I saw this in the Daily Mail on Saturday..
Children in heavily built-up town centres have more food allergies than those in rural areas. Lead author Ruchi Gupta, assistant prof of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine said “We have found for the first time that higher population density corresponds with a greater likelihood of food allergies in children.” The US study in ‘Clinical Pediatrics’ journal, investigated 38,465 children aged 18 & under. City areas had 9.8% of children with food allergies, compared with 6.2% in rural communities. Dr. Gupta said “Similar trends have been seen for related conditions like asthma. The big question is – what in the environment is triggering them? One theory is pollutants in urban areas may trigger the development of allergies.”
See the updated Daily Mail report here
Food allergy is a serious & growing problem in UK. Severe reactions include a drop in blood pressure, trouble breathing & swelling of the throat. It can cause death.
