What Do Tick Bites Have to Do With Red Meat Allergies?

Added: 2026-05-23

[00:00:01]Tick season is here and health officials [music] are watching a growing concern linked to certain tick bites. It's called Alpha-gal syndrome, sometimes known as the red meat allergy syndrome, and in some cases it can change a person's diet and daily life overnight.

[00:00:17]Joining us now is Dr. Ryan Cole, head of medical and scientific affairs and senior fellow of pathology at the Independent Medical Alliance. Dr. Cole, thanks for being with us. You bet. Good morning, Jen. Let's start with the basics. When people hear that a tick bite could lead to a red meat allergy, you kind of think, "What What What is this?" So, what is Alpha-gal syndrome and what's happening in the body?

[00:00:37]Sure, it actually isn't science fiction.

[00:00:41]There's a specific sugar that is carried in certain red meats, cows, lambs, pigs, deer, and this sugar, galactose alpha-1-3-galactose, when the tick bites the animal and then bites you, you actually get an injection of that sugar, and then you can develop an allergy to that sugar. So, the body over time says, "Wait a minute, that same sugar that when I eat meat that I'm seeing, I remember that bite from the tick," and then you developed an allergic reaction to the meat.

[00:01:20]Yeah, it's known as the midnight allergy cuz it's usually a couple hours after you eat, 2 to 6 hours, and 12:00 at night, midnight, all of a sudden you're developing hives, itchiness, may get some swelling of the lips, the gums, the tongue, and in rare cases you can get anaphylaxis, but it can lead to really uncomfortable GI upset. I was going to ask you, so basically you you could be eating a burger, you could be a steak, you feel fine, and then all of a sudden you just have these symptoms hours later?

[00:01:52]Correct, and it may not develop right away. Sometimes it's on second exposure to the tick.

[00:01:57]So, one bite may develop a mild allergy, but re-exposure may develop a severe one for some people and in some cases anaphylaxis.

[00:02:07]>> Wow. And so, you said it's not just like the hives and the itching and and all that, but it could also be something with your GI tract as well?

[00:02:14]Oh, very very upsetting GI symptoms, unfortunately, for some of these patients, yes. And it's it's not like exceedingly rare. A couple hundred thousand Americans now have this.

[00:02:24]>> Right. And And the tick that carries it, you know, just saw the picture there, it's a lone star tick. It's about the size of a sesame seed and it's got a little white star, like the star on the flag of Texas in the middle of the back.

[00:02:37]And how would you know if you actually had it? Cuz is is is is a blood test the only way and you specifically have to ask your doctor about it? Cuz this is obviously not a routine test. Yeah, so it's those new onset symptoms plus an astute doctor and he or she hopefully will recognize those unusual symptoms.

[00:02:52]More often than not this develops in adulthood. And having new onset symptoms should lead them to test for something called an IGE antibody to this particular sugar.

[00:03:04]Why is this getting more attention now and how should people think about risk and prevention?

[00:03:11]Well, it's getting more attention because it is becoming a little more common and the deer that carry it, the birds that migrate and carry the same tick are changing their ranges. So, it's expanding. Used to be just in the South Southeast. Now it's all the way north up to Maine, across to Wisconsin, down into Iowa, Nebraska, Texas. So, the range is expanding and it is becoming more common because of that. Now, common sense says, "Look, don't avoid going outside." I mean, millions of people get tick bites. Only a handful of ticks are going to carry this. But, take precautions. Use some of the sprays that will prevent ticks. I I go outside a lot being out here in the mountains of Idaho. I like to spray my rim of my clothing with permethrin. I don't put it on my skin, but my hat brim, my collars, my cuffs, and you can, you know, seal off your cuffs on your pants or tuck your pants into your socks, and wear lighter clothing so you can see the ticks. And don't forget to also, when you come home, check yourself as well as check your children and your pets.

[00:04:15]What's the treatment and can the body heal or improve over time or does this get worse? Well, the good news is a good percentage of people, I would say up to 2/3, over time the allergy will lessen.

[00:04:28]Uh, some people may have it for life.

[00:04:30]But there's some interesting alternative treatments that have shown in small trials a great efficacy including some acupuncture on the ear. It's a very specific type. And then some homeopathic remedies with a specific puff mushroom have shown re-adaptation of the GI tract. So, there are some promising therapies out there, and the good news is some patients do recover quickly. And just a little aside, you've got also be careful of you know, if you end up developing this of gelatins, marshmallows, certain medication capsules that carry gelatin because those are derived from um beef products. And so, yeah, even even some of the more innocuous things you might not think about might trigger it for some patients. But, you know, there is hope for patients who do acquire this. It is on the rise. It's not something to be terrified about and do enjoy life. Get outside. Get the sunshine. Enjoy Mother Nature.

[00:05:24]>> Yeah, it's important information, Dr. Cole. We appreciate you joining us this morning. And of course, if you want to learn more about this, you can visit iamahealth.org.

[00:05:33]Have a great Memorial Day weekend. Thank you for joining us.

[00:05:36]Thank you. You as well.