Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsPrevalenceSymptomsCausesFoods to AvoidOther Things to AvoidDiagnosisTreatmentPreventionCorn-Free Lifestyle
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Prevalence
Symptoms
Causes
Foods to Avoid
Other Things to Avoid
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention
Corn-Free Lifestyle
Corn allergy is not a commonfood allergen, but it can still cause distressing symptoms, like itching and wheezing.Some people with a corn allergy have a serious reaction calledanaphylaxis, which can be life-threatening. Anaphylaxis requires the immediate use of an epinephrine auto-injector likeEpiPen, and further medical attention.
It’s easy to tell if some foods have corn in them, like cornstarch or popcorn. However, corn can also be hidden in many other foods and products. If you have a corn allergy, you will also need to avoid ingredients like maize, maltodextrin, and polenta, which all come from corn. Corn products are also very common in processed foods.
This article will explain the symptoms of a corn allergy, how it’s treated, and what you can do to prevent a reaction. It also lists foods and other products to avoid with a corn allergy.
How Frequent Is Corn Allergy?
It’s not known how many people have a corn allergy as there has not been a lot of research on it. These two studies that looked at how common corn allergies are:
While having a corn allergy might not be common, it’s also possible that more people are allergic to corn and don’t know it. They may not realize that corn is causing their symptoms.
How Do Allergies Work?
What Are the Symptoms of Corn Allergy?
Food allergies can have a range of symptoms. You may have many of them or just a few. Corn allergy symptoms can include:
People with a corn allergy can also get symptoms from corn pollen,grass pollen, and cornstarch. These allergens can cause symptoms of hay fever (allergic rhinitis) and/orasthma.
If you have asthma,eczema, hives, hay fever, or other food allergies, you might be more likely to be allergic to corn. Havingsomeone in your familywith a corn allergy, especially a sibling, also makes you more likely to be allergic to it.
Common Allergy Symptoms
Sometimes, an allergy can cause a serious reaction. A person who is very allergic to corn can have anaphylaxis.The signs and symptoms of an anaphylactic reaction include:
Anaphylaxisis an emergency because a person can die from it. If someone is having an anaphylactic reaction, call 911 and, if available, administer an epinephrine-autoinjector like EpiPen immediately.
What Causes Corn Allergy?
We know what causes somefood allergies, like nuts, shellfish, andwheat. We’re not sure why people are allergic to corn. Genetics, environment, and the way that genetics and the environment interact (epigenetic factors) probably play a role in corn allergies.
A protein in corn calledzeincould be what causes an allergic reaction. When zein gets into the body, the immune system might see it as an invader that needs to be fought. The body releases antibodies calledimmunoglobulinE (IgE)as a defense.
IgE tells the cells in the immune system to put out substances calledhistamines. It’s the histamines that cause allergy symptoms.
Causes and Risk Factors of Food Allergies
Foods to Avoid if You Are Allergic to Corn
Allergic reactions can happen from eating raw or cooked corn. It can also happen if you eat foods that were made using corn products.
Food ingredients to avoid if you are allergic to corn include:
Not all corn products contain zein, but it can be hard to know which ones do. The FDA requires a warning for eight major allergens:milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybean. Corn is not considered a major allergen, though, so the U.S. Food and Drug Administration does not require a special allergen warning for foods that contain it.
As a general rule, it’s important to check the ingredients lists on food products before buying them. Keep in mind that food manufacturers can change their ingredients at any time.
Medications and SupplementsMedications, vitamins, minerals, and dietary supplements can also contain corn. Always check the labels on these products.
Medications and Supplements
Medications, vitamins, minerals, and dietary supplements can also contain corn. Always check the labels on these products.
Food Allergies and Medications
Foods That Often Contain Corn Products
Foods that often contain corn products, such as cornstarch, corn syrup, and corn/vegetable oils, include:
Other Products That May Contain Corn
Corn is used in all kinds of products, not just food. If you are allergic to corn, you may also need to avoid the following products:
Even though you don’t eat these things, they might trigger a reaction if you’re around them.
The Best and Worst Foods If You Have Allergies
Diagnosis and Testing
If you have an allergy, your health and safety depend on you knowing how to avoid what you’re allergic to. However, diagnosing food allergies can be tricky.
