Food allergy - New risks through vegan diet? Overview of new allergen sources and current data on the potential risk of anaphylaxis

Abstract

A vegan diet is increasingly en vogue, i.e., a diet based on plants, in which animal products are completely avoided, often for health and environmental reasons. The menu is supplemented with pulses (e.g., soy, lentils, peas), nuts (e.g., cashew, macadamia, almond, pecan, para, walnut) and seeds (e.g., chia, flaxseed) or pseudo-grains (quinoa, buckwheat). Indeed, the product range is expanding to include vegan foods such as milk alternatives (e.g., oat, almond, soy drinks) and cheese or meat substitutes (e.g., soy-based). Food allergies are also on the rise, with an increasing prevalence worldwide. It is worthy of note that the main allergens of anaphylactic reactions to food in adults are predominantly of plant origin, mainly pulses and nuts - the very foods that form the main source of protein in the vegan diet. In this context, allergies to storage proteins (e.g., Gly m 5 and Gly m 6 from soya beans) can lead to severe anaphylactic reactions, while highly processed substitute products containing plant protein isolates (e.g., pea flour) in concentrated form continue to be of particular concern and may therefore be allergologically problematic. In this article, we aim to provide an overview of allergens and emerging allergen sources in vegan foods and highlight the anaphylaxis risk of the vegan diet.