New study finds deadly allergies increasing among children

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Deadly food allergies among children are on the rise, according to a recent study published in the British medical journal, The Lancet.

It found that food allergies doubled between 2008 and 2018, most affecting children.

More recently the increase has been less notable. Medical experts postulate that’s because parents are being advised to expose their children to common allergens such as nuts and eggs when they are infants – under a year.

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Still, the increase is worrying and “isn’t unique to England,” says Professor Devi Sridhar, writing in the Guardian. Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh.

Evidence of the deadly increase can be found around the world. Medical experts have put forward several hypotheses, says Sridhar, but they need to be scientifically tested.

A food allergy arises when the immune system overreacts to a food, releasing chemicals that cause symptoms such as itchy skin, hives, swelling of the face, eyes, or lips, breathing difficulties and cardiac arrest. In short, the immune system malfunctions.

In Canada, according to findings in a report by the Dalhousie University Faculty of Agriculture, 25 per cent of respondents claimed to have at least one allergy and/or food intolerance.

“Of these Canadians, we estimate that anywhere between 2.5 to 3.1 million have at least one food allergy,” the study’s authors wrote.

Among the respondents, 11.6 per cent were diagnosed between the ages of 6 and 10 years old, 10.1 per cent were diagnosed between the ages of 11 and 15 years old. A total of 13.7 per cent were diagnosed between 16 and 19 years old.

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In the U.S., the Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) organization reports that food allergies among children increased 50 per cent between 1997 and 2011, and another 50 per cent between 2007 and 2021.

The most common childhood allergies are to peanuts and tree nuts. The latter includes: almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts.

The prevalence of self-reported peanut or tree nut allergies in children more than tripled between 1997 and 2008, according to FARE.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control, shared data from the National Health Survey, saying it showed the following: In 2021, 18.9 per cent of children had a seasonal allergy, 10.8 per cent had eczema, and 5.8 per cent had a food allergy. Boys (20.0 per cent) were more likely to have a seasonal allergy than girls (17.7 per cent).

Eczema is often a precursor to a full-blown allergy. The percentage of children who had eczema, according to the CDC, varied by age, from 10.4 per cent in children aged 0–5 years to 12.1 per cent in those aged 6–11 and 9.8 per cent in those aged 12–17.

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One of the most prevalent theories for why this increase is occurring is the rise of the “Western” diet, which is high in ultra-processed foods, says Prof. Sridhar.

She cites a 2022 study of nearly 3,000 children and 4,256 adults in the U.S. that suggested consuming ultra-processed foods is associated with allergy symptoms in children and adolescents. “Perhaps the full detrimental impacts of ultra-processed foods are only now being recognized.”

Another theory is tied to the significantly decreased time that children spend playing outside, rather than inside on screens: Kids are deficient in Vitamin D, the vitamin that the body produces when exposed to sunlight.

A third theory points to the widespread use of antibiotics in young children that affect the digestive tract. Another suggests increasing air pollution.

“The health community will continue to look to scientists…to test the various hypotheses on why these allergies are developing and what can be done to prevent them in children,” writes Sridhar.

Meanwhile, she advocates raising awareness within the food and drink industry to ensure proper labelling and ending cross-contamination during food production. She also recommends ensuring children have wide access to EpiPens and other treatments to prevent life-threatening incidents.

“We are only beginning to understand the rise of food allergies. It’s a subject that is ripe for more research because it can literally be a case of life and death.”

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