For advertising information call 859.368.0778 or email [email protected] | May 2016
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Food Allergies
Increasing Worldwide
About 15 million Americans have a food allergy
By Angela S. Hoover,
Staff Writer
Food allergies have been on the
rise in all industrialized nations,
according to the WHO, which bases
this assessment on several studies
and surveys from researchers. As far
back as 2008, the Centers for Disease
Control found an 18-percent increase
in food allergies in U.S. children.
Food allergies are misguided
immune reactions to foods that can
cause reproducible rapid reactions
such as rashes, swelling and breathing
problems. Food allergies differ from
food intolerances in that they are
easier to identify and the reactions are
more severe and sometimes even life
threatening.
The percentage of children with
a food allergy increased by about
50 percent between 1997 and 2011,
according to Food Allergy Research
and Education (FARE). One in 13
U.S. children, or two per every classroom, has a food allergy. Overall,
around 15 million Americans have
a food allergy. FARE estimates the
cost of just children’s food allergies is
nearly $25 billion per year.
In Europe, more than 17 million
people have food allergies, and hospital admissions for severe reactions
in children have risen sevenfold over
the past decade, according to the
European Academy of Allergy and
Clinical Immunology.
Globally, eight foods account for
90 percent of all food allergy reactions: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts,
soy, wheat, fish and shellfish. So
what’s behind this? To date, no one
knows for sure, but a few theories are
being explored.
The one that has received the
most publicity is the hygiene hypothesis. This postulates that we’re too
clean, and therefore our immune
system doesn’t have very much to
be concerned about. Instead, it overreacts and that results in allergies.
Something that propels this hypothesis is the fact that in societies with less
stringent hygiene practices, there is a
lower prevalence of food allergies.
Another theory has been clearly
demonstrated. The increase in the
prevalence of birth by caesarean
section is highly suspected because
babies born this way do not acquire
Globally, eight foods
account for 90 percent of
all food allergy reactions.
their mothers’ gastrointestinal bacteria as they would during a vaginal
birth. The immunities the baby
would acquire during the vaginal
birthing process are believed to be
quite important in preventing the
development of food allergies.
The last theory has the least proof
but is nevertheless being discussed
and explored. The change in weaning
practices that has occurred over the
past three decades seems to be tied to
the increase in food allergies. Parents
are encouraged to avoid solid foods
and wean babies a little bit later in
life, sometimes as late as 2 to 3 years
old. Some evidence suggests the early
introduction of certain kinds of solid
foods in a baby’s diet may actually
promote tolerance of those foods
rather than the development of food
allergies. This is contrary to the common practices of later weaning and
postponing the introduction of solid
and new foods. Recent research in
England indicates early ingestion of
peanuts may help prevent the development of peanut allergy.