GettyEver bitten into a delicious piece of fruit or veg and had your mouth all of a sudden start to itch so much you’re worried that you’ve accidentally eaten an ants nest? Well it turns out there’s a reason that happens.
According to Insider this strange phenomena is known as oral allergy syndrome which causes an itchy mouth along with swelling of the lips, mouth, throat, face, and tongue.
It’s believed to happen when sufferers become sensitive to an environmental allergen like pollen from trees. If they then eat something that contains a closely related protein they then have an allergic reaction.
GettyApparently Birch tree pollen is the biggest culprit for this and it can make people suffer an oral allergy when they eat apples or celery.
People tend to suffer these reactions in their early teens or early adulthood even after years have gone by with them being able to eat certain fruits and veg without incident.
GettyThe symptoms of oral allergy syndrome tend to be limited to just the mouth, but a small percentage of the population, around one to two per cent of people can suffer a more severe allergic reaction that can send people to hospital.
So how can you avoid oral allergy syndrome? Well apparently cooking the fruit and veg breaks down the proteins which cause the reaction, which sounds like the perfect excuse to make delicious fruit pies to us!
More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.