Allergies Food Allergies Symptoms Overview of Coffee and Caffeine Allergies By Daniel More, MD Daniel More, MD Daniel More, MD, is a board-certified allergist and clinical immunologist. He is an assistant clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine and currently practices at Central Coast Allergy and Asthma in Salinas, California. Learn about our editorial process Updated on February 09, 2020 Medically reviewed by Corinne Savides Happel, MD Medically reviewed by Corinne Savides Happel, MD LinkedIn Corinne Savides Happel, MD, is board-certified in allergies/immunology, with a focus on allergic skin disorders. She is a part-time assistant professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. Learn about our Medical Expert Board Print Verywell / Zorica Lakonic Coffee is an extremely popular drink, not only in the United States but around the world. The collective thirst for coffee has grown over the past few decades, due—at least in part—to the success of Starbucks, which has more than 28,000 stores worldwide. In the past, coffee was consumed mostly in relationship to meals; people now enjoy their java around the clock, with or without food, often as a dessert or iced beverage. All told, the world consumes 1.4 billion cups of coffee a day, with the highest consumption being in Europe. With such a large amount of coffee being consumed, some people may wonder if they may develop an allergic reaction to coffee. Coffee Allergy From Drinking Coffee Is Rarely Reported The reality, however, is that you're probably at very little risk for being allergic to your morning (or afternoon or evening) cup of Joe. Indeed, there's surprisingly little information in the medical literature regarding allergic reactions to drinking coffee. One report from Italy, published in 2008, described a father and daughter who experienced a presumed coffee allergy after contracting a parasitic infection. The authors theorize that the parasite damaged the intestine and allowed the development of a coffee allergy to occur. Both father and daughter showed evidence of specific antibodies to coffee with positive blood testing and skin testing, and symptoms of hives and diarrhea occurred when drinking coffee and resolved when coffee was avoided. Occupational Allergy to Raw Coffee Beans The risk of developing an airborne coffee allergy (with symptoms similar to hay fever) is more likely for workers at coffee roasting and packaging facilities. The first reports of occupational allergy to coffee date back to the 1950s and 1960s, when workers at coffee production plants began to experience symptoms of nasal allergies and asthma with exposure to raw (green) coffee beans and roasted coffee dust. This doesn't seem to be the case, however. As one editorial explains, the problem appears to be unique to workers at manufacturing plants, where sensitization occurs with coffee bean dust, which can be released throughout the entire plant, via inhalation or contact with the skin. Drinking coffee doesn't seem to pose the same problem. In fact, when a group of 17 coffee plant workers who complained of nasal allergies as a result of exposure to coffee dust was studied, none of them experienced any reaction with drinking coffee. Caffeine Allergy Most people who experience symptoms after drinking coffee, such as headaches, rapid heart rate, gastrointestinal upset (such as nausea or diarrhea), jitteriness, and insomnia, are having either a non-allergic food intolerance or pharmacologic side effects from the caffeine in the coffee. There is only one reported case of possible anaphylaxis to caffeine worldwide. 4 Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Suphioglu C. Coffee anyone? Are you at risk of allergy?. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2012;159(3):213-5. doi:https://doi.org/10.1159/000339733 Manavski N, Peters U, Brettschneider R, Oldenburg M, Baur X, Bittner C. Cof a 1: identification, expression and immunoreactivity of the first coffee allergen. Int Arch Allergy Immunol. 2012;159(3):235-42. doi:10.1159/000337461 Ciprandi G, Cavallucci E, Cuccurullo F, Di gioacchino M. Helminthic infection as a factor in new-onset coffee allergy in a father and daughter. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2008;121(3):773-4. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2007.09.050 dePaula J, Farah A. Caffeine Consumption through Coffee: Content in the Beverage, Metabolism, Health Benefits and Risks. Beverages. 2019;5(2):37. doi:10.3390/beverages5020037 Additional Reading Starbucks. Company profile. https://news.starbucks.com/facts/company-profile. By Daniel More, MD Daniel More, MD, is a board-certified allergist and clinical immunologist. He is an assistant clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine and currently practices at Central Coast Allergy and Asthma in Salinas, California. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Medical Expert Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit