question: If peanuts aren't actually nuts why do people with a nut allergy die from them?
comment: Because peanut allergies are different from nut allergies. I'm allergic to peanuts but not nuts.
passages: Peanuts are legumes, not true nuts, but they share with true nuts the risk of causing allergic reactions, even in minute amounts. Pure peanut and nut-derived oils are not usually allergenic (as they do not typically contain the proteinaceous part of the plant), but avoiding them may be safer, as serious peanut and nut allergy is widespread, oil purity cannot be guaranteed, and other hypoallergenic oils are easily substituted.
   Section::::Prevention.:Cross-reactivity.
   People with confirmed peanut allergy may have cross-reactivity to tree nut, soy, and other legumes, such as peas and lentils and lupinus. The cause of cross-reactivity results from similarity in the structures of storage proteins between the food sources. Allergenic proteins are grouped by protein families: cupins, prolamins, profilin and others. Peanuts and soybeans have proteins in the cupin, prolamin, and profilin families, while lentils contain cupin proteins. Reviews of human clinical trials report that 6–40% of people with a confirmed peanut allergy will have allergic symptoms when challenged with tree nuts or legumes.
  
  Section::::Cause.
   Peanut and tree nut allergies are less likely to be outgrown, although evidence now shows that about 20% of those with peanut allergies and 9% of those with tree nut allergies will outgrow them.
  
  In Japan, allergy to buckwheat flour, used for soba noodles, is more common than peanuts, tree nuts or foods made from soy beans.
  
  Section::::Epidemiology.:United States.
   One of the most common food allergies is a sensitivity to peanuts, a member of the bean family. Peanut allergies may be severe, but children with peanut allergies sometimes outgrow them. Tree nuts, including cashews, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pistachios, pine nuts, coconuts, and walnuts, are also common allergens. Sufferers may be sensitive to one particular tree nut or to many different ones. Also, seeds, including sesame seeds and poppy seeds, contain oils where protein is present, which may elicit an allergic reaction.
   Those with tree nut allergies may be allergic to one or to many tree nuts, including pecans, pistachios, pine nuts, and walnuts. Also seeds, including sesame seeds and poppy seeds, contain oils in which protein is present, which may elicit an allergic reaction.
  
  Allergens can be transferred from one food to another through genetic engineering; however genetic modification can also remove allergens. Little research has been done on the natural variation of allergen concentrations in the unmodified crops.
  
  Section::::Cause.:Latex.
   Modifying words like "fancy" or "choice" have not historically carried any legal meaning in the United States, and they remain absent from the current regulations. In a 1915 federal case against "fancy mixed nuts" that were argued by competitors to be an inferior grade, "U. S. v. 25 Bags of Nuts," N. J. No. 4329 (1915), the court declined to accept a trade standard. The ruling said
  
  Section::::Nutritional Benefits.
  
  BULLET::::- A Harvard University Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology, Dr. Frank Hu, reports that recent studies found daily nut-eaters were less likely to die of cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease.
   Management is by avoiding eating the causal nuts or foods that contain them among their ingredients, and a prompt treatment if there is an accidental ingestion. Total avoidance is complicated because the declaration of the presence of trace amounts of allergens in foods is not mandatory in any country, with the exception of Brazil.
  
  Tree nut allergies are distinct from peanut allergy, as peanuts are legumes, whereas a tree nut is a hard-shelled nut.
  
