Food Allergies On The Rise, Doctors Say
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According to the latest research numbers, food allergies among children and adults are on the rise, and no one seems to know why. NY1's Kafi Drexel filed the following report.At three years old, Kenneth Nelson's mom, Gabriela Suarez says he can rev up quite an appetite. But figuring out just what to feed him goes beyond the tug-of-war most parents go through when they can't get their kids to eat anything other than chicken fingers and macaroni.
"He's allergic to milk, soy, eggs, all nuts, including peanut, fish. He is sensitive to wheat and corn and we are avoiding citrus right now because of his bad eczema. I tried to give him mashed potatoes with eggs one time. He broke out all over his arms, legs, back, hives, and even threw up," says Suarez.
Kenneth is among the four to eight percent of children nationwide living with a food allergy, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Researchers say about 12 million Americans are living with a real food allergy. And for some reason, the number appears to be on the rise. Researchers at Mt. Sinai's Jaffe Food Allergy Institute recently found the rate of childhood peanut allergies more than tripled within the past decade.
"In 1997 the rate was 0.4 percent. It doubled when we checked in 2002 to 0.8 percent. And when we last did the study in 2008 families were reporting a rate of 1.4 percent of children with peanut allergy," explains Professor of Pediatrics at Mt. Sinai Dr. Scott Sicherer.
Doctors say an increase in allergies, and not just food allergies, but all allergic illnesses could be the result of everything from environmental factors to use of antibiotics and vaccination where the body is simply not used to fighting infections the way it used to.
In the meantime, while scientists figure it out, it's important to be on the lookout for signs of true food allergies. Those include skin reactions, stomach aches, vomiting, diarrhea, and poor growth in children.
Not all adverse reactions are allergies, but if something is making you avoid a particular food, you should be sure to let your doctor know about it.