More adults suddenly developing food allergies, baffling experts
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More adults are suddenly developing allergic reactions later in life, and experts aren’t sure why.
Nearly 50% of adults developed at least one food allergy in adulthood, according to a 2019 study published in JAMA.
Illana Golant, founder and CEO of the Food and Allergy Fund (FAF) in New York City, told Fox News Digital that she developed allergies in her 40s.
EXPERTS SAY THE FOOD ALLERGY EPIDEMIC IN AMERICA MAY BE CAUSED BY INTESTINAL IMBALANCE
“This isn’t fully understood or acknowledged… we don’t know why they start at certain points,” he said.
FAF hosted a forum in Washington, D.C. last week, featuring HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, FDA Chief Martin Makary, and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya.
Studies have shown that nearly 50 percent of adults develop food allergies later in life. (iStock)
Health officials and researchers are investigating whether allergies are caused by microbes that protect gut health.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Makary shared how the function of microbiomes evolves over time.
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According to Makary, the gut is home to more than a billion different types of bacteria that normally live in balance.
“But when the modern diet changes due to antibiotics and other exposures, this imbalance can lead to inflammation.” [and] “It can be associated with health problems and food allergies,” he said.
FAF founder and CEO Ilana Golant (left) with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at the Food Allergy Fund Forum in Washington, DC. chatting with. (Ashley J. DiMella/Fox News Digital)
Golant shared that there appears to be a “critical turning point” in that some foods trigger more adults than children.
“Seafood shellfish [and] “tree nuts appear to proliferate rapidly among adults,” he said.
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Shellfish is the top allergen in adults, according to a 2018 survey of more than 40,000 people published in the journal Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
Golant said he luckily knew about allergies when he experienced his first anaphylactic reaction.
“If I didn’t know about food allergies, I would think I was having a heart attack,” the Food and Allergy Fund founder said. (iStock)
“If I didn’t know about food allergies, I would have thought I was having a heart attack,” he said. “Genetics cannot change that quickly. Food allergies have skyrocketed in one generation.”
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According to the FAF, approximately one in 10 adults is affected by food allergies.
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“This is a perfect storm of various environmental triggers,” Golant added. “We still don’t know which ones and… if there’s a primary [trigger]”But my guess is that it’s more likely to be a perfect storm.”
