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.

अंतिम अद्यतन

March 11, 2025

द्वारा लिखित
फोटो थंबनेल ब्लॉग लेखक

Heather Norman-Burgdolf

Professor

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.

अधिक सामग्री का अन्वेषण करें

मीडिया मेंशन

Our products are well-loved by the outdoor community, which allows us to be generous with our charity work worldwide.

Russ McLeod
Founder of Mightyhum

मीडिया मेंशन

Similarly, whenever I need water, it takes time and effort to collect water from a stream, and then push it through my Sawyer Squeeze filter into my water bottles.

Jared Zornitzer
यात्री

मीडिया मेंशन

Sawyer Mini filters remove 99.9% of bacteria—pair with reusable bottles to minimize plastic waste.

Machu Picchu Getaway
Travel Site

दस्ते से

हमारे समुदाय के साथ कैम्प फायर वार्तालाप, स्क्वाड सदस्यों और राजदूतों से लेकर ब्रांड पार्टनर्स और सॉयर टीम तक।