food allergies....

[AnnieW625]

I don't want to start any drama or make anyone mad, but I am wondering what has made all of these food allergies soo prevelant in recent years? Back in the 80s when I was in school no one seemed to have food allergies unless it was fish/shell fish or maybe dairy, but we still got snacks in school and although we may not have had powdered donuts as a snack, but we definitely had Oreos, Handi Snacks, and plenty of home baked goods. I have read reports that food allergies can be passed on from parents, but if that is the case then why didn't we hear more about food allergies way back then also?

Just curious.

[bubbaray]

This is all from our ped. allergist.

Food allergies aren't "passed on" by parents in the same way that eye color is, for example. If one parent has any form of allergy (seasonal or food, etc), the child has a 25% increased risk of having allergies (seasonal or food). If both parents have allergies, the child has a 50% increased risk of allergies.

The increase in reporting of food allergies is likely due to the "newness" of the scientific acceptance that food can cause an allergic reaction. Until the '80s, there was no widespread acceptance of this, it was believed that all foods could not possibly cause allergies.

The increase in particular food allergies may be due to increased preparation/processing of food. For example, in Asia, peanut allergies are extremely rare. However, they do not ROAST peanuts, they boil them. When Asian people adopt a Western diet, and eat roasted peanuts, their rate of food allergy to peanuts becomes what is the Western rate (can't remember what that number is, but its significantly higher than in places where peanuts are boiled).

[MZS V]

Well, some are food allergies, and some are food intolerances, but all of it together makes the umbrella pretty big, imo. I read an interesting theory on this in the front of one my allergen free cookbooks. I'll try to look it up and edit it in.
Mama V
ETA: Okay, it is in the Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook by Cybele Pascal. In the forward, written by Christine Fusillo (an MD with lots of titles having to do with pediatric allergies, asthma, and immunology) it goes into great scientific detail explaining that our bodies have two kinds of helper cells that aid in making antibody E, which affects histamine production and reaction. She says you can inherit the tendency to make too large amounts of antibody E, but that there is also a theory about the helper cells in our body (TH1 and TH2) that are used to help make antibody E. Basically, she says that babies are born with TH2 helper cells, and as they are exposed to germs and bacteria after birth, their systems gradually shift to TH1 cells. BUT, because of more antibiotics, vaccines, cleaner living, etc. babies aren't exposed to as many germs and are remaining more TH2 like.
She goes on to disucss future vaccines that could trick the immune system (like a peanut protein one), probiotics, and a good antibody to block antibody E as future strategies for dealing with FA.
Well, I probably made that as clear as mud, LOL.
Mama V

[bubbaray]

Yeah, my comments are re true food allergies. Intolerances are different.

[egoldber]

It isn't just food allergies. All allergies, asthma and other immune response illnesses are being diagnosed at greatly increased rates vs a couple decades ago. The reason why is unknown and it is very alarming to many scientists and researchers. This is becoming one of the new hot topics in health care research right now.

It is believed that there is some environmental component but that this is not the only driver.

[bubbaray]

Our ped. allergist thinks there is an environmental component (the "too clean" world) to asthma, but he's never mentioned it with respect to FAs. Dunno.

[kayte]

It isn't just food allergies. All allergies, asthma and other immune response illnesses are being diagnosed at greatly increased rates vs a couple decades ago. The reason why is unknown and it is very alarming to many scientists and researchers. This is becoming one of the new hot topics in health care research right now.

It is believed that there is some environmental component but that this is not the only driver.

I believe the two main theories are environmental changes and the "hygiene hypothesis".

In other words either we have done something to the environment to cause triggers that were not present before or that we are too clean and healthy--and our bodies are no longer exposed to endotoxins or as many contagions and our immune systems have begun an evolutionary shift.

[egoldber]

The environmental component is not just the "too clean" philosophy, it's more than that. It's a multi-faceted issue. In a short period of time (from a global timeframe point of view) we have radically changed our environment, the way we live and the way we eat. These things together have consequences that we are barely beginning to understand.

[vejemom]

I was just thinking about how prevalent nut allergies have become reading Julie's thread. When I was growing up, I knew of precisely one person that had nut allergies on the deadly level that is becoming alarmingly common.

[mecawa]

It isn't just food allergies. All allergies, asthma and other immune response illnesses are being diagnosed at greatly increased rates vs a couple decades ago. The reason why is unknown and it is very alarming to many scientists and researchers. This is becoming one of the new hot topics in health care research right now.

It is believed that there is some environmental component but that this is not the only driver.

A few months back they were talking about this on our local news station and they added Type 1 Diabetics on to the list too. We have some areas around here where that is on the rise just as much as FA's and Asthma, and the families they interviewed didn't have children that were overweight or had horrible diets or anything liket that, but there are huge clusters in certain areas and the only thing they can come up with is an environmental thing.

It's very interesting.