The Sugar We Lost: An Allergy That Found Us The story of alpha gal syndrome is one of evolutionary trade offs, where a primordial pathogen may have triggered an immune system upgrade in our ancestors – but at what cost?
Approximately 30 million years ago, primates were likely vulnerable to a prehistoric threat that exploited the sugars produced by their own bodies.
In response, they adapted by halting production of the sugar molecule galactose α 1,3 galactose (alpha gal) and instead produced antibodies against it.