Itchy mouth after sunflower bread, or hives after a spoon of sunflower butter? Sunflower seeds are in seeded breads, muesli and bars across northern Europe, and sunflower butter is a popular swap for peanut butter. Our test checks your blood for IgE antibodies to whole sunflower seed and to its lipid transfer protein, Hel a 3, as part of 300 allergens and allergen components.
Sunflower seeds are rich in storage proteins, like other seeds. The component on the panel is Hel a 3, a lipid transfer protein (LTP). LTPs are stable to heat and digestion, and they look alike across many plant foods, from peach and apple to walnut and lentil.
So IgE to Hel a 3 can be part of a wider LTP pattern. That pattern is most common around the Mediterranean, where it often starts with peach. A published case describes anaphylaxis caused by the sunflower seed LTP.
Sunflower seed allergy is uncommon. People describe itching in the mouth or throat, hives, swollen lips, vomiting or wheezing, usually within minutes of eating. One published case in a child began with mouth discomfort and vomiting after sunflower seeds, then hives and breathing trouble after poppy seeds.
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.
Families with a peanut-allergic child often switch to sunflower seed butter. Doctors have described a child who became sensitised to sunflower seed in a home like this, possibly through the skin before ever eating it. If someone at home is allergic to peanut, sunflower seed is worth checking too.
A positive result shows sensitisation, not that you will react. If you have never reacted to sunflower seeds, do not cut them out on a result alone. If you have, take the result to a doctor or allergist.
The lab measures IgE to a whole sunflower seed extract and to Hel a 3 on its own. Your lab report gives each a measured value and class, from Negative to Very high, next to peach, the other LTPs and the seeds on the panel, so you can see whether the result stands alone or is part of a wider pattern.
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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.
Sunflower is not a legume and is not closely related to peanut, which is why it is a popular swap. Some people still react to sunflower seed itself. If you or your child have reacted to either, ask your doctor what applies to you.
Refined sunflower oil, the kind in most kitchens and processed foods, contains very little protein. Cold-pressed oil can contain more. If you have reacted to sunflower seeds, ask your doctor before relying on either.
No. The panel measures the seed. Sunflower pollen is rarely a hay fever trigger in northern Europe, and reacting to one does not mean reacting to the other.
