Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
General Discussion
Showing Original Post only (View all)So, why the rise in peanut allergies anyway? [View all]
As an offshoot of the popular "peanut allergy" thread, I thought it might be worthwhile to discuss the different theories out there as to why this is happening. As other (I assume older) posters have commented, the rise of peanut allergies strikes them as bizarre, since most of us have no recollection of anyone suffering from this condition when we were younger. That's not to say we're denying its existence, just that we do notice there's been a change somewhere along the way in its frequency, and we'd like to understand why.
The following quote from a DiscoveryHealth webpage seems like a good place to start the discussion:
"The prevalence of peanut allergies is disputed: Some studies say the rate of peanut allergies in children is one or two for every 100. A more recent study by Dr. Aziz Sheikh of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland puts the number lower: at one or two children with peanut allergies out of every 1,000. No matter what the actual rate is, all of the studies point to the same trend: Peanut allergies are on the rise. According to the results of a study led by Dr. Scott H. Sicherer of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, the number of cases of peanut allergies tripled between 1997 and 2008. Other statistics put the jump at 17 percent. Still, either number points to a rise.
The reason for the increase in people allergic to peanuts is even less clear than the statistics that point to it; however, there are a few theories. The most popular theory is called the "hygiene hypothesis," which says that people are just too clean these days. The result of the super-germ-free lives we lead and our readiness to treat infection with antibiotics is that our bodies don't know how to handle certain innocent proteins. The other take on the hygiene hypothesis is that our bodies are bored with no germs to combat, so they attack peanuts. Additional theories point to the way that foods are processed, while some say it might be an issue of too little exposure at a young age. A number of people say the rise in statistics is just due to more diagnoses than in the past."
http://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/allergies/food-allergy/peanut/peanut-allergies-increasing.htm
InfoView thread info, including edit history
TrashPut this thread in your Trash Can (My DU » Trash Can)
BookmarkAdd this thread to your Bookmarks (My DU » Bookmarks)
87 replies, 15564 views
ShareGet links to this post and/or share on social media
AlertAlert this post for a rule violation
PowersThere are no powers you can use on this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
ReplyReply to this post
EditCannot edit other people's posts
Rec (12)
ReplyReply to this post
87 replies
= new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight:
NoneDon't highlight anything
5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
When I was a child, children on the high end of the autism spectrum were
Lydia Leftcoast
Apr 2013
#73
The mystery deepens: NO reported allergies to peanut-based Plumpy'Nut in Africa!?
reformist2
Apr 2013
#3
I don't think being "too clean" passes the laugh test. I don't think people keep their homes as
byeya
Apr 2013
#5
Thanks for the clarification. Study after study, published by reputable journals say washing
byeya
Apr 2013
#25
I don't think it's a matter of being too clean so much as all the chemicals sprayed around
hedgehog
Apr 2013
#27
some of the most popular trees for street planting in the last 40 years - forgot whatthey are called
bettyellen
Apr 2013
#40
In Japan, they planted cedar trees all over the place a few decades ago
Lydia Leftcoast
Apr 2013
#76
The high temperatures used for roasting (800 F) in the US may modify proteins
FarCenter
Apr 2013
#12
Also, allergies are poorly understood anyway. I developed an egg allergy in adulthood and so stopped
Brickbat
Apr 2013
#14
I worked with a scientist once who was convinced that all people were allergic to at least two
Godhumor
Apr 2013
#70
How odd. Makes me wonder if peanut-allergy kids are correlated with peanut-obsessed parents?
reformist2
Apr 2013
#79