Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCooking Oils in Food PreparationPeanut OilSoybean OilSunflower Seed OilSesame Seed OilOther Oil Allergies
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Cooking Oils in Food Preparation
Peanut Oil
Soybean Oil
Sunflower Seed Oil
Sesame Seed Oil
Other Oil Allergies
Cooking oils, which often appear in processed foods, can be a problem for people with food allergies. Even refined (purified) cooking oils can contain small traces of allergens, and a product’s label doesn’t always make that clear.
Nearly 4% of the population and 8% of children have at least onefood allergy.If you are allergic to a food, you are probably very careful to avoid it. But allergens can be hidden in processed foods too, leading to unexpectedallergic reactions.
2:138 Surprising Sources of Common Food Allergens
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8 Surprising Sources of Common Food Allergens
Vegetable oils are used to prepare many processed and pre-packaged foods. Over the years, there have been many reports of allergic reactions to these oils.
Some vegetable oils contain a mix of peanut oil, soybean oil, sunflower seed oil, corn oil, and/orpalm oil. Despite this, the product label may simply read “vegetable oil.”
Most vegetable oils are highly refined. In other words, when they are being processed, most of the proteins present in the crude (raw) form are removed. These proteins are what cause allergic reactions.
There is a risk that refined vegetable oils will still contain a small amount of proteins. For some people with very severe allergies, refined oil can trigger an allergic reaction.
Peanut Oil Allergy
Peanut allergyis becoming more and more common. Around 1% to 2% of the Western population is allergic to them.Unfortunately, peanuts and peanut oil are often a hidden ingredient in many pre-packaged foods.
Peanut oil is used in cooking and food processing. It can be found in both crude and refined forms. You might see crude referred to as “gourmet,” “cold pressed,” or “raw.” Refined might also be referred to as “heat processed.”
A single peanut contains about 200 milligrams (mg) of protein. Eating far less than that can cause anallergic reactionin most people with a peanut allergy.
Peanut proteins are virtually eliminated during the refining process. But even refined peanut oil can still contain tiny traces of peanut protein.
If you have a peanut allergy, ask your healthcare provider whether refined peanut oil is safe for you to consume.
To help avoid an allergic reaction, always choose highly refined oils. Never consume crude oils, labeled:Cold-pressedExpelledExtrudedGourmet
To help avoid an allergic reaction, always choose highly refined oils. Never consume crude oils, labeled:
Soybean Oil Allergy
Allergic reactions to soybean oil are rare, but a few have been reported. In some cases, soybean oil was eaten in food or medication, but it is also found in textiles. For example, one person had a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to soybean oil in a pillowcase.
Sunflower Seed Oil Allergy
Sesame Seed Oil Allergy
Cases ofallergic reactions to sesame seedsare becoming more common, and severe reactions can happen.
Sesame seed oil is typically used differently from many of the other vegetable oils. It is often used to flavor food because of its rich taste. For this reason, sesame seed oil is typically crude and contains high levels of sesame proteins.
When eating at a restaurant, check what kind of oil is used to cook the meal or to add flavor. Let your waiter know which oils are a no-go for you. If you ever feel your waiter seems unsure, don’t hesitate to ask for the manager.
Other Vegetable Oil Allergies
There are a number of other vegetable oils used in cooking and prepared foods. These include corn oil,safflower oil,canola oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, andcoconut oil.
Allergic reactions to these oils are relatively rare. Even so, it’s best to avoid crude oils made from any substance you are allergic to. If your allergy to that substance is severe, talk to your doctor or allergist before using the refined form of the oil.
Keep in mind that, like sesame oil, any oil that is used to flavor food is likely sold in its crude form. That means the oil will have high amounts of the protein that causes allergic reactions.
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Summary
While shopping for cooking oils, you will likely come across oils labeled as “crude” and oils labeled as “refined.” Crude oils are pure, so they contain all the proteins that are responsible for causing allergic reactions.
If you are allergic to the substance an oil is made from, you will need to steer clear of the crude form of that oil. Some people with severe allergies will need to avoid the refined form as well, since small amounts of proteins may still be present.
If you aren’t sure whether you should avoid any crude and/or refined oil, ask your healthcare provider or allergist.
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Sampson HA.Food allergy: Past, present and future.Allergol Int. 2016;65(4):363-369. doi:10.1016/j.alit.2016.08.006Satitsuksanoa P, Jansen K, Głobińska A, van de Veen W, Akdis M.Regulatory Immune Mechanisms in Tolerance to Food Allergy.Front Immunol. 2018;9:2939. Published 2018 Dec 12. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2018.02939Loh W, Tang MLK.The epidemiology of food allergy in the global context.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018;15(9):2043. doi:10.3390/ijerph15092043Blom WM, Kruizinga AG, Rubingh CM, Remington BC, Crevel RWR, Houben GF.Assessing food allergy risks from residual peanut protein in highly refined vegetable oil.Food Chem Toxicol. 2017;106(Pt A):306-313. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2017.05.072San Miguel-Hernández A, San Miguel-Rodríguez A, Martín-Armentia B, et al.Implications of allergic reactions to soybean oil.J Allergy Disord Ther. 2018 Dec;4(1):8. doi:10.24966/ADT-749X/100008Deol P, Fahrmann J, Yang J, et al.Omega-6 and omega-3 oxylipins are implicated in soybean oil-induced obesity in mice.Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):12488. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-12624-9An J.Anaphylaxis to sunflower seed with tolerance to sunflower oil: A case report.Medicina. 2021 Jun;57(7):661. doi:10.3390/medicina57070661Richard C, Beaudouin E, Moneret-Vautrin DA, Kohler C, Nguyen-Grosjean VM, Jacquenet S.Severe anaphylaxis to Propofol: first case of evidence of sensitization to soy oil.Eur Ann Allergy Clin Immunol. 2016;48(3):103-106.
