Meat Allergy

Red meat allergies, also known as alpha-gal syndrome, have been on the rise in recent years. Alpha-gal, which stands for Galactose-alpha-1, 3-galactose, is a molecule found in meats like beef, pork, and lamb. Research has found a connection between this red meat allergy and tick bites, most commonly what’s known as the lone star tick. The theory is that these ticks feast on raw meat from deer carcasses and transfer the alpha-gal to the humans, developing a molecule that is connected to the red meat allergy. In the first several months of 2017 alone, there was a 7.5% increase of patients being treated by allergists for alpha-gal syndrome, and red meat allergies are more common than ever.