Why are so many more people allergic to food these days?

Sep 15, 2019, 6:59 PM

I've been wondering this for a long time.

Growing up, I never heard of anybody allergic to peanuts. Eggs and dairy, yeah, a few, that would get gassy or the trots if they drank milk. Not risk of death though.

Seems there's so many more now that are extreme. Finally a study, and it's pretty much what I thought. Kids are basically too sheltered now, they don't get enough sun (Vitamin D) and they don't get exposed to the things earlier generations did that makes their immune system develop.

Interesting stuff. If you have young kids, you may want to hearken up. Let 'em play outside. Let 'em eat dirt and bugs. So they can enjoy the heaven that is boiled peanuts later in life. <img border=

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It is thought that allergies and increased sensitivity to foods are probably environmental, and related to Western lifestyles.

We know there are lower rates of allergies in developing countries. They are also more likely to occur in urban rather than rural areas.

There is no single explanation for why the world is becoming more allergic to food, but science has some theories.

One is that improved hygiene is to blame, as children are not getting as many infections. Parasitic infections, in particular, are normally fought by the same mechanisms involved in tackling allergies. With fewer parasites to fight, the immune system turns against things that should be harmless.

Another idea is that vitamin D can help our immune system develop a healthy response, making us less susceptible to allergies. Most populations around the world do not get enough vitamin D for several reasons, including spending less time in the sun. In the US, the rate of vitamin D deficiency is thought to have almost doubled in just over a decade.

A newer, "dual allergen exposure" theory, suggests food allergy development is down to the balance between the timing, dose and form of exposure.

For example, the development of the allergy antibodies can take place through the skin, particularly through inflamed skin in babies with eczema.

But it is thought that eating trigger foods during weaning can lead to a healthy response and prevent the allergy developing, because the gut's immune system is prepared to tolerate bacteria and foreign substances, such as food.

This was the basis for King's College London's LEAP Study, which showed about an 80% reduction in peanut allergy in five-year-old children who regularly ate peanut from the year they were born.

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-46302780