Food Allergies Taking Alarming Rise

Posted on March 19, 2008 in Latest News

According to the survey done by the state department of health there are approximately 100,000 children who are seriously affected by food allergies in New Jersey along with 2 million nationwide.

What Do Reports Say?

Moreover, the numbers of kids with peanut allergies have actually doubled in the duration between 1997 and 2002. There is no satisfactory answer because nobody is pretty sure of the reasons of food allergies.

Scientists are of the opinion that there may be a genetic component that causes the food allergy. Some think that this increase may be connected to the ultra-hygienic society. This excessive hygienic society minimizes the risks of allergens which may build immunity.

There are, basically, eight allergens that are responsible for 90 % of allergic reactions: milk, eggs, wheat, soy, peanut, tree nuts like almonds and walnuts, fish and shellfish, as the report of Centers for Disease Control suggest.

Allergies generally occur when our body’s immune system responds to harmless proteins by producing antibodies to attack them. This can result in comparatively mild symptoms like a hives or a stomach upset.

The most serious and potentially fatal reaction that few food allergies show is anaphylactic shock. In anaphylactic shock, the entire body reacts to the allergen immediately or within minutes.

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