What You Need to Know about Green Lipped Mussel Allergy before Trying Dietary Supplements?

Green lipped mussel allergy is one of the known side effects of dietary supplements made of this New Zealand seafood and one of the reasons for which powders and oils extracted from these mussels are not recommended to everyone.

Still, this doesn't mean products made of green lipped mussels are less valuable or nourishing: lots of people suffer from food intolerance to seafood and fish so this adverse effect is linked rather with the user than with the product itself.

Why do shellfish allergies occur?

The specific allergic reactions to seafood are caused by the user's extremely sensitive immune system, which starts producing certain antibodies targeting a protein contained by the shellfish. Although harmless, this protein called allergen is not tolerated by the organism therefore the body reacts through different symptoms, such as skin rash, itchy and watery eyes, nausea and digestive problems.

These manifestations occur regardless the way this shellfish is cooked or processed, therefore one's green lipped mussel allergy is not influenced by the quality of the dietary supplement, by the presentation form (capsules, oils or powders) or by its concentration of active principles. There are cases in which even minimal exposure to shellfish causes severe symptoms, so this is definitely an aspect to keep in mind before trying dietary supplements made of seafood.

Can green lipped mussel allergy be avoided?

Theoretically yes, it can be avoided if the protein responsible for triggering the allergic reaction is removed from the dietary supplement obtained from green lipped mussels. But this means the shellfish needs to be processed and exposed to multiple changes, as removing an essential component from a cell is definitely not as easy as it seems at first sight.

Now the problem is green lipped mussels lose most of their nutritional value once cooked or processed, so the burning question is does it worth trying to remove the allergen in order to prevent green lipped mussel allergy? Does it worth losing all the health benefits this shellfish can provide just for making it less threatening with people already dealing with seafood allergies?

The logical answer is no, for practical reasons! Even if producers would start creating green lipped mussel supplements containing no potential allergens, people affected by food intolerances and allergies to shellfish would still experience the unpleasant symptoms of these conditions when eating or coming in contact with other types of seafood so this is definitely a no-win situation.

How can you manage green lipped mussel allergy?

Statistics show around 2 percents of all adults in the United States experience shellfish allergy so if you're among them you're probably looking for the best methods to manage this condition.

Obviously, the easiest way to prevent allergy symptoms from occurring is staying away from foods, drugs, natural and pharmaceutical products containing green lipped mussel extracts. Then, you need to always carry with you the epinephrine auto-injector the physician prescribed you in order to make sure you're always ready to treat potential crisis.