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Reactions to Peanut Butter

Your reactions to peanut butter may vary, depending on whether you have intolerance to this food or a true peanut butter allergy. While food intolerance results in intestinal distress, allergies to peanut butter, as well as peanut oil and the nuts themselves, commonly surface in the first years of life and endure for a lifetime.

  1. Peanut Butter Intolerance

    • A reaction to peanut butter is often misidentified as a food allergy. Those with an intolerance to this food can eat small amounts and experience mild symptoms such as indigestion or heartburn. Abdominal cramping and diarrhea may also occur. According to the Mayo Clinic, certain conditions can be misidentified as a food allergy. A person may have irritable bowel syndrome or a sensitivity to a food additive, experience food poisoning, or lack the appropriate enzymes to break down the food. Some people who harbor the belief that they're allergic to peanut butter experience symptoms that cause them to feel sick.

    Peanut Butter Allergies

    • A peanut butter allergy is caused by the body's immune response to what it identifies as a dangerous protein. Those who are allergic to peanut butter and peanut products experience pronounced symptoms such as hives on the skin, tingling in the mouth and throat, shortness of breath, swelling of the mouth, and digestive difficulties common to food intolerance--diarrhea, nausea and stomach cramps. Those who are highly allergic to peanuts may experience anaphylaxis, a dangerous condition that causes the blood pressure to drop suddenly. Anaphylaxis requires emergency medical care. Food allergies are usually confirmed by a skin prick test or through blood testing.

    Peanut Butter and Other Foods

    • The U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires all packaged food to be labeled if it contains a food group that is typically known to cause food allergies. Peanut butter and other peanut products are included in these food types. However, peanut butter can lurk in the prepared food you order when you go out to eat--salad dressing, ice cream, cake frostings and marzipan, to name only a few. If you have a peanut butter allergy, make sure to read all food labels carefully and ask your server how food is prepared before you order.

    Prevention Strategies for Adults

    • If you have an allergy to peanut butter and other peanut products, wear a medical alert bracelet or necklace. Your doctor may have you carry an auto-injectable pen so that you can treat yourself with epinephrine at the first sign of a severe allergic response to peanut butter.

    Prevention Strategies for Children

    • The same strategies that apply to adults also apply to children. Keep all caregivers and teachers informed about your child's allergy to peanut butter and prepare written instructions on how to respond should your child experience anaphylaxis. Discourage your child from sharing food with other children or accepting snacks.

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