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MINI REVIEW article

Front. Allergy
Sec. Food Allergy
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/falgy.2025.1535103

Alpha-Gal Syndrome and the Gastrointestinal Reaction: A Narrative Review

Provisionally accepted
Susan B.H. Propst Susan B.H. Propst 1Dorothea K. Thompson Dorothea K. Thompson 1,2*
  • 1 College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Campbell University, Buies Creek, North Carolina, United States
  • 2 South College, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Gastrointestinal (GI) disturbances such as abdominal pain, nausea, and diarrhea are infrequently attributed to food allergies as an initial diagnosis in the absence of more traditional allergic reactions like hives, angioedema, or anaphylaxis. Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) is an atypical and underrecognized allergy characterized by a delayed hypersensitivity reaction to the oligosaccharide galactose-α-1,3-galactose, a carbohydrate found in non-primate mammalian meat and derived products. This review of the current literature on AGS focuses on GI manifestations and diagnostic challenges. While clinical presentations of AGS vary widely, predominant or isolated GI symptoms, when manifested, can overlap with other disorders, thus making a timely and accurate diagnosis challenging. Here we provide an updated review of the epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and management of AGS. Current diagnostic approaches, treatment strategies, and areas requiring further research are also discussed.

    Keywords: Alpha-gal syndrome, Galactose-α-1, 3-galactose, Alpha-Gal, food allergy, Gastrointestinal symptoms, Meat allergy, IgE

    Received: 26 Nov 2024; Accepted: 10 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Propst and Thompson. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Dorothea K. Thompson, South College, Knoxville, 37909, Tennessee, United States

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.