A Northwestern University study recently discovered that childhood food allergies are rising to alarming levels in the U.S. Scientist Ruchi Gupta says that anaphylactic reactions are a chief concern in the modern American classroom, but adult-onset allergies are equally concerning. Her recent JAMA Network study discovered that 10% of U.S. adults have at least one food allergy. That accounts for 26 million people. Almost 3% of adults are allergic to shellfish, with milk and peanuts trailing behind at 2%. She attributes these rising numbers to several lifestyle factors.
Food allergies are life-altering and dangerous. They require constant vigilance and become a routine part of every plane trip, hotel stay, and dinner party. Many American schools have become the first institutions to create safe environments for children with severe allergies. As policies improve, so does the health of students.
5% of the population has an allergy, but not all food intolerances and sensitivities fall under that banner. For people with milder forms of reactivity, products like Intoleran digestive health enzymes can support the body’s ability to process lactose, starches, and sugar without requiring strict dietary changes. Severe allergies, however, trigger a severe and life-threatening immune response. One to 70 Americans per 100,000 experience anaphylaxes, and it’s these allergies that pose the greatest concern.
The food allergy crisis isn’t limited to U.S. shores. England has seen a 72% rise in children’s hospital admissions for anaphylactic shock. In the Sixties, 3% of the population had a food allergy. In 2018, that number rose to 7%. The range of allergens is growing in tandem. Stanford allergy specialist Kari Nadeau says the allergies themselves might not be rising at all. Parents and doctors may simply be getting better at diagnosing them. Other experts suggest that the gut isn’t encountering enough microorganisms—the very thing that teaches the immune system how to respond to food.
Some allergies are caused by genetic makeup. Lactose intolerance, for example, often occurs in patients who have a different LCT gene variation. They stop producing lactase in childhood, so their lactose intolerance develops in adulthood. Industrialized environments might also play a role in increasing Americans’ susceptibility, but Gupta suggests that infant guts simply aren’t receiving enough exposure to a variety of foods. Researchers have yet to reach a consensus on the cause of these rising numbers, but they are discovering new ways to treat them.
Jessica Alexander
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