What’s Really Behind the Alarming Rise in Food Allergies Among Kids?

Introduction 

Food allergies affect 10% of children globally and are increasingly more common. If we compare children with adults, the former are at more risk than the latter, and the risk factors can be many. Many parents are unaware of the root causes, so, in this blog, we have found out the possible risk factors for food allergies among kids and possible preventive strategies keeping in mind the recent research studies on the same.

One of the recent research studies from NCBI has focussed on the various causes of Food Allergy. As per this study, genetic and epigenetic factors especially genes like HLA-DR, HLA-DQ and the mutations in filaggrin, parents who have a history of food allergies or other allergies, exposure to the allergen, environmental factors like heavy pollution, vitamin-D deficiency, and dietary habits like eating processed and ultra-processed foods can be the blame for food allergies. We have correlated the study along with consulting our experts at IAFA Ayurveda® and have written possible causes of Food Allergy, keep reading!

Possible Causes Behind the Alarming Rise in Food Allergy Among Kids

Let’s explore the possible causes behind the alarming rise in food allergies among kids:-

Geographical and Environmental Factors for Food Allergies 

• Urban vs Rural: It is not a surprise that kids in urban areas are at higher risk than rural kids because the latter have more exposure to microbes developing strong resistance against allergies and diseases but the former lacks the strong and balanced primary defense.  
• Less exposure to microbes can lead to an over sensitive and dysregulated immune system that can be one of the causes of Food Allergy in an early age. 
• Heavy pollution contains many allergens like dust, chemical particles, bacteria, and fungi that can destroy the skin barrier and develop food allergies. 
• Kids living in cold temperatures experience more skin allergies that can eventually lead to food allergies than kids in warm weather. 

Genetic Susceptibility for Food Allergies

• Children of Parents who have a history of allergies are at more risk than others. Parents can surpass epigenomes to the kids and can be the reason for food allergies. 
• There are some studies that support the role of some specific genetic markers like HLA-DR and filaggrin mutations as causes of Food Allergy. But more evidence and clear studies are needed in this regard. 

Also Read:- Effective Ayurvedic Solutions for Food Allergies

Dietary Habits and Early Life Exposure that Can Lead to Food Allergies 

• Mothers when they breastfeed their children can surpass IgE antibodies to the kids which helps them create a strong immune system to fight against allergies. But, nowadays we can see many mothers do not breastfeed children, which can make the children susceptible to future allergies. 
• The market is filled with processed, ultra processed and artificial foods and early life exposure of children to all these can make the situation worse by altering their immunity. The worst thing is many parents don’t even realise and keep feeding their kids with these foods. 
• Reduced introduction of hypoallergenic and natural foods that have “prana” as per Ayurveda can lead to weak immunity, and imbalanced doshas at a very early age which are the root causes of Food Allergy. 

Socioeconomic Factors for Food Allergies

• Increased exposure to high allergenic foods like packed foods, ready to eat foods, processed and ultra processed foods due to their easy availability and cheap comparatively with organic foods, natural foods, fruits, and vegetables (have a lot of nutrients and minerals) and not having the facility of quality medical care in low economic families can be the causes of Food Allergy. 
• Changes in dietary habits based on peers, and friends at school can influence the kids to eat the same, so it can negatively impact and can encourage the intake of processed and ultra processed foods. 

Presence of Other Diseases that Can Cause Food Allergies

• We have patients at IAFA Ayurveda® who have Leaky gut syndrome and experience food allergies. This is quite common due to barrier dysfunction and immune system activation. 
• Allergy march is a trio of three types of allergies. It includes skin allergies, nasal allergies, and food allergies. If any kids suffering from atopic dermatitis or nasal allergies can easily get attacked by food allergies too. 
• Some other diseases can also be the causes of Food Allergy like autoimmune disorders, gut inflammation and other gut related issues where we can see dysregulation of immunity and change in the gut lining which can make kids allergic to certain foods.

How to Manage Food Allergies?

• Awareness about the feeding practices and its importance is much needed. New Mothers need to be encouraged to breastfeed their kids until 1 year of age.   
• Explaining the root causes of Food Allergy like immune dysregulation and how parents should handle this can make them aware about the situation. It details how strong the role of good immunity is in dealing with food allergies and how parents are neglecting this. 
• Pointing them the importance of having foods closer to nature and avoiding the processed and ultra processed foods. Firstly, these foods have no nutritional value and are filled with chemicals that can cause serious health issues in the future. So, it’s always better to avoid them and teach kids about its disadvantages.
• If formula milk or cow milk is given to the kids, then there are a few things parents need to keep in mind. Formula milk can have artificial flavors, sugars, and other sweeteners which should be avoided. And, always prefer A2 milk over A1 milk as the former is natural and the latter is from genetically modified cows. Further expert consultation is needed before you introduce any solid food to infants at an early age.  

Wrapping Up!

Food allergies among kids have risen and can keep rising due to many risk factors and causes of Food Allergy as we have addressed above. This could be definitely a concern which needs proper attention and care to prevent kids from food allergies because if neglected it can lead to other allergies like skin allergies and nasal allergies. We have clearly mentioned the possible causes and what precautions parents need to take to make their kids free from food allergies.

If you need any further guidance on kids’ food allergies or any of your kids need Food Allergy Ayurvedic Treatment, book an online consultation with our experts and get treated naturally. Ayurveda addresses the root cause of food allergies, treats them accordingly, and prevents the recurrence.