Itchy mouth after dal, or hives after a lentil soup? Lentils are a staple in Indian, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cooking, and now in pasta, crisps and veggie burgers too. Our test checks your blood for IgE antibodies to two single lentil proteins, as part of 300 allergens and allergen components including pea, chickpea, peanut and soy.
Lentil is a legume, related to pea, chickpea, peanut and soy. Its major allergen is Len c 1, a vicilin storage protein. In a Spanish study, 77% of people with lentil allergy had IgE to it. Len c 1 is more than half identical to peanut's Ara h 1, and pea's vicilin is about 90% identical to it.
Len c 3 is a lipid transfer protein (LTP). LTPs are stable to heat and look alike across many plant foods, from peach to walnut. IgE to Len c 3 can be part of a wider LTP pattern, which is most common in southern Europe.
Lentils are among the main plant foods causing allergic reactions in children around the Mediterranean and in many Asian communities. People describe itching in the mouth, hives, swollen lips, stomach cramps, vomiting or wheezing, usually within minutes to two hours of eating. Cooking does not reliably remove the allergens.
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.
Lentil and pea reactions often come together. Pea vicilin and convicilin cross-react with Len c 1 in lab studies, and Spanish patients with pea allergy often had lentil allergy too. Chickpea, peanut and soy share related proteins as well.
Shared antibodies are common; reacting to every legume is not. A positive result shows sensitisation, not that you will react. If you have never reacted to lentils, do not cut them out on a result alone. If you have, take the pattern to a doctor.
The lab measures IgE to two single lentil proteins (molecular components). There is no whole lentil extract on the panel. Your lab report gives each a measured value and class, from Negative to Very high, next to pea, chickpea, peanut and soy, so you can see the legume pattern at a glance.
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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.
Sometimes, but not always. Lentil and pea proteins are very alike, and many people who react to one react to the other. The panel measures both, so a doctor can look at your own results instead of a general rule.
They can. Len c 1 and the LTP Len c 3 both hold up to heat, so cooking does not reliably remove them. If you have reacted to lentils, ask your doctor what applies to you.
No. Lentil is not one of the 14 allergens EU labels must highlight, so it only appears in the ingredients list. Look out for lentil flour, dal and legume protein in processed foods.
