Life with Alpha-Gal Red Meat Allergy
Fast Facts
Alpha-gal syndrome or red meat allergy is an allergic condition. Those with the condition must forgo eating beef, lamb, pork, and wild game. Sufferers can still eat poultry, seafood, eggs, and plant-based sources of protein.
Symptoms can include gastrointestinal issue such as nausea, indigestion, and diarrhea and other allergic symptoms such as cough, hives, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, and swelling of the eyes/tongue/lips/throat, amongst others.
Alpha-gal is currently only known to be spread by the lone star tick, which is also the most commonly encountered species of tick in Kentucky.
Not every lone star tick bite will result in the red meat allergy. Allergic symptoms can appear 3-6 hours after eating red meat and sufferers will need to consult with a physician or allergist for diagnosis and management.
Continue reading to learn more, written by Heather Norman-Burgdolf.
March 11, 2025
Heather Norman-Burgdolf
Heather Norman-Burgdolf joined the Department of Dietetics and Human Nutrition as an Extension faculty member in January 2017. Her previous experiences span bench science research in the space of diabetes and obesity to community nutrition education in limited resource communities.
Her work includes translating nutrition science into Extension programming related to nutrition and diet-sensitive chronic disease prevention and management. The broader themes of her work focus on making healthy food choices easier for individuals residing in rural Kentucky communities, while respecting the unique challenges rural communities face when it comes to food access and health disparities. The programs she supports range from diabetes prevention to the role of nutrition in substance use recovery.
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