Blame Parents For Rising Food Allergies
A generation ago food allergies were far less frequent than they are now. Parents could send in homemade treats for their children’s parties at school and serving peanuts on airplanes was commonplace. Unfortunately, times have changed as an increasing number of children are diagnosed with food allergies every year. Nearly every packaged food product now displays what allergen it contains and/or was made in the same vicinity of. Most schools now require that any food sent in for a party be store bought to avoid any possibility of homemade snacks containing even the slightest residue of “harmful” allergens. How did such a drastic change come about so quickly? What has happened in our society and environment to make food consumption so restrictive and frightening?
According to recent studies food allergies in children have increased almost 20% in the last ten years. A single conclusive reason has yet to be found for this rise but there are many differing theories. There is a great deal of focus on treatment and prevention of such allergies but it may be more important to discover the cause before the problem can truly be dealt with.
Some medical professionals believe that the manner in which a particular food is prepared can affect its allergenic properties. For example, dry roasting peanuts may change their protein composition thereby increasing the possibility of a harmful allergic sensitivity. In many Asian countries, peanuts are usually boiled or fried and their number of peanut allergies is much lower. Many children actually outgrow issues with the most common allergens of peanuts, cow’s milk, eggs, tree nuts and sesame seeds. Unfortunately, many parents protect their babies and toddlers from any contact with foods like peanuts to avoid such “dangerous” allergens when in fact their actions may produce a greater threat. What those parents fail to realize is that their child’s likelihood to have a peanut allergy can be 10 times greater than that of a child exposed to peanuts during such early life stages.
Other doctors and scientists believe that we live in a far too sterile society where children are less exposed to germs, dirt and bugs. With the persistent use of household cleaners that boast of their ability to kill 99.9% of germs and the popular use of anti-bacterial soaps and hand cleaners, children are not allowed the possibly beneficial contact that their parents had to environmental factors. Children’s immune systems are not being given the opportunity to properly develop and they are therefore more susceptible to adverse reactions to what used to be more benign food ingredients. Perhaps we are giving that .1% germ not killed by cleaners a bit too much power and endangering the lives of ourselves and our children.
In some recent studies, it was found that children who live on farms and in rural areas have a lower incidence of allergies than children in more urban environments. Children that grow up on farms around animals and their “germs” have better developed immune systems and therefore fewer allergies. It has also been found that children who live their first year of life in a home with a pet are less likely to develop asthma, which can be brought on from a reaction to an allergy in the surroundings such as dander. Parents with an allergy to certain animals or foods may avoid exposing their children to what they believe to be a threat, when that lack of exposure could perhaps be the true danger and cause of the allergy. It is an unpleasant cycle that continues and that is growing more prominent in society.
Parents are also more aware of (and perhaps more paranoid about) food allergies and more likely to worry that their child might have an adverse reaction to certain foods or pet dander. A simple search of “allergies in children” on the internet can produce conflicting information which only adds to the problem. Some articles suggest that gradual exposure to an allergen such as milk might build a child’s tolerance to it, while other articles say that even if your child has had a certain food without a problem they might still be allergic to it, as it takes time for the immune system to react. Are parents supposed to live in constant fear that their child might suddenly suffer a life-threatening allergic reaction and encase them in a protective bubble? Or should they raise their children as their parents probably raised them with things like “the two-second rule” for food dropped on the floor and “a peck of dirt” is good for you?
Though any rise in a threat to children is disturbing, this nearly 20% rise in allergies has only been proven through a few studies and might not be as widespread as feared. The best course of action is to consult with your pediatrician about the range of allergic reactions and to know what to do should a problem arise. Chances are though that if you survived an upbringing surrounded by pets, germs, dirt, bugs and peanuts without any adverse reactions, then your children probably will as well. It might be best for western society as a whole if parents would relax a bit and just let there kids be kids.
