Bananas are in the Musaceae family of plants which includes plantains.

Allergic reactions from eating bananas are thought to be mainly caused by chitinase, which is a plant derived enzyme made by the plant and naturally acts as a defence against fungal attacks.

Mus a 1 is a profilin protein. These are plant panallergens with the potential to cause allergic reactions over large groups of seemingly unrelated groups of foods.

Mus a 2 is the chitinase protein, these are proteins associated with latex allergy.

Mus a 3 is a Lipid Transfer Protein. Again this is a panallergen which can cause allergic reactions over groups of foods. Mus a 4 is a thaumatin-like protein, this is made by plants to inhibit fungal growth.

Banana is a low FODMAP food. FODMAP stands for Fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols. Foods high in FODMAPs can cause symptoms of food intolerance, affecting the gastro intestinal system and this can be mistaken for a true IgE food allergy.

Bananas are low in Salicylates, so has the potential to cause gastrointestinal food intolerance symptoms in people who are sensitive to salicylates.

You can read more about Food Intolerances on the dedicated Food Intolerance Page.

Banana allergy is most often seen in conjunction with allergies to other foods, either presenting as Pollen-Food Allergy Syndrome or Latex Food Syndrome.

In Pollen-Food Allergy Syndrome the body mistakes the shape of a protein that it is already sensitive to (a plant pollen) to a similarly shaped protein in certain fruits, vegetables, spices, herbs and nuts.

Latex Food Syndrome is caused by the body confusing the proteins it encounters in food to that of latex proteins to which it is already sensitised.

You may have LTP Syndrome if you react to multiple foods in the cross reactivity section.

Allergy to banana is sometimes linked to Celery-Mugwort-Spice Syndrome as the sensitising allergen is a profilin protein called Art v 4, these proteins are also sometimes also called Bet v 2 proteins.

There is a link between banana and Latex Food Syndrome. The plant involved in latex allergy Hevea brasiliensis, the rubber tree plant, has an allergen called Hev b 8 which is a profilin protein. Those very sensitised to latex may have a contact allergic reaction from other foods or plants containing profilin proteins, there is less evidence of this than sensitisation to other latex linked proteins like hevein and chitinases.

Those with a sensitivity to chitinase may have linked allergies to foods which contain high levels of chitinase, like avocado, chestnuts, corn (maize), kiwi, papaya, pomegranate and tomatoes.

If sensitised to ragweed pollen you may also have problems with melon, courgette, cucumber, and squash.

45% of latex allergy sufferers are also allergic to bananas.

Other foods containing thaumatin proteins are kiwi, chilli, peppers, apple, banana, cherry and peach.

If sensitised to LTP proteins you may also react to kiwi, strawberries, sunflower seeds, walnut, apple, mulberry, banana, pea, apricot, cherry, plum, almond, peach pomegranate, raspberry, tomato, grape, celery, peanut, asparagus, cabbage, broccoli, chestnut, lemon, tangerine, orange, hazelnut, lettuce, lentils, lupin, green bean, pear, mustard, wheat and maize.

Banana is broadly linked to other fruit profilin allergies. Allergy to celery, peanut, lychee, soyabeans, walnut, lupin, almonds, mustard, hazelnut, kiwi, pineapple, chilli, melon, orange, strawberry, apple, banana, aubergine (eggplant), peach, pear, tomato, dates, cherry, carrot, barley and wheat. Allergic reactions to some of these foods may be considered a marker of profilin hypersensitivity.

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