Food Allergies Increasing in Children
4 Out of Every 100 Students Suffer From Allergies To Foods
Thirty years ago, food allergies were rare. Children ate food freely. Today, it is common to hear of someone having an allergy. How much of an increase has their been?
Allergies Are Up 18% in Children
Allergies in children double the risk for asthma and triple the risk for skin allergies and respiratory allergies. This new data confirms what many doctors have suspected for years. More allergies are appearing.
The Food Culprits
Which foods are children most likely to have a reaction?
- Milk
- Eggs
- Peanuts
- Tree nuts
- Fish
- Shellfish
- Soy
- Wheat
Sadly, many of these foods are staples in an American diet. We drink milk with many meals, have eggs for breakfast, serve fish sticks for lunch, or make a sandwich. Many wonder if it is the food or the food processing that truly creates the problem.
Peanuts
Most children love peanut butter and peanuts. Allergies to peanut products are up in western nations but not in Asia or Africa. Chinese children eat as much peanut products as American children do but a peanut allergy is unknown in China. Hugh Sampson, MD, director of the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York states, "We eat peanuts dry roasted, and they eat them boiled or fried. The high temperature of dry roasting does make peanuts accrue changes that make them more allergenic." [Daniel J. DeNoon, WebMD, Oct. 22, 2008]
Milk
Milk is pasteurized for health safety. But, many children were raised on dairy farms where they drank unpasteurized whole milk and milk allergies were few to none. Is it milk or pasteurized milk that is the problem?
Timeline For Allergies
Most children will develop allergies to food in the first few years of life. If a child is going to develop a milk or egg allergy, it will probably be evident before the first birthday.
Food intolerance is different. Lactose intolerance, for example, is not an allergy to dairy items but an inability to digest the foods. Intolerance symptoms may be a
- stomachache
- bloating
- diarrhea.
Food Allergy Symptoms
Sampson says, "Kids who develop food allergies usually get a skin rash or hives. Some children may have vomiting or difficulty breathing. Never ignore a rash." [Daniel J. DeNoon, WebMD, Oct. 22, 2008] A rash or difficulty breathing justifies a call to a doctor.
CDC Data
The CDC Report has itemized how children with allergies compare to children without food allergies when it comes to asthma, eczema or respiratory allergies.
- 29% of kids with food allergies have asthma.
- 12% of kids without food allergies have asthma.
- 27% of kids with food allergies have eczema or a skin allergy.
- 8% of kids without food allergies have eczema or a skin allergy.
Food Colorings, Additives and Preservatives
The question must be raised if it is the food or what we add to the food that is causing the rise in food allergies. Food colorings have caused ADHD behaviors in some children. Some cleaning products have the same effect as food colorings. MSG often needs to be avoided to prevent a food reaction. Preservatives are intended to make food last longer but is this plan backfiring against the youngest members of our society? Is it the food or what is added to the food that is the issue? Perhaps, researchers should study the effects of air pollution, additives and food processing and how this affects food allergies in children.
Source: Daniel J. DeNoon, WebMD Health News, October 22, 2008
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