Itchy mouth after popcorn, hives after polenta, or a runny nose near maize fields in July? Corn, also called maize, can trigger food reactions and its pollen is a grass pollen. Our test checks your blood for IgE to whole corn, to its lipid transfer protein Zea m 14 and to the main maize pollen protein Zea m 1, as part of 300 allergens and allergen components.
Maize is a cereal grass. As a food, its best-studied allergen is a lipid transfer protein (LTP), Zea m 14. LTPs are sturdy proteins that survive cooking and digestion well. They are found in many plant foods, and people sensitised to one LTP often show IgE to others, such as the LTP in peach.
LTP sensitisation is especially common in southern Europe, where it is linked to more widespread reactions than the birch-related pattern seen further north. In research from Italy, the maize LTP was the main allergen in people with reactions after eating corn.
Maize pollen is a different story. Zea m 1 is a group 1 grass pollen protein, a close cousin of the main proteins in timothy and other grasses. It points to grass pollen sensitisation rather than to corn as a food.
Reactions people describe after eating corn include itching in the mouth, hives, swollen lips, stomach cramps and, less often, wheezing or feeling faint. They usually start within minutes to two hours. Some people with LTP sensitisation notice reactions mainly when they eat corn together with exercise, alcohol or painkillers.
Maize pollen is large and heavy, so it does not travel far. It matters most for people who live, work or run next to maize fields in summer, which is common in Germany and the Netherlands and rare in Finland and Ireland. Sneezing and itchy eyes are the usual complaints.
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.
IgE to the whole corn extract is common, and many people who have it eat corn without problems. Grass pollen sensitisation is one reason, because corn is a grass. In a supervised challenge study, about half of people with a history of corn reactions turned out to react, and the rest did not.
So a positive result shows sensitisation. It does not tell you that you will react, or how strongly. If you have reacted to corn, take your result to a doctor, who can read the components together with your history.
The lab measures IgE to a whole corn extract, to one single corn protein and to one maize pollen protein (molecular components). Your lab report gives each a measured value and class, from Negative to Very high, next to peach LTP and the grass pollen proteins on the same panel.
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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.
Yes, though it is less common than many other food allergies in northern Europe. Reactions are often linked to Zea m 14, an LTP. Our test measures IgE to whole corn and to Zea m 14, so a doctor can see which pattern your result shows.
Highly refined corn products such as glucose syrup and corn starch contain very little protein, and allergy is driven by proteins. Whole corn, cornmeal and popcorn contain much more. If you have reacted to corn, ask your doctor what applies to you.
They can, mainly close up. Maize pollen is heavy and falls near the plant, usually in July and August. Zea m 1 on the panel shows whether you have IgE to it, alongside timothy grass and other grass pollen proteins.
They can be linked through LTPs, proteins that look alike in many plant foods. Corn's LTP is Zea m 14 and peach's is Pru p 3. Both are on the panel, so you can see if they appear together.
