Hives after a Thai curry, or told to avoid coconut because of a nut allergy? Coconut allergy is rare, and coconut is not a nut in the botanical sense. Our test checks your blood for IgE to the coconut protein Coc n 1, as part of 300 allergens and allergen components, on the same report as walnut, hazelnut, cashew and the other tree nuts.
Botanically, coconut is the seed of a palm, not a nut like walnut or hazelnut. Most people with tree nut or peanut allergy eat coconut without any problem, and allergy specialists generally do not advise avoiding it just because of a nut allergy.
Coconut allergy does exist, but reports are few. In some described cases, IgE to coconut seed storage proteins also recognised walnut storage proteins. That kind of overlap is the exception, not the rule.
After eating coconut, people describe itching in the mouth, hives, swelling, stomach cramps and vomiting, and severe reactions are described in a small number of cases. Others report itchy, red skin where coconut-derived products touch it, such as soaps and shampoos. Those skin reactions are often a contact allergy, which is not IgE-based and does not show up on a blood test.
Swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, trouble breathing or feeling faint after eating is an emergency. Call 112 (EU) or your local emergency number. Do not wait for a test.
The coconut marker on the panel is Coc n 1. It is a vicilin-like protein (a 7S globulin of the cupin family), and it was first identified in coconut palm pollen, where it is a major allergen for people with pollen allergy in coconut-growing regions such as India. That is why the panel files it with the tree pollens.
Vicilins are best known as seed storage proteins in foods such as peanut, walnut and soy. Coc n 1 is a different branch of the same family, with little sequence similarity to those food vicilins. In Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands and Germany you will not breathe coconut pollen, so a Coc n 1 result is read together with your history of eating coconut.
From your finger-prick sample, the lab measures IgE to one coconut protein as part of 300 allergens and allergen components. There is no whole coconut extract on the panel. Your lab report gives the value a class from Negative to Very high, next to the tree nuts, peanut and seeds.
A positive result shows sensitisation, not a confirmed allergy. A negative Coc n 1 result does not rule out reactions to other coconut proteins. If you have reacted to coconut, take your result to a doctor.
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One finger-prick sample checks IgE to 300 allergens and allergen components, from birch and peanut to cat and house dust mite. Post it to the lab, and about 5 days after it arrives you get a value for every one. Our plain-English guide shows you how to read them. €399 in total, €1.33 per allergen.
Most people with a tree nut allergy can. Coconut is the seed of a palm, not a nut like walnut or hazelnut, and cross-reactions are rare. If you have ever reacted to coconut, or are unsure, ask your doctor or allergist.
Refined coconut oil contains very little protein, and many people with coconut allergy use it without trouble. Virgin or cold-pressed oil may contain more. If you have reacted to coconut, ask a doctor what applies to you.
Coc n 1 is a vicilin-like protein first described in coconut palm pollen. A positive value shows your blood recognises this coconut protein. It is a sensitisation result, so read it with your history of eating coconut and talk it through with a doctor.
