swelling of the mouth, tongue and throat immediately after eating fresh fruits, vegetables and certain kinds of other foods, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI). In some cases, people may suffer severe throat swelling or even a systemic reaction. People with ragweed pollen allergies might experience symptoms if they eat foods such as bananas, cucumbers, melons, zucchini, sunflower seeds, chamomile tea and Echinacea.
Nutritionist in no doubt of tea's positive role
IT HAS been the answer to all manner of woes, from a teary relationship break-up to a rough day at work, since the heady days of the British Empire. But the nation's favourite drink yesterday came under the worst attack it has suffered since a group of Bostonians decided to have a party. It seems that tea, long championed for its antioxidant qualities and uniquely capable of being at once relaxing and reviving, may not be quite as full of goodness as the 70% of the British population that reportedly drinks it has been led to believe. The advertising watchdog ASA (the Advertising Standards Authority) ruled yesterday that the UK Tea Council broke advertising rules by exaggerating the drink's health benefits after Tea Council posters recommended drinking four cups of tea a day to "contribute to a diet rich in antioxidants".
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