{"id":17183,"date":"2025-08-09T08:52:45","date_gmt":"2025-08-09T00:52:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/dbclinic.com.sg\/?p=17183"},"modified":"2026-09-01T09:38:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-01T01:38:23","slug":"sustainable-edible-insects-can-trigger-allergies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/dbclinic.com.sg\/sustainable-edible-insects-can-trigger-allergies\/","title":{"rendered":"Edible Insects: Can this upcoming sustainable superfood cause an allergy?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Edible<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Introduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

From fear factor to finer dining, edible insects have been gaining headlines and popularity in recent years. Edible insects are proven to be beneficial to our health, packed with proteins, micro-minerals and unsaturated fats. In the olden days, medieval Rome and ancient Chinese had incorporated insects into their diet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other perk of shifting our human palate towards edible insects is for a better greenhouse effect and long-term sustainable food supply chain. Growing insects in farms requires less energy, water and space in comparison to farming poultry. The waste of the insects can be recycled and used as fertiliser to fruits and vegetables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amidst making headlines, arousing curiosity in many on this superfood, we also want to explore the safety and association of edible insects with allergic reactions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Common edible insects<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Currently the Singapore Health Authority has approved 16 species of insects as edible food.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Insects that can be consumed include crickets, super worm, grasshopper, locust, mealworm, moth, silkworm, honey bee, beetle grub and white grub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are the health benefits of eating edible insects?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Insects can appear gross and gruesome, but they can be a food source for various good nutrients. Edible insects are rich in proteins, good fatty acids such as omega-3, vitamin B12, riboflavin, iron, zinc, antioxidants, and fiber. Furthermore, the protein chitin that can be found on the skeleton of the insects when consumed has anti-microbial properties. Edible insects also have anti-inflammatory properties, reducing our long term cardiovascular risk factors by regulating our cholesterol and blood sugar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a global health perspective, by opting for edible insects, we can ensure better usage of worldwide resources in farming when compared to conventional livestock, resulting in a more durable food supply chain in long run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Allergy as a Result of Cross-reactivity between Edible Insects, Crustacean Seafood and even Airborne Particles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Those with known shellfish allergy can experience allergic reaction when consuming insects due to the cross-reactive proteins between insects and crustaceans. For example, one with known shrimp or crab allergy may develop allergic reaction when consuming insects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The common insect allergens are proteins such as tropomyosin, arginine kinase. These proteins play important roles in contracting the muscle and regulating metabolism of the insects. These similar proteins can also be found in shellfish such as crustaceans and mollusks, parasites or even worms. To add things further tropomyosin can also be present in cockroaches and dustmites. Hence, one can have cross-reactivity between shellfish-dustmite-cockroach-edible insect allergies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How does edible insect allergy occur?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For allergy to occur, one has to be exposed to the allergen for the first time (primary sensitisation), allowing the immune system to recognise and remember the allergen. When the person is exposure again to the allergen for the subsequent time (secondary sensitisation), the body has a recollection and mount an exaggerated immune inflammatory response against the allergen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the case of edible insect allergy,<\/p>\n\n\n\n