Why People in the Suburbs Are Suddenly Becoming Allergic to Meat

Tree-lined cul-de-sacs, trimmed lawns, and backyard grills make the suburbs feel like a safer, simpler alternative to city life. But scientists say this sense of comfort could come with a hidden cost: a bizarre allergy to meat…or any product that comes from mammals.

It’s called alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), and it’s caused by a bite from the lone star tick—an aggressive species that’s spreading rapidly across the southeastern and mid-Atlantic U.S. The tick injects a sugar molecule called alpha-gal into the bloodstream, which can rewire the immune system to treat red meat like a threat. The next time someone eats beef, pork, or lamb, their body can respond with hives, vomiting, or even full-blown anaphylaxis.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill recently mapped confirmed AGS cases across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. What they found: people living in low-density suburbs—especially those near forest edges and open green space—were most at risk. The findings, published in PLOS Climate, suggest that the very things that draw people to the suburbs—peace, nature, space—are also increasing their chances of a meat allergy they can’t reverse.

“AGS is the leading cause of adult-onset allergies in the U.S.,” the researchers wrote, citing a massive jump from 24 documented cases in 2009 to over 34,000 by 2019. Because it’s not a reportable disease, the real number is likely much higher.

Why Are People Suddenly Becoming Allergic to Meat?

What’s driving it? Suburban development often brings people into closer contact with deer, which serve as taxis for the ticks. Lawns, hiking trails, and wooded parks all provide the perfect habitat. And as temperatures rise and ticks expand into new territory, the risk is only growing—cases have been reported as far north as Minnesota and New York’s Long Island.

Unlike most food allergies, AGS reactions don’t show up immediately—they hit hours after eating, making the condition hard to diagnose and often misattributed. Some people live with symptoms for months before connecting them to meat.

There’s no cure yet. The only real solution is to stop eating mammalian meat altogether.

As researchers try to get ahead of the trend, it makes us reconsider that idyllic white-picket-fence life. The suburbs may feel like an escape from urban stress, but they’re also where climate, wildlife, and human health are colliding in strange new ways.