  Section::::Signs and symptoms.
   Tree nut allergy
  
  A tree nut allergy is a hypersensitivity to dietary substances from tree nuts and edible tree seeds causing an overreaction of the immune system which may lead to severe physical symptoms. Tree nuts include, but are not limited to, almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, filberts/hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pistachios, shea nuts and walnuts.
   Because they are relatively inexpensive, peanuts are typically a major ingredient in mixed nuts, although they are viewed as less fancy than other nuts; often "deluxe mixed nuts" are advertised as containing no peanuts. "Alrifai", a brand in the Middle East, Identifies the expensive nuts as kernels. In 2006, a batch of "deluxe" mixed nuts was recalled because peanuts had crept into the mix. The move was not to save face: peanuts are the ingredient of mixed nuts most commonly associated with life-threatening food allergies.
   Less dramatically, some mixed nuts advertise themselves to contain "less than 50% peanuts". For a "60 Minutes" segment that originally aired in 1997, Andy Rooney tested such a can of Planters brand nuts, pleading boredom on a Saturday. He determined that "there was a tiny fraction less than six ounces of peanuts . . . amazing precision for a nut factory." Later, in 2004, a cockeyed.com "How much is inside?" episode estimated that the peanut weight percentage in two such 11.5 oz cans was, in fact, a little over 50%.
   People with clinically confirmed tree nut allergy to one type of tree nut may have cross-reactivity to other tree nut species and also to peanuts, which are not nuts but rather part of the legume family. The cause is similarity in protein structures. Identifiable allergenic proteins are grouped into families: cupins, prolamins, profilin and others. Tree nuts have proteins in these families, as do peanuts and other legumes. Reviews of human trials report that for a confirmed tree nut allergy, up to one third of people will react to more than one type of tree nut. The cross reactivity among almond, walnut, pecan, hazelnut and Brazil nut is stronger than cross reactivity of these toward cashew or pistachio.
   BBC Radio Berkshire and Company Paradiso received a Silver and Gold award at the Gillard BBC Radio Awards and were nominated for an award from Radio Broadcasting at the 2010 Mind Media Awards. The project won gold in the "Best Community Programming" category at the Sony Radio Awards in May 2011.
   Section::::Treatment.
  
  Strict dietary avoidance of the causal nut(s) remains the mainstay of treatment for nut-allergic individuals. If the food is accidentally ingested and a systemic reaction (anaphylaxis) occurs, then epinephrine should be used. People with potential anaphylaxis are recommended to carry auto-injectors at all times. Less severe reaction may be dealt with by taking an antihistamine tablet.
  
  Total avoidance is complicated because the declaration of the presence of trace amounts of allergens in foods is not mandatory (see regulation of labelling).
  
  Section::::Society and culture.
   The severity of the allergy varies from person to person, and exposure can increase sensitization. For those with a milder form of the allergy, a reaction which makes the throat feel like cotton may occur. Subjects allergic to tree nut can experience asthma, skin rashes, itchy throat, swollen eyes. The most severe reaction can lead to anaphylaxis.
  
  The raw nut protein usually causes a more severe reaction than the oil, and extra roasting or processing can reduce the allergic reaction. 
   As a legume, the peanut belongs to the botanical family Fabaceae; this is also known as Leguminosae, and commonly known as the "bean," or "pea," family. Like most other legumes, peanuts harbor symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria in root nodules. This capacity to fix nitrogen means peanuts require less nitrogen-containing fertilizer and also improve soil fertility, making them valuable in crop rotations.
   Some people (0.6% of the United States population) report that they experience allergic reactions to peanut exposure; symptoms are specifically severe for this nut, and can range from watery eyes to anaphylactic shock, which is generally fatal if untreated. Eating a small amount of peanut can cause a reaction. Because of their widespread use in prepared and packaged foods, the avoidance of peanuts can be difficult. The reading of ingredients and warnings on product packaging is necessary to avoid this allergen. Foods that are processed in facilities which also handle peanuts on the same equipment as other foods are required to carry such warnings on their labels. Avoiding cross contamination with peanuts and peanut products, (along with other severe allergens like shellfish) is a promoted and common practice which chefs and restaurants worldwide are becoming aware of.
   In Brazil since April 2016, the declaration of the possibility of cross-contamination is mandatory when the product does not intentionally add any allergenic food or its derivatives, but the Good Manufacturing Practices and allergen control measures adopted are not sufficient to prevent the presence of accidental trace amounts. These allergens include wheat, rye, barley, oats and their hybrids, crustaceans, eggs, fish, peanuts, soybean, milk of all species of mammalians, almonds, hazelnuts, cashew nuts, Brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, walnuts, pecan nuts, pistaches, pine nuts, and chestnuts.
  