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Sampson HA.Food allergy: Past, present and future.Allergol Int. 2016;65(4):363-369. doi:10.1016/j.alit.2016.08.006Satitsuksanoa P, Jansen K, Głobińska A, van de Veen W, Akdis M.Regulatory Immune Mechanisms in Tolerance to Food Allergy.Front Immunol. 2018;9:2939. Published 2018 Dec 12. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2018.02939Loh W, Tang MLK.The epidemiology of food allergy in the global context.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018;15(9):2043. doi:10.3390/ijerph15092043Blom WM, Kruizinga AG, Rubingh CM, Remington BC, Crevel RWR, Houben GF.Assessing food allergy risks from residual peanut protein in highly refined vegetable oil.Food Chem Toxicol. 2017;106(Pt A):306-313. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2017.05.072San Miguel-Hernández A, San Miguel-Rodríguez A, Martín-Armentia B, et al.Implications of allergic reactions to soybean oil.J Allergy Disord Ther. 2018 Dec;4(1):8. doi:10.24966/ADT-749X/100008Deol P, Fahrmann J, Yang J, et al.Omega-6 and omega-3 oxylipins are implicated in soybean oil-induced obesity in mice.Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):12488. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-12624-9An J.Anaphylaxis to sunflower seed with tolerance to sunflower oil: A case report.Medicina. 2021 Jun;57(7):661. doi:10.3390/medicina57070661Richard C, Beaudouin E, Moneret-Vautrin DA, Kohler C, Nguyen-Grosjean VM, Jacquenet S.Severe anaphylaxis to Propofol: first case of evidence of sensitization to soy oil.Eur Ann Allergy Clin Immunol. 2016;48(3):103-106.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Sampson HA.Food allergy: Past, present and future.Allergol Int. 2016;65(4):363-369. doi:10.1016/j.alit.2016.08.006Satitsuksanoa P, Jansen K, Głobińska A, van de Veen W, Akdis M.Regulatory Immune Mechanisms in Tolerance to Food Allergy.Front Immunol. 2018;9:2939. Published 2018 Dec 12. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2018.02939Loh W, Tang MLK.The epidemiology of food allergy in the global context.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018;15(9):2043. doi:10.3390/ijerph15092043Blom WM, Kruizinga AG, Rubingh CM, Remington BC, Crevel RWR, Houben GF.Assessing food allergy risks from residual peanut protein in highly refined vegetable oil.Food Chem Toxicol. 2017;106(Pt A):306-313. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2017.05.072San Miguel-Hernández A, San Miguel-Rodríguez A, Martín-Armentia B, et al.Implications of allergic reactions to soybean oil.J Allergy Disord Ther. 2018 Dec;4(1):8. doi:10.24966/ADT-749X/100008Deol P, Fahrmann J, Yang J, et al.Omega-6 and omega-3 oxylipins are implicated in soybean oil-induced obesity in mice.Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):12488. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-12624-9An J.Anaphylaxis to sunflower seed with tolerance to sunflower oil: A case report.Medicina. 2021 Jun;57(7):661. doi:10.3390/medicina57070661Richard C, Beaudouin E, Moneret-Vautrin DA, Kohler C, Nguyen-Grosjean VM, Jacquenet S.Severe anaphylaxis to Propofol: first case of evidence of sensitization to soy oil.Eur Ann Allergy Clin Immunol. 2016;48(3):103-106.
Sampson HA.Food allergy: Past, present and future.Allergol Int. 2016;65(4):363-369. doi:10.1016/j.alit.2016.08.006
Satitsuksanoa P, Jansen K, Głobińska A, van de Veen W, Akdis M.Regulatory Immune Mechanisms in Tolerance to Food Allergy.Front Immunol. 2018;9:2939. Published 2018 Dec 12. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2018.02939
Loh W, Tang MLK.The epidemiology of food allergy in the global context.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018;15(9):2043. doi:10.3390/ijerph15092043
Blom WM, Kruizinga AG, Rubingh CM, Remington BC, Crevel RWR, Houben GF.Assessing food allergy risks from residual peanut protein in highly refined vegetable oil.Food Chem Toxicol. 2017;106(Pt A):306-313. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2017.05.072
San Miguel-Hernández A, San Miguel-Rodríguez A, Martín-Armentia B, et al.Implications of allergic reactions to soybean oil.J Allergy Disord Ther. 2018 Dec;4(1):8. doi:10.24966/ADT-749X/100008
Deol P, Fahrmann J, Yang J, et al.Omega-6 and omega-3 oxylipins are implicated in soybean oil-induced obesity in mice.Sci Rep. 2017;7(1):12488. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-12624-9
An J.Anaphylaxis to sunflower seed with tolerance to sunflower oil: A case report.Medicina. 2021 Jun;57(7):661. doi:10.3390/medicina57070661
Richard C, Beaudouin E, Moneret-Vautrin DA, Kohler C, Nguyen-Grosjean VM, Jacquenet S.Severe anaphylaxis to Propofol: first case of evidence of sensitization to soy oil.Eur Ann Allergy Clin Immunol. 2016;48(3):103-106.
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