Cabbage is a food which may result in allergy symptoms in sensitised individuals.

Cabbage Allergy Test: Allergen Exposure

Cabbage originated in the Mediterranean region from a loose-leafed wild plant which was domesticated and eventually bred into a number of varying forms of the same species which are cultivated today, including the cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprout, kale and kohlrabi.

Cabbage is the common term for those members of the Brassicaceae family of which the leaves and not the flower heads are normally eaten.

Its leaves are generally used as a cooked vegetable (often appearing in soups and stews), though the shredded leaves can also be eaten in salads, especially with mayonnaise and other ingredients as coleslaw.

The sprouts can also be added to salads. The leaves can be fermented and made into sauerkraut, used as a health food and said to be good for the digestive system.

Cabbage contains a moderate amount of vitamin C and fibre, and some vitamin A.

Raw Cabbage juice has been used as a peptic ulcer treatment, due to its S-methylmethionine content. But the juice, if consumed in excess, begins to inhibit iron absorption. Cabbage has also been used to help prevent cancer of the colon.

A blue dye can be obtained from the leaves of purple cabbage cultivars.

Cabbage Allergy Test: Allergen Description

A lipid transfer protein present in cabbage has been characterised, which is a heat stable allergen. Among 17 patients allergic to Cabbage, skin prick testing with the lipid transfer protein Bra o 3 was positive in 12 of 14 cases.

A case of an atopic 21-year-old woman who had anaphylaxis to Cabbage has been described.

Chitinase has been purified from an extract of Cabbage and Cabbage stems with roots. The clinical significance of this allergen in Cabbage has not been determined to date, but there may be antigenic properties similar to those of the panallergen chitinase in other foods.

Cabbage Allergy Test: Potential Cross-Reactivity

An extensive cross-reactivity among the different individual species of the genus could be expected, as well as to a certain degree among members of the family Brassicaceae, such as broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and cabbage.

This has been supported by a study that reported cross-reactivity among cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, mustard, rape and turnip.

Cabbage Allergy Test: Clinical Experience

Cabbage can occasionally induce symptoms of food allergy in sensitised individuals.

Proteins of these vegetables may cause immediate-type allergy, the pollens may be involved in hay fever, and skin contact with the isothiocyanates released may cause contact dermatitis.

Anaphylaxis was reported in a woman, who experienced facial and throat swelling after the ingestion of coleslaw on 2 separate occasions. IgE antibody level to Cabbage was raised. She also demonstrated skin reactivity to other members of the Brassicaceae family.

Contact urticaria from Cabbage has been reported.

Other reactions

Maternal intake of cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, cow’s milk, onion, and chocolate were significantly related to colic symptoms in exclusively breast-fed infants.

Pickled cabbage (sauerkraut) contains high levels of histamine, which may result in histamine reactions.