Allergy testingwith blood tests and skin tests does not always give accurate results. These tests often say that a person is allergic to something when they really aren’t. This is called a false-positive test result.
Research has shown that a false-positive test result on anallergy testcould still be a hint that you are allergic.
The first step in figuring out if you have a corn allergy is talking to your doctor about your symptoms. For example, you might notice that you always get the same symptoms after you eat corn or any food that has corn in it.
How to Find Out If You Have Allergies
Food allergies can be hard to spot, but a corn allergy can be especially tricky because:
It can be helpful to keep afood diary. In it, you write all the foods that you eat, as well as when you ate them and whether you had any symptoms after.
Sometimes, cutting any foods that have corn in them from your diet can help you figure out if it is causing your symptoms. This is called anelimination diet. Once you stop eating foods with corn in them, you slowly start putting them back in. If you notice that you start having symptoms only after you start eating corn again, it can be a sign that you’re reacting to it.
You might need to do a food challenge test. Instead of avoiding corn, you will eat it on purpose. However, you’ll do this with a healthcare provider present to make sure that if you have a reaction, someone is there to help you.
What to Do If You Have a Food Alllergy
Treating Corn Allergies
If you only get mild allergy symptoms after eating corn, you may not need to do anything to treat it. You may find that taking an over-the-counter (OTC) medication to ease your symptoms is enough until the reaction passes.
The main way to treat a corn allergy is to prevent a reaction in the first place. That means doing your best to avoid corn and corn products.
If you have a serious allergy, you will need to be prepared. Epinephrine (EpiPen) is the only way to treat an anaphylactic reaction. You will need to carry one with you and know how to use it.
Anaphylaxis is a medical emergency, so you’ll need to go to the emergency room or call 911 if it happens.
Be PreparedIf you or a loved one has a severe allergy, you should knowfirst aid for anaphylaxis. That includes knowing how to use an EpiPen. If you have a severe allergy to corn, you might want to wear amedical alert bracelet. That way, emergency responders will know about your allergy even if you are unable to tell them.
Be Prepared
If you or a loved one has a severe allergy, you should knowfirst aid for anaphylaxis. That includes knowing how to use an EpiPen. If you have a severe allergy to corn, you might want to wear amedical alert bracelet. That way, emergency responders will know about your allergy even if you are unable to tell them.
How to Use an EpiPen
Preventing Allergic Reactions to Corn
It can be helpful to work with a dietician or nutritionist if you have food allergies. They can show you how to spot corn and corn products on food labels and ingredients lists.
Even if you know what to look for, you won’t always have the option. For example, you may not have an ingredients list to look at when you’re eating at someone else’s home or at a restaurant.
When you’re dining out, don’t be afraid to talk to the person preparing your meal. You can ask them about the ingredients and how they are making the food. For example, if a dish is made without corn but made withcornoil,it could still trigger a reaction.
Children who are allergic to corn may have a harder time avoiding it. If you’re a caregiver for a child with a corn allergy, you’ll need to make sure that the school knows and that they can take steps to keep your child safe. You’ll also need to talk to the caregivers of your child’s friends before birthday parties and playdates.
The Risks of Having Allergies
If you have a corn allergy, there are foods and ingredients that you should not eat. There are also some corn-based ingredients that are OK for some people with a corn allergy. You will need to talk to your doctor about whether you can safely have them in your diet.
Summary
A corn allergy is a type of food allergy. It’s not very common to be allergic to corn, but it can be serious. If you have symptoms after eating corn or using products made with corn, talk to your doctor.
Many products, even non-food items, have corn in them or are made using corn. If you have a corn allergy, it can be hard to avoid them. That said, your healthcare team can help you find ways to avoid corn and prevent an allergic reaction.
