When I Eat Certain Foods Like Apples And Melons My Mouth Itches, Yet When The Foods Are Cooked I Am Symptom-Free. Why?

— -- Question: When I eat certain foods like apples, pears, cherries, carrot, celery, and melon my mouth itches, yet when the foods are cooked I have no symptoms. Why?

Answer: Some people have allergic symptoms in their mouth when they eat certain fruits and vegetables that are fresh but not when they're cooked. And that's very interesting -- we call that oral allergy syndrome. And those allergens are broken down when they're heated or cooked.

So in the fresh state, they cause allergic symptoms usually limited to the mouth, but sometimes it can also affect breathing. But when those fruits or vegetables are cooked, then the allergens are broken down, and they no longer cause symptoms.

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