2024-01-03 23:15:36
Flaxseed is an ingredient in many food products and materials used in artistic painting. Lately, a controversy generated by cases of allergy to flaxseed is emerging, both in its food aspect and in the aspect of painting materials.
A new study, presented at the recent Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), held in Anaheim, California, United States, shows that flaxseed can cause an allergic reaction after touching the skin.
This study, whose lead author is Dr. Richard Harris, an allergist and member of the ACAAI, was done on a medically challenging case. A patient was seen for recurrent rashes on her hands. The patient was an artist who painted with oil paints. Suspecting that chemicals used in her artistic work might have had something to do with the problem, she obtained a history of the substances she used while painting, including paints, charcoals, brush cleaning solutions, and other products. Review of the materials used by the artist showed that her oil paintings contained flax/linseed based oil, like many of the oil paints artists use.
“The dermatitis on her hand was severe and affected her activity as a painter,” explains Dr. Harris. “She exclusively used oils to paint. We asked her to bring all the belongings and products that she used while she worked on her artwork. Patch testing was performed using test wells taped to the back for 48 hours. Flaxseed reacted significantly at the patch test site at 48 and 72 hours.
Many paints used in artistic drawing contain linseed. (Illustration: Amazings/NCYT)
Both linseed oil and linseed oil are obtained from the dark brown seeds of the Linum usitatissimum plant. Flaxseed oil is used in oil painting as it speeds up drying time and reduces the visibility of brush strokes.
In this case, it caused severe contact dermatitis, but it is also reported as an ingested allergen often seen in cereals and baked goods.
Indeed, flaxseed is an increasingly popular ingredient in baked goods and other food products due to its perceived health benefits. It is even used as an egg substitute in some recipes.
“Allergy to flaxseed has been reported in adults, but not so frequently in children,” says Dr. Alana Xavier De Almeida, member of the ACAAI and lead author of a recent study on the matter, presented at the aforementioned ACAAI congress. .
“We saw an 18-month-old patient with a rash on his face and chest 20 minutes after eating a package of oatmeal with premixed flaxseed,” explains the doctor. “This was the first time the patient ate flaxseed and the event resolved itself within 4 hours. A skin test was performed which revealed positive results for several nuts and seeds, including flaxseed. The evaluation also included measurement of serum immunoglobulin E levels. Taking into account the medical history and test results, a diagnosis of an immunoglobulin E-mediated reaction to flaxseed was made. A direct oral flaxseed challenge test was offered to confirm the allergy, but was never done because the parents preferred not to continue.”
Both cases illustrate that flaxseed, used in both food products and art supplies, should be considered as a potential trigger for an allergic reaction.
The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) is a professional medical organization of more than 6,000 allergist-immunologists and paramedical professionals, headquartered in Arlington Heights, Illinois, United States, and founded in 1942. (Source: American College Of Allergy, Asthma And Immunology)
#Linseed #paints #allergies #Science #Technology #News #Amazings #NCYT