Learning to Live With Food Allergies
10 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.Messina M, Venter C.Recent surveys on food allergy prevalence.Nutr Today. 2020;55(1):22-29. doi:10.1097/NT.0000000000000389Grissinger M.Epinephrine for anaphylaxis: Autoinjector or 1-mg vial or ampoule?.PT. 2017 Dec;42(12):724–725.UR Medicine.Corn-free diet.Inam M, Shafique RH, Roohi N, Irfan M, Abbas S, Ismail M.Prevalence of sensitization to food allergens and challenge proven food allergy in patients visiting allergy centers in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan.Springerplus.2016;5(1):1330. doi:10.1186/s40064-016-2980-0Gonzales-Gonzalez V, Diaz A, Fernandez K, Rivera M.Prevalence of food allergens sensitization and food allergies in a group of allergic Honduran children.AACI. 2018;14(1):23. doi:10.1186/s13223-018-0245-xAmerican College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.Food allergy.Sicherer SH, Sampson HA.Food allergy: A review and update on epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, prevention, and management.J Allergy Clin Immunol.2018;141(1):41-58. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2017.11.003American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.Anaphylaxis.Allergy Associates of La Crosse.Corn-free diet.Kansas Corn.Common items containing corn.
10 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.Messina M, Venter C.Recent surveys on food allergy prevalence.Nutr Today. 2020;55(1):22-29. doi:10.1097/NT.0000000000000389Grissinger M.Epinephrine for anaphylaxis: Autoinjector or 1-mg vial or ampoule?.PT. 2017 Dec;42(12):724–725.UR Medicine.Corn-free diet.Inam M, Shafique RH, Roohi N, Irfan M, Abbas S, Ismail M.Prevalence of sensitization to food allergens and challenge proven food allergy in patients visiting allergy centers in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan.Springerplus.2016;5(1):1330. doi:10.1186/s40064-016-2980-0Gonzales-Gonzalez V, Diaz A, Fernandez K, Rivera M.Prevalence of food allergens sensitization and food allergies in a group of allergic Honduran children.AACI. 2018;14(1):23. doi:10.1186/s13223-018-0245-xAmerican College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.Food allergy.Sicherer SH, Sampson HA.Food allergy: A review and update on epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, prevention, and management.J Allergy Clin Immunol.2018;141(1):41-58. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2017.11.003American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.Anaphylaxis.Allergy Associates of La Crosse.Corn-free diet.Kansas Corn.Common items containing corn.
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.
Messina M, Venter C.Recent surveys on food allergy prevalence.Nutr Today. 2020;55(1):22-29. doi:10.1097/NT.0000000000000389Grissinger M.Epinephrine for anaphylaxis: Autoinjector or 1-mg vial or ampoule?.PT. 2017 Dec;42(12):724–725.UR Medicine.Corn-free diet.Inam M, Shafique RH, Roohi N, Irfan M, Abbas S, Ismail M.Prevalence of sensitization to food allergens and challenge proven food allergy in patients visiting allergy centers in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan.Springerplus.2016;5(1):1330. doi:10.1186/s40064-016-2980-0Gonzales-Gonzalez V, Diaz A, Fernandez K, Rivera M.Prevalence of food allergens sensitization and food allergies in a group of allergic Honduran children.AACI. 2018;14(1):23. doi:10.1186/s13223-018-0245-xAmerican College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.Food allergy.Sicherer SH, Sampson HA.Food allergy: A review and update on epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, prevention, and management.J Allergy Clin Immunol.2018;141(1):41-58. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2017.11.003American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.Anaphylaxis.Allergy Associates of La Crosse.Corn-free diet.Kansas Corn.Common items containing corn.
Messina M, Venter C.Recent surveys on food allergy prevalence.Nutr Today. 2020;55(1):22-29. doi:10.1097/NT.0000000000000389
Grissinger M.Epinephrine for anaphylaxis: Autoinjector or 1-mg vial or ampoule?.PT. 2017 Dec;42(12):724–725.
UR Medicine.Corn-free diet.
Inam M, Shafique RH, Roohi N, Irfan M, Abbas S, Ismail M.Prevalence of sensitization to food allergens and challenge proven food allergy in patients visiting allergy centers in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan.Springerplus.2016;5(1):1330. doi:10.1186/s40064-016-2980-0
Gonzales-Gonzalez V, Diaz A, Fernandez K, Rivera M.Prevalence of food allergens sensitization and food allergies in a group of allergic Honduran children.AACI. 2018;14(1):23. doi:10.1186/s13223-018-0245-x
American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.Food allergy.
Sicherer SH, Sampson HA.Food allergy: A review and update on epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, prevention, and management.J Allergy Clin Immunol.2018;141(1):41-58. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2017.11.003
American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.Anaphylaxis.
Allergy Associates of La Crosse.Corn-free diet.
Kansas Corn.Common items containing corn.
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