Some seasonal berries, especially strawberries and cherries, can trigger severe allergic symptoms. Russian allergist Nikita Golovin warns about this.
Brightly colored berries—strawberries, raspberries, cherries, and red currants—are most likely to cause allergies. This is due to natural pigments, organic acids, and bioactive substances they contain.
Strawberries and wild strawberries stimulate histamine release, causing itching, redness, and rash even in people without allergies.
True food allergies lead to more severe symptoms: redness, swelling, throat itching, watery eyes, runny nose, abdominal pain, nausea, and even shortness of breath.
People with cross-allergies, especially to birch pollen, often react to cherries, apples, raspberries, or strawberries.
Sometimes the reaction is not to the berry itself but to fertilizers, processing agents, or mold. Early-ripening or suspiciously sourced berries pose higher risks.
The safest berries are white currants, black currants, blueberries, and bilberries. However, completely hypoallergenic berries do not exist.
