These issues should be discussed and further evaluated by your allergist and specific allergy testing may be warranted. You may also be advised to avoid peanuts because of the higher likelihood of cross-contact with tree nuts during manufacturing and processing. For this reason, your doctor may recommend you avoid all nuts. If you’re allergic to one type of tree nut, you have a higher chance of being allergic to other types. To prevent a reaction, it is very important that you avoid all tree nuts and tree nut products. Research shows over 2% of the pediatric population is affected by allergies to tree nuts, and many will carry these allergies into adulthood.² Tree nuts are also different from seed allergens such as sesame, sunflower, poppy and mustard, which do not grow on trees. These tree nuts are not the same as peanut (only 40% of children with tree nut allergies have an allergy to peanut), which grows underground and is a legume related to beans and peas. In the U.S., plain-language labeling on packaged foods is required for 18 different tree nuts. This binding triggers the person’s immune defenses, leading to reaction symptoms that can be mild or very severe. When a person with an allergy to a particular tree nut is exposed to that tree nut, proteins in the nut bind to specific IgE antibodies made by the person’s immune system.

Most children who are allergic to one or more tree nuts do not outgrow their tree nut allergy. The six tree nut allergies most commonly reported by children and adults are allergies to walnut, almond, hazelnut, pecan, cashew and pistachio.Īpproximately 50% of children that are allergic to one tree nut are allergic to another tree nut.¹ Approximately two-thirds of patients reactive to cashew or walnut will react to pistachio or pecan, respectively. Tree nut allergies are among the most common food allergies in both children and adults.

Pistachio and cashew allergy