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I thought reading about melamine in food and the hysteria around listeriosis was bad enough. Medheadlines.com reports that the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have confirmed that "more American children than ever are developing allergies to some of the most common items in the nation's food supply." The latest report says that the number has jumped a whopping 18% in the last decade, which they fear is an underestimation.The piece goes on to note that children in other areas that haven't adapted a Western diet have been a-ok. But for the poor tykes stateside, eggs, milk, wheat, soy, fish, shellfish, peanuts, and/or tree nuts are ravaging young bodies everywhere. At this rate, we'll have a society of bubble boys and girls when another 10 years passes. Doesn't look like all that food avoiding is doing any good.
Will this whole allergen debacle ever get resolved? I'm still waiting to find out why I can devour peanuts, pine nuts, and almonds with no problem, but have to ingest mass amounts of Benadryl if the other nutty culprits come into play.
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11-04-2008 @9:47AM Leslie said... Totally in agreement. Sixteen years ago we found out our son was deathly allergic to milk, eggs, nuts and peanuts. Today he hasn't outgrown any of those allergies. He was considered unusual back then--carrying his epipen everywhere and no one knowing what it meant. Today as a preschool teacher we find many children in our school all carrying epipens with varying degrees of food allergies. I've also read that some allergies less common in the US (like rice and fish) are more prevalent in other countries in Asia, so I don't know if this is a worldwide trend or not.
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11-04-2008 @11:22AM Astin said... I think a large part of this is fear. There are warnings about not exposing babies to honey, peanuts, shellfish, or anything else that can cause a reaction. People don't bring nuts into the house out of fear their children MIGHT have an allergy.
Well guess what? When your body has never been exposed to something, and then that exposure happens, it's treated as a foreign substance and the body reacts.
Not exposing children to POSSIBLE allergens seems like completely backwards thinking to me. Our body builds immunities and resilience through exposure. Today's kids are so sanitized, coddled, and protected that they never have the opportunity to build these strengths. It's really very sad.
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11-04-2008 @11:39AM Eric Howe said... Maybe the ridiculous obsession with sterile environments in the US is to blame. A kitchen counter doesn't have to be as sterile as an operating room, simply "clean" is sufficient.
Allergy symptoms are caused by your immune system over reacting to something. Maybe USians need a slightly less sterile environment to keep their immune systems from getting bored.
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11-04-2008 @1:55PM Linds said... I completely agree with the other 2 commenters. I find it ridiculous that people are avoiding things just in case they might have a reaction.
I'm from the UK and I think there are similar things happening here though on a smaller scale. People's obsession with sterile environments, not getting dirty and what might happen is having a negative effect on our children's health!
Linds
http://insearchofafullstomach.blogspot.com
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11-04-2008 @1:59PM Canadianfoodiegirl (formerly ABT) said... I agree with all of you. Years ago I read that people who grow up on farms and in the country are less likely to develop environmental allergies because they build immunity. Makes sense to me. I do know someone who's an exception to the rule but I think her allergies began when she moved to a big city.
An interesting companion to this post is something I just read in the Food Navigator blog. They report that food allergies in adults are over-reported.
http://food-decision.com/Science-Nutrition/Food-allergies-in-adults-are-over-reported-says-study
Now, if allergies are being diagnosed, then what's sending these adults to be tested in the first place? Is it sensitivity? Is it other issues?
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11-04-2008 @2:53PM a said... You can't always blame a sterile environment. I was born with an allergy to cow's milk. The first bottle I was given of it as an infant nearly killed me.
With great care, a doctor's supervision, and an eyedropper my parents built my milk tolerance, but it took six years! Now, as an adult, I can have about three measuring cups worth of milk before the vomiting starts, though even small amounts cause my nose to start running.
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11-04-2008 @6:02PM Sarah said... I can eat any nut out there without an issue but my weird issue lies in raw berries and certain fruits. And worse is I really, really love the stuff that does bad things. You have to hate that!
Even weirder is I never had an issue with them till I hit my 20's. Since then when I eat fresh Raspberries, Strawberries and Pineapple my tongue ends up hurting badly and yes, it does swell - along with the inside of my mouth. My face turns red splotchy as well.
But oddly, if I eat frozen then thawed fresh fruit no issues. Same with cooked.
I finally have quit eating them raw and accepted that I cannot. Hate it!
http://gazingin.wordpress.com/
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11-05-2008 @8:33AM Tammy said... I can't eat sunflower seeds or almonds without taking a trip to the ER ... Anaphylaxis is NOT something you ever want to experience ...
But, I can eat walnuts, cashews, peanuts, etc ... Though, for some reason, they'll irritate my lips if they touch them ...
So, it annoys the hell outta me that all these chip manufacturers are switching to sunflower oil ... with the excuse of "it's healthier" ... They're idiots ... Sunflower seeds tend to cause the same problems with people who have nut allergies ... Whatever happened to good ol' corn oil?? Waitaminute, I forgot that corn is going into some people's gas tanks ...
I can't eat raw celery without it irritating my lips ... but, I can eat cooked celery with no problem ...
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11-05-2008 @3:24PM Barb said... Pine nuts and peanuts aren't technically nuts. Peanuts are legumes and pine nuts are seeds.
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11-05-2008 @5:30PM Kim said... It won't let me comment using the reply button, but commenter #1: honey for babies is a no-no because of botulism, not because of allergies.
Also, to the editor, I'm allergic to CORN, tomatoes, and oranges, and I find that Zyrtec lessens my hives and makes me less drowsy than Benadryl. Not your typical food allergies, but I've been getting mysterious daily hives since middle school, and only recently was I officially diagnosed.
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11-05-2008 @5:37PM Monika said... Kim -- Sorry about that! For some reason, the feature is buggy on Slashfood.
As for Zyrtec/Benadryl -- Non-drowsy options are great, but does Z work on anaphylaxis? If I am careful and pay attention to my mouth's reactions, I can sense nuts in my food, rinse out my mouth, and stop swelling with Benadryl (it's what they use in hospitals after the epis ).
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11-06-2008 @2:02PM Tammy said... Zyrtec doesn't work quite the same as Benadryl ... and not as fast ...
Benadryl is more for those with food allergies whereas Zyrtec is more for environmental allergies ...
My sister had to take Benadryl after she had an allergic reaction to Zyrtec ... How sad is that? Taking an antihistamine after having an allergic reaction to an antihistamine ...
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11-06-2008 @2:04PM Tammy said... Monika -
At the bottom of page 1 on this link, someone asks about Benadryl vs Zyrtec ...
http://www.aaaai.org/aadmc/ate/category.asp?cat=997
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