Food allergies rise 377% in 10 years: Western diet, junk food and peanuts to blame

Studies reveal that the rate of food allergies has more than tripled over the decade. With people going after junk food, the allergies have also gone high. 

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The increase in allergies can be linked to changes in food manufacturing and environment  according to scientists, reported by Daily Mail.

A total of 377 percent of surge in allergies has been reported in the past 10 years. Peanuts are one of the foods that cause a majority of severe allergic reactions, or anaphylaxis. 

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A rise of 445 percent in allergies caused by peanuts has been observed in the period while 603 percent increase has been linked to tree nuts.

"Essentially there are a lot of factors that can contribute to an increase in allergies," said New York allergist Dr Steven Schnipper as per Daily Mail Online.

"For many years people assumed that to avoid a peanut allergy you should avoid eating peanuts. Avoiding actually makes you more likely to be allergic to peanuts,' he explained," said Dr Schnipper.

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A non-profit FAIR Health closely examined private health insurance claims between the year 2007 and 2016 and found that people aged over 18 had more than one-third of allergy insurance claims. It also revealed that more young boys were diagnosed with food allergies than girls.

"'We think this shows definitive evidence for a dramatic rise in the number of severe, systemic and life-threatening food-allergic reactions that children and adults across the country experience every day," Dr James Baker, CEO of the non-profit Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) told Allergic Living.

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Previous studies have found that food allergies are more common in urban areas than in rural areas.

With a rise in income worldwide, people incorporate more meat and calories in their diet, said a CNN report. Consumption of over-refined sugar, red meats and preservatives found in junk foods which are known as western diet, has increased manifold. 

"People around the world, as incomes go up, choose more calories and meat in their diet," said professor David Tilman from University of Minnesota, as per the CNN report.