Food Allergies Causes & Risks

Food allergies affect 4 to 8 percent of children and 2 percent of adults. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in the US, food allergy incidence increased by 18 percent from 1997 to 2007. Reasons for this increase range... Full Answer

For children, the most common triggers of significant food allergic reactions are milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, soy, wheat, fish and shellfish.  Most children outgrow their allergy to egg, milk, wheat and soy.  We used to estimate that more... Full Answer

There's no clear-cut, proven explanation for the rise in food allergies, but several theories exist. One is that we're exposing infants and young children to high allergy and/or new foods at earlier ages. Even something as simple as peanut or nuts may be... Full Answer

It may be that the preservatives, colorings and other additives In the food supply are triggering allergies in more people.   Full Answer

Food allergies occur when your body's immune system reacts to a substance in food, usually a protein, your body sees as harmful. This sets off a chain reaction in your body, and symptoms can range from a runny nose and itchy eyes to severe and... Full Answer

It can be tricky to identify what food is causing your allergic reaction, especially if you're reacting to a spice. Such less obvious reactions will require a bit of detective work. Answers to these questions can be revealing: When did the reaction... Full Answer

Like other kinds of allergies, the tendency to have an allergy to food - although not the specific allergy - is inherited. Not only that, but certain foods - including tree nuts, eggs, wheat, peanuts, fish, shellfish, and, milk - are frequent... Full Answer

We do not know why it happens, but sometimes an adult becomes allergic to a food they have eaten before.  Usually the foods are not routinely eaten and are known to be strong allergens: nuts, fish and shellfish.  However, this type of allergy... Full Answer

Food allergy happens when the body's immune system responds in a negative way to proteins in foods.  The immune system’s usual job is to protects us from germs, but in this case the response is not helpful.  There are two ways that the... Full Answer

While any food can cause allergies, 90 percent of all food-allergic reactions are caused by: - Eggs - Shellfish - Fish - Soy - Wheat - Tree nuts, such as walnuts and pecans, which are nuts - Milk (number one food allergen for those under age of 3... Full Answer