Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
According to the below document, peanut allergies have tripled in the past two decades. Talking with folks my own age (I'm 59), one thing that we agree on is that we hardly knew anyone with this allergy when we were growing up, and now it's depressingly prevalent.
I suppose the question is...why? Is it the environment we're raising kids in nowadays?
My peanut allergy showed up when I was in my 30's. So probably not the environment I was raised in. I know lots of other adults who have developed food allergies. All the emphasis is on developing treatment for childhood food allergies and the adults feel left out.
My son (who is now in his twenties), went into anaphylactic shock when he was about one years old. Kmart was giving out peanut butter cookies and he immediately got sick after he ate the cookie. He ended up in the hospital and thankfully recovered. I don’t think the medical community really knows why kids today have more allergy’s to peanuts these days.
I believe that some component of the rise in peanut allergy stems from years of well-intentioned, but misguided advice telling pregnant women to avoid peanuts if there was a history of food or environmental allergy and for all parents to not feed their babies peanut products until 2 years of age.
It turns out that early exposure to peanuts (as well as some other food allergens such as egg) actually decreases the likelihood of a child developing an allergy. There is a generation of kids who's peanut avoidance actually increased their peanut allergy rather than avoided it.
This isn't the complete answer to the increase in food allergy, but it is part of the answer.
I have heard theories that the way peanuts are grown and treated in Western countries may have something to do with it. I have a friend whose husband is from Ghana. Here in the US, he can't eat peanuts. He doesn't have a full-blown anaphylactic reaction, but he gets hives and stomach pain. Back home in Ghana, he eats the local peanuts with no problem at all.
My husband's niece and nephew both have severe peanut and tree nut allergies, and they were born and raised in Germany, so it's not just the US that has this problem. They were also allergic to eggs until they reached their teens, but they've outgrown that one. It is true however that sister-in-law followed the advice of her pediatrician, which included delaying eggs, nuts, and other allergens, religiously. I was pretty lax and introduced them all early, and my kids have no allergies. For what it's worth.
My allergist says your body is like a bucket. You can handle some allergens until the bucket is overflowing and then you experience more allergic reactions.
I have had some allergies and asthma my whole life. Because my environmental allergies (dust, oak trees and cats) are overflowing, it is making me experience way more food allergies. I am allergic to turkey, strawberries, peanuts, tree nuts, lamb, fish, eggs, and coconut. I wish peanuts was my only allergy...
I agree with the point that Peanut allergy has been increasing in children these days. If you see a mild allergic reaction in your child, it's important to talk to your doctor.
That trial, involving hundreds of babies under a year old at high risk for developing peanut allergy, established that kids could be protected by regularly eating a popular peanut butter-flavored Israeli snack called Bamba. A follow-up study later showed those kids remained allergy-free even after avoiding peanuts for a year [4].
I’ve read many articles about this. But we forget that plants want to kill you. They have many different poisons and lesser side affects like gas, bloating etc. to avoid being eaten.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
