Alpha-gal
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Alpha-gal Syndrome: Why Can’t I Eat Meat
Interview with Mateo Bernal, OMD/DOM, LAc, and Martin Huecker, MD, discuss alpha-gal syndrome.
Have you been bitten by a tick?
Do you get sick in the middle of the night after eating red meat?
Do you have unexplained anaphylactic reactions, hives, GI issues, or arthritis?
You may have alpha-gal syndrome.
Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), or mammalian meat allergy, is a tick-induced allergy to galactose-α-1,3-galactose. This sugar, commonly known as alpha-gal, is found in all mammals except for humans and some primates. Products made from mammals can also contain alpha-gal. These include mammalian meat (like beef, pork, and lamb), milk and dairy products, gelatin, medications, medical products (like heparin and vaccines), personal care products (like lotion and make-up), and many other items. Reactions, which can be life-threatening, may be immediate, as in the case of injected drugs, or delayed from 2 to 10 hours, as is typical after the consumption of mammalian meat.
What is Alpha-gal Syndrome?
(AGS), also known as mammalian meat allergy, is an allergy involving an IgE antibody response to...
Symptoms
Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) is a unique allergy whose paradigm-shifting features challenge past assumptions about...
How do You Get Alpha-gal Syndrome?
In the United States, the Lone Star Tick (Amblyomma americanum) is thought to be...
Fast facts about
Alpha-gal syndrome
Trigger of anaphylaxis in adults
most of the southeastern U.S. and other populations with high tick exposure, including areas of the Midwest and much of the eastern U.S.
Cause of adult-onset allergy
most of the southeastern U.S. and other populations with high tick exposure, including areas of the Midwest and much of the eastern U.S.
Up to 30% of some populations
most of the southeastern U.S. and other populations with high tick exposure, including areas of the Midwest and much of the eastern U.S.
15-35%
of the population in the southern U.S. and large areas of the Midwest and eastern U.S. is sensitized to alpha-gal
Over 34,000
The number of Americans diagnosed has risen from 12 in 2009 to over 34,000 in 2019. It is estimated that there may be a million or more undiagnosed cases in the U.S. alone.
Up to 60%
of cases have anaphylactic reactions
3-8 hours
typical delay of reactions after exposure
30-40%
of cases have cardiac symptoms
Up to 20%
of cases have GI symptoms alone
More than 20,000
drugs, vaccines and medical products contain mammalian byproducts
Hundreds
of mammalian byproducts with obscure names like oleic acid are added to foods without being labeled as derived from mammals
7 years
average time to diagnosis due to lack of physician awareness
Where in the world is Alpha-gal?
Alpha-gal syndrome is found on every continent except Antarctica. In the U.S., Alpha-Gal Syndrome is mostly found in areas where the Lone Star Tick lives; primarily, the East Coast. However, Lone Star tick populations are expanding further north and have already been reported in Canada (as of 2020). Not surprisingly, Alpha-Gal is also on the rise.
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Cleverest Awards 2018
Cleverest Awards 2018
Cleverest Awards 2018
Cleverest Awards 2018