Although food allergies are usually thought of as a problem in children, new breakthrough research shows that almost half of all adults with food allergies developed them as adults.
"Food allergies are often seen as a condition that begins in childhood, so the idea that 45 percent of adults with food allergies develop them in adulthood is surprising," says Dr. Ruchi Gupta, lead author of the study and a member of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
"We also saw that, as with children, the incidence of food allergies in adults is rising across all ethnic groups."
The most common food allergy among adults is shellfish, affecting an estimated 3.6 percent of U.S. adults. This indicates a 44 percent increase from the 2.5 percent rate published in a 2004 study.
In addition, adult allergies to tree nuts have increased from .5 percent in 2008 to 1.8 percent — an increase of 260 percent.
"Our research also found that, among black, Asian and Hispanic adults, the risk of developing a food allergy to certain foods is higher than for whites, specifically for shellfish and peanuts," says study co-author Christopher Warren.
"For example, Asian adults were 2.1 times more likely to report a shellfish allergy than white adults, and Hispanic adults reported a peanut allergy at 2.3 times the frequency of white adults," he said.
"Because many adults believe food allergies mostly affect children, they may not think to get tested," Warren continued. "It is important to see an allergist for testing and diagnosis if you are having a reaction to a food and suspect a food allergy."
Food allergies are also increasing in children. The researchers found that peanut allergies have increased 21 percent in American children in the last seven years, but allergies to shellfish and sesame have also increased.
Some races are affected more than others. The risk of peanut allergy was almost doubled in black children when compared to white children.
Science is working to eliminate food allergies, and a recent study found that a daily pill worked four years after it was given. An earlier study published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health found that 82 percent of allergic children who were given the probiotic Lactobacillus rhamnosus along with a peanut protein had become tolerant to peanuts compared to only 4 percent in the placebo group.
The children who were tolerant were then asked to eat peanuts as a part of their diet. After four years, almost 70 percent could eat peanuts without an allergic reaction.
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