The study carried out at the American College of Allergy, Asthma
and Immunology (ACAAI), states that the FDA does not regulate
spices, therefore it can be the most difficult allergen to
identify or avoid, and remains underdiagnosed, particularly due
to the lack of reliable allergy skin or blood tests. "While
spice allergy seems to be rare, with the constantly increasing
use of spices in a variety of cosmetics, we anticipate more and
more [consumers] will develop this allergy," says allergist Sami
Bahna, M.D., ACAAI past president. "Patients with spice allergy
often have to go through extreme measures to avoid the allergen.
This can lead to strict dietary avoidance, low quality of life
and sometimes malnutrition," he adds. 'Women more likely to
develop spice allergy' In a presentation at ACAAI’s annual
scientific meeting, Dr. Bahna, explained that several spice
blends contain anywhere from three to 18 spices, and that the
hotter the spice, the greater the chance for allergy. He further
highlighted that due to