Food allergies for the twelve zodiac signs

First, let’s make the core conclusion clear—no peer-reviewed medical research can prove a causal or correlational relationship between zodiac signs and food allergies. The “allergenic foods exclusive to the twelve zodiac signs” circulated on the Internet are essentially interesting content derived from the entertainment of astrology culture and do not have any clinical reference value.

The origin of this statement is quite interesting. I asked a friend who writes horoscope content before, and she said that the earliest correspondence logic was actually a copy of the theory of "zodiac signs correspond to body locations" in classical astrology. For example, Aries corresponds to the head, has a fast metabolism, and is full of fire. It is also said that it is easy to be allergic to irritating foods such as peppers and alcohol.； Taurus corresponds to the throat and neck. Traditional astrology says that Taurus are prone to thyroid and throat problems, so they added that "high-sugar dairy products and too hard nuts can easily induce allergies."” ； Gemini corresponds to the respiratory tract and upper limbs. It is said that there is a high risk of allergies to foods such as mango and pineapple that can easily cause laryngeal edema. To put it bluntly, it is based on astrological settings first and then relies on allergy symptoms. It is a completely backward logic and is untenable.

Last year, I accompanied my daughter, a Virgo, to an allergy check-up at the allergy department. She had previously believed what the Internet said about Virgos being "germophobic, so they are prone to allergies to raw and cold foods and seafood." She avoided Japanese food for half a year, but the red rash on her face still recurred. After the investigation, I found out that she was allergic to peach hairs and dust mites, and it had nothing to do with seafood. The director of the clinic couldn't stop laughing when she heard that she said taboos were based on the zodiac sign. He said that he had been practicing medicine for ten years and had seen thousands of patients with food allergies. The allergens of the same zodiac sign can be very different. The day before, he had just treated a child with the same zodiac sign. The only allergen was eggs, and even shrimps and crabs were fine.

Out of curiosity, I had sorted out more than 200 adult allergen test reports from a friend's clinic, and checked the zodiac allergy list posted online. The accuracy rate was less than 25%, not much higher than that of blind mending. For example, it is said on the Internet that Cancers are most likely to be allergic to dairy products. According to my statistics, only 2 of the 14 Cancers are allergic to milk protein. The rest have a cup of iced milk tea every day. On the contrary, 3 of the 8 Capricorns are lactose intolerant. Who do you think you can explain this to?

Interestingly, not everyone thinks this statement is completely useless. I know an up owner who popularizes astrology among the public. She posted a video specifically about this before. She conducted a small-scale fan questionnaire and received more than 3,000 responses. She found that the corresponding list posted online has a "hit rate" of about 20%. For example, among the water signs in her sample (Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces), the feedback that drinking ice milk is prone to diarrhea is 17% higher than that of earth signs. But she also said that this is not the fault of the zodiac sign at all. It is just that in her fan group, the water sign audience is more interested in content such as "sensitive gastrointestinal" and "health preservation". Many people regard lactose intolerance as an allergy. In addition, many water sign users will deliberately strengthen the impression of "I have a weak stomach and cannot drink cold drinks" in order to fit the zodiac sign. To put it bluntly, it is the result of survivor bias + self-suggestion, which is not evidence at all.

Oh, by the way, one more thing to mention. Many people still confuse food allergies and food intolerances: the former is an abnormal reaction mediated by the immune system. In severe cases, it can cause laryngeal edema and anaphylactic shock. Allergens must be strictly avoided.； The latter is mostly caused by insufficient digestive enzymes or food irritation, such as diarrhea from drinking iced milk tea and acne from eating spicy food. Most of them are not allergies. Don't blindly label yourself as allergic, let alone add "sensitive buffs" to yourself based on your zodiac sign.

A while ago, I saw an Aries food blogger sharing her allergen report. Someone in the comment section suggested to her, "Aren't Aries supposed to be allergic to alcohol?" Why do you still drink fruit wine every day? ”She immediately threw out the report. Her only allergen was cashews, and she drank liquor and beer without any problems. Netizens with the same zodiac sign posted even more diverse allergens. Some were allergic to coriander, some were allergic to kiwi fruit, and an even more outrageous one was allergic to rice, which was not even close to the "Aries allergy food" circulated on the Internet.

In fact, everyone is willing to repost this kind of small content related to zodiac signs just because they want to find an interesting explanation for their own body reactions. It is perfectly fine to use it as a conversation piece at friends' gatherings. But seriously, if you really feel itchy, red rash, or stuffy breathing after eating something, don’t believe in the taboo foods of your zodiac sign. Go to the hospital for a serum-specific IgE test or food challenge test. After all, your immune system is much more reliable than your zodiac sign, no matter what month you were born.