  Section::::Research.
   The almond, cashew, macadamia, peanut, pecan, pistachio and walnut are not true nuts in a botanical sense. However, because they are considered nuts in a culinary sense, their crushed spreads are called nut butters. Similar spreads can also be made from seeds not considered nuts in a culinary sense:
  
  BULLET::::- Pumpkin seed butter
  
  BULLET::::- Sesame seed butter (usually called tahini)
  
  BULLET::::- Soybean butter – made from soynuts (roasted soybeans)
  
  BULLET::::- Sunflower seed butter
  
  BULLET::::- Hummus or chickpea spread
   This allergy tends to be lifelong; studies have shown that only about 9% of children outgrow their tree nut allergy.
  
  Section::::Cause.
  
  People with tree nut allergy are seldom allergic to just one type of nut, and are therefore usually advised to avoid all tree nuts, even though an individual may not be allergic to the nuts of all species of trees.
  
  Someone allergic to walnuts or pecans may not have an allergy to cashews or pistachios, because the two groups are only distantly related and do not necessarily share related allergenic proteins.
  
  Section::::Diagnosis.
   BULLET::::- Breath problems: it has a relation with the inflammation reaction which causes the blockage of the air passages.
  
  BULLET::::- Heart problems: histamine can cause a coronary artery spasm.
  
  BULLET::::- Anaphylaxis: a whole-body allergic reaction that causes low blood pressure, suffocation and can bring a person to death.
  
  Section::::Treatment.
  
  No treatment is currently available, avoidance is the only option for peanut-allergic individuals. Unfortunately, consumers can be inadvertently exposed to peanut allergens when food becomes contaminated from processing lines shared with other peanut products. Therefore, there can be labelling mistakes because companies may not include peanuts as ingredients.
   Peanuts are rich in essential nutrients (right table, USDA nutrient data). In a 100 g serving, peanuts provide 570 calories and are an excellent source (defined as more than 20% of the Daily Value, DV) of several B vitamins, vitamin E, several dietary minerals, such as manganese (95% DV), magnesium (52% DV) and phosphorus (48% DV), and dietary fiber (right table). They also contain about 25 g protein per 100 g serving, a higher proportion than in many tree nuts.
   Section::::Society and culture.:Regulation of labelling.
  
  In response to the risk that certain foods pose to those with food allergies, some countries have responded by instituting labeling laws that require food products to clearly inform consumers if their products contain major allergens or byproducts of major allergens among the ingredients intentionally added to foods. Nevertheless, there are no labeling laws to mandatory declare the presence of trace amounts in the final product as a consequence of cross-contamination, except in Brazil.
  
  Section::::Society and culture.:Regulation of labelling.:Ingredients intentionally added.
   Immunotherapy treatments are being developed for tree nut allergy, including oral immunotherapy, sublingual immunotherapy, and epicutaneous immunotherapy.
  
  Section::::See also.
  
  BULLET::::- Allergy (has diagrams showing involvement of different types of white blood cells)
  
  BULLET::::- Food allergy (has images of hives, skin prick test and patch test)
  
  BULLET::::- List of allergens (food and non-food)
  
  BULLET::::- Peanut allergy (can be cross-reactive to tree nut allergy)
  
  Section::::External links.
  
  BULLET::::- Tree nut allergy at Food Allergy Initiative
  
  BULLET::::- "Are Nut Bans Promoting Hysteria?" by Tana Parker-Pope at "The New York Times" (15 Dec 2008)
   An allergy test or food challenge may be performed at an allergy clinic to determine the exact allergens.
  
  Section::::Prevention.
  
presuppositions: Peanut and nut allergies are the same. Peanut allergies are the same as nut allergies.
corrections: Peanut and nut allergies are different. Peanut allergies and nut allergies are different.
raw_presuppositions: Peanut and nut allergies are the same. Peanut allergies are the same as nut allergies.
raw_corrections: Peanut and nut allergies are different. Peanut allergies and nut allergies are different.