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Home 5 Food Allergy 5 Understanding Almond Allergies: Signs, Symptoms, and Testing Options

Understanding Almond Allergies: Signs, Symptoms, and Testing Options

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Sophie loved starting her mornings with a healthy breakfast — a bowl of granola topped with almond milk and a sprinkle of nuts. It was her little ritual before diving into the chaos of the school run and a busy day at work.

By the afternoon, her stomach would feel bloated and tight. She assumed it was stress-related but she was wrong. She was actually battling an almond intolerance – a delayed food reaction that was quietly disrupting her days.

Almonds are a popular and nutritious snack packed with protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals. However, for some people like Sophie, almonds can cause unwanted reactions due to an allergy or intolerance.

What is the difference between an almond allergy and almond intolerance?

An almond nut allergy involves your immune system reacting abnormally to proteins found in almonds. It is classified as an IgE-mediated reaction, where the body mistakenly identifies almond proteins as harmful and releases chemicals like histamine to fight them off.

By contrast, an almond intolerance involves a delayed reaction, mediated by IgG antibodies, not IgE ones. It typically causes digestive discomfort such as bloating, gas, or diarrhoea after consuming almonds. Intolerance symptoms are generally slower to appear and less dangerous than allergic reactions but can still significantly affect your quality of life.

Common signs and symptoms of almond allergy

Almond allergies can cause a wide range of symptoms, some of which may develop rapidly after exposure. Common allergic reactions include:

Skin reactions: Hives (urticaria), redness, or itching
Swelling: Particularly of the lips, tongue, face, or throat
Breathing difficulties: Wheezing, coughing, nasal congestion, or shortness of breath
Gastrointestinal issues: Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, or diarrhoea
Anaphylaxis: A severe, life-threatening allergic reaction that requires urgent medical attention. Allergies to peanuts and tree nuts (including almonds) account for 70-90% of all reported food-related anaphylactic fatalities.

Seek immediate medical advice if you experience symptoms suggestive of an allergy, particularly swelling, breathing difficulties, or signs of anaphylaxis. You may require an EpiPen® or other emergency medication.

Symptoms of almond intolerance

Unlike an allergy, almond intolerance symptoms typically relate to digestion and may include:

Bloating
Gas
Cramping
Diarrhoea
General gastrointestinal discomfort hours after eating almonds.

While symptoms relating to digestion may be more common, an intolerance to almonds can affect those impacted in other ways as well, such as joint pain or skin irritation/rash, for example.

These symptoms are not life-threatening but can have a significant impact on day-to-day living. But, because they take time to appear, it can be hard to identify which food is causing the problem.

How to test for almond allergy

If your doctor suspects an almond allergy, they may recommend a blood test. This can identify if you have elevated levels of IgE antibodies to almond proteins. Alternatively, skin prick testing can be done. This involves putting a small amount of almond extract onto your skin and seeing if you react.

However, if you primarily have digestive symptoms and signs of an almond intolerance (rather than an allergy), those tests won’t help.

That’s where we come in. ImuPro’s food sensitivity tests look for the presence of IgG antibodies to almonds and other foods in your blood serum, helping you make better informed choices about your diet.

Avoiding almonds

If you have a confirmed almond nut allergy or intolerance, you’ll need to avoid almonds and almond-containing products. Watch out for hidden sources of almonds in: