Children’s food allergies are up 18% in the last 15+ years.
A number of theories:
USA kids grow up not being exposed to enough dirt *remember playing in sandboxes and making dirt mud pies years ago?
Toddlers do not develop a strong immune system because parents hold off exposing them to a wide variety of foods prior to age two.
See UK / Israeli peanut exposure in early childhood reference, below.
Details:
http://fooddrugallergy.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=40
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/08/03/food.allergies.er.gut/
I think a lot of parents just want to feed their kids cheaply instead of healthfully. I'm a mom to three youngsters (6 and under), and I hear parents counting down to the end of expensive formulas and baby food. It's a race to get them hotdogs and boxed Mac and cheese. Gross.
Loopy germ freaks.
Exactly. I grew up in peanut country. During harvest time, there was peanut dust everywhere over the entire county. Kids would work at harvest then they'd feed the cattle the hulls and leaves. That was also during the free gov peanut butter time. Every lunch tray every day had pb. No one was allergic and no one every heard of peanut allergies. Not discounting that somewhere in the world someone was allergic but we never heard of such. All I can see that has changed is kids don't go outside anymore. I would sometimes watch a neighbor's toddler but would get lectured that the kid should go outside but could not get dirty. Excuse me? What, make her play statue on the patio with a towel to stand perfectly still on? When our nephews came last summer, we couldn't pay them to go outside. They aren't allowed to play in their own yard. Ewwww, weeds and bugs and fresh air!!! They got packed off early to the cousins because they refused every activity. Oooh, can't swim because it's outside! Can't fish, ooh, outside! Can't play with the new kittens. No to archery, geocaching, hiking, the park, flying kites, yard games or helping in the garden. They don't know how to ride a bike and refused to try after we aired the tires up. Couldn't help hubby on the grill and he had to beg them to roast marshmallows. They eat NOTHING but steak. The 12 yo can't speak above a whisper. Nope, sorry, not putting up with that bs.
I am confused........ an allergic reaction is the result of an over active immune system, not an under active one.
It seems to me that playing in the dirt would raise your tolerance to bacteria but would not have any affect on your allergies. I played in the dirt my whole childhood and I had severe allergies to dust, grass pollen, mold and a number of foods. Playing in the dirt didn’t help my allergies at all.
Allergies are inherited.