Almost Half of Food Allergies Appear in Adults

Although food allergies are usually thought of as a problem in children, new breakthrough research shows that almost half of all adults with food allergies developed them as adults.

"Food allergies are often seen as a condition that begins in childhood, so the idea that 45 percent of adults with food allergies develop them in adulthood is surprising," says Dr. Ruchi Gupta, lead author of the study and a member of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

"We also saw that, as with children, the incidence of food allergies in adults is rising across all ethnic groups."

The most common food allergy among adults is shellfish, affecting an estimated 3.6 percent of U.S. adults. This indicates a 44 percent increase from the 2.5 percent rate published in a 2004 study.

In addition, adult allergies to tree nuts have increased from .5 percent in 2008 to 1.8 percent — an increase of 260 percent.

"Our research also found that, among black, Asian and Hispanic adults, the risk of developing a food allergy to certain foods is higher than for whites, specifically for shellfish and peanuts," says study co-author Christopher Warren.

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