Brit’s suffer less from food allergies than other countries
Posted by Alan | Under Safe Food Thursday Mar 18, 2010
The British do not suffer from food allergies as much as those in the U.S. (and most other places), according to a recent study published in the Allergy journal.
Researchers at Imperial College London conducted a study of over 4,500 adults in thirteen countries. They tested participants’ blood for the antibodies produced by the immune system’s response to certain foods.
These ‘allergies’, properly designated as food sensitivity reactions, can be activated by almost any food, but the most common found in this particular study were apples, peaches, hazelnuts, wheat and shrimp. Refuting the common assumption, cow’s milk, eggs and fish turned out to be some of the least likely to cause an allergic response.
The study also indicated that sensitivity to specific foods was identified in different countries. Less than one percent of people in all thirteen countries showed a sensitive reaction to eggs, fish and milk, but seven percent reacted to hazelnuts. In some countries, including the U.S., Norway, Italy and Germany, the highest percentage of participants (about 22 percent) was shown to have antibodies against at least one specific food.
In Britain and France, antibodies were present in only about 14 percent of all participants.
Food sensitivity does not necessarily set off an allergic reaction such as swelling, wheezing or skin irritation. In addition, clinical allergies are often confused with food intolerance, which does not involve the immune system. Many people who believe they are allergic to certain foods may just have a low tolerance – a small amount of the particular food would probably not cause any negative reaction, whereas with a true allergy, even a tiny portion can lead to severe symptoms.
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