Food allergy prevalence appears to be rising and has become a serious public health issue. People with food allergy are told to avoid the allergen, as there is no cure for their condition. The risk of having a potentially life-threatening allergic response to accidental food-allergen exposure makes avoidance difficult and stressful for the individual, their family and their caregivers.
For people with multiple food allergies; allergies to ubiquitous foods such as milk, egg or wheat; or who live in disadvantaged communities, avoiding food allergens can be especially difficult and can affect the nutritional adequacy of their diet.
Food Allergy Prevalence Is Rising
According to the CDC, there was an 18 percent increase in the incidence of food allergy among children under 18 between 1997 and 2007 in the United States. Though NIAID researchers have identified several risk factors for developing food allergy, scientists have not found a cause for this rise in food allergy prevalence. Find the latest statistics at the Centers for Disease and Prevention.
Potentially Fatal Reactions Complicate Life
Living with food allergy can have negative effects on the quality of life of patients and their families because they need to remain vigilant about accidental exposures. Allergic reactions to foods can range from mild gastrointestinal symptoms or skin rashes to severe reactions that can be fatal to children and adults with food allergy. The most severe reaction, anaphylaxis, can lead to respiratory problems, a dangerous drop in blood pressure and other symptoms. Swelling of the airways can make it difficult or impossible for a person to breathe and low blood pressure reduces the amount of blood going to vital organs resulting in a life-threatening medical emergency.
In order to avoid these episodes, people with food allergy must be vigilant about the foods they eat and the environments they enter. This is not always easy because sometimes allergens are present in foods one would not normally associate with them, such as peanut in the coating of a fruit-flavored jelly bean. Allergens can also cross-contaminate foods or objects an allergic person may eat or touch. Precautions such as thoroughly reading food labels, calling ahead to restaurants, or avoiding prepared foods at social events can be isolating, exhausting and expensive for those affected.
Food Allergy Research Teaches Us About the Immune System
Food allergy research broadens our understanding of the immune system, which encompasses numerous biologic structures and processes. Some studies focus on components of the immune system involved in food allergy, such as the production of antibodies to food allergens that are responsible for the initiation of allergic reactions. Others focus on the biological processes that occur during allergic reactions to food and cause the common signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction. Because so many other immune disorders involve similar components, discoveries from food allergy research may inform subsequent research for other disorders or help reveal more about how a healthy immune system functions.
How Is NIAID Addressing Food Allergy
The institute was one of several sponsors of Finding a Path to Safety in Food Allergy, a comprehensive food allergy research, treatment, and policy report issued in November 2016 by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
NIAID is investing in research to prevent food allergy and to treat people who are already affected. Explore the rest of the food allergy content to learn more about how NIAID is addressing this growing problem: