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With reported food allergies rising, researchers investigate

Updated: 2009-09-01 22:26:15 CST Category: Allergy Testing

by Francis Ma

Though most vegetarians, meat-lovers and omnivores, alike do not stop to consider if their next meal will be life-threatening, the prevalence of food allergies and their associated symptoms seems to be increasing, according to recent studies.

Though potentially deadly allergic reactions to milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and gluten are reportedly experienced by only 4 percent of adults, recent research by the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network suggests that food-related allergies have been under-diagnosed.

These trends have been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics who reported that between 1997 and 2007, the occurrence of reported food allergies jumped 18 percent among children under the age of 18.

Researchers have used milk as a case study to investigate the possible origins of food allergies and to determine why some adults are able to drink milk with no symptoms, while nearly 60 percent experience lactose intolerance.

Mark Thomas of University College London's department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment stated “In Europe, a single genetic change...is strongly associated with lactase persistence,” to explain the irregular occurrences of adults who can drink milk without adverse side effects.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that 12 million Americans have food allergies.

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