3 ms·

what is with all the food allergies lately? Why so many people unlock them. I doubt that you will find 13 people allergic to sesame in whole of Asia, North Afr

what is with all the food allergies lately? Why so many people unlock them. I doubt that you will find 13 people allergic to sesame in whole of Asia, North Africa and the Mediterranean. And 1.3 million in the US.

Kye 4y ago
Science is just now starting to figure out what's going on with gut biomes, but it probably has something to do with diet. To roll with your example, look up lactose intolerance in Asia.
- sp332 4y ago
  Most adult mammals are lactose intolerant. It's not an allergy.
  - ceejayoz 4y ago
    That’s missing the point.
    - Kye 4y ago
      My point wasn't very clear. Downside of posting at 9 am and 9 degrees.
- Spooky23 4y ago
  That’s different - Northern European tolerance to lactose is actually a mutation/adaptation. There’s probably some processed food or medicine that triggers these severe allergies in babies.
  - Xelynega 4y ago
    And the allergies can't also be a mutation/adaptation? Wouldn't some "processed food or medicine that triggers these severe allergies" be a "mutation/adaptation"? I'm confused on the distinction you're trying to make it it's not "Americans are bad haha".
    - ReptileMan 4y ago
      The lactose tolerance unlocked major food group. Allergies lock people out of staples. So we have huge interest as a species to figure out why they appear and prevent them.
    - Spooky23 4y ago
      My mom used to study this stuff, and her conjecture was that the “low fat” craziness happened around the same time as people being unable to cook for themselves. When you eat your Trader Joe’s frozen whatever, it is often fortified with soy or pea proteins and different stuff to preserve taste and appearance. Chain restaurant stuff is similar. Once in awhile, no big deal, but many people are incapable of cooking. My local library has a class in cutting onions and other vegetables booked out till April. Lots of kids grow up with soy formula and frozen chicken nuggets. Pre 1990, no human ate that stuff.
    - bhk 4y ago
      Genetic changes cannot explain the dramatic rise in allergies (not just food-borne) over the last few decades.
halefx 4y ago
The difference is access to testing. Most of the people in the US who "test" positive for an allergen aren't actually allergic to it, but that is often not explained properly. Simply, allergists have three types of testing: skin test, blood test, actual exposure. If you can eat something without a reaction, it doesn't matter what the skin and blood tests showed (they can be "positive" for other reasons). Skin and blood tests are mostly used to determine severity of an allergy after exposure has already proven to be a problem. But allergy testing is covered by insurance (and it's VERY profitable), so a ton of allergists will do skin and blood tests on people who don't need it, and now there are independent scam companies doing "allergy" testing by mail for curious people.
- makeitdouble 4y ago
  Do people actually do random tests and spend the rest of their life blindly believing the results ? Dealing with allergies is such a PITA and a burden that follows you every day, every single time you´re trying to eat anything. It´s such a mental toll that I see people going for allergy tests usually after they had their first reaction and went through ER, or when there is precedents in the family and they have a pretty decent chance to have common allergies. Even after getting positive results we had a pretty thorough talk with the doctor about the tests and the actual reaction we saw when we discovered the allergy. I understand people randomnly buying gluten free stuff as a fad, but they still continue eating gluten in other foods in general. Food allergies and avoiding ingredients is another level of inconvenience altogether.
  - randallsquared 4y ago
    > Do people actually do random tests and spend the rest of their life blindly believing the results? Many do, or even don't trust that a negative result is real. There are lots of other conditions and situations that one would think are strict drawbacks that people lean into, in my anecdotal experience. "Gluten allergy" that is not Celiac, for example. There are steps to take, things to research, and communities of fellow suffers to identify with, after all.
    - 4y ago

Kye 4y ago

Science is just now starting to figure out what's going on with gut biomes, but it probably has something to do with diet. To roll with your example, look up lactose intolerance in Asia.

sp332 4y ago
Most adult mammals are lactose intolerant. It's not an allergy.
- ceejayoz 4y ago
  That’s missing the point.
  - Kye 4y ago
    My point wasn't very clear. Downside of posting at 9 am and 9 degrees.
Spooky23 4y ago
That’s different - Northern European tolerance to lactose is actually a mutation/adaptation. There’s probably some processed food or medicine that triggers these severe allergies in babies.
- Xelynega 4y ago
  And the allergies can't also be a mutation/adaptation? Wouldn't some "processed food or medicine that triggers these severe allergies" be a "mutation/adaptation"? I'm confused on the distinction you're trying to make it it's not "Americans are bad haha".
  - ReptileMan 4y ago
    The lactose tolerance unlocked major food group. Allergies lock people out of staples. So we have huge interest as a species to figure out why they appear and prevent them.
  - Spooky23 4y ago
    My mom used to study this stuff, and her conjecture was that the “low fat” craziness happened around the same time as people being unable to cook for themselves. When you eat your Trader Joe’s frozen whatever, it is often fortified with soy or pea proteins and different stuff to preserve taste and appearance. Chain restaurant stuff is similar. Once in awhile, no big deal, but many people are incapable of cooking. My local library has a class in cutting onions and other vegetables booked out till April. Lots of kids grow up with soy formula and frozen chicken nuggets. Pre 1990, no human ate that stuff.
  - bhk 4y ago
    Genetic changes cannot explain the dramatic rise in allergies (not just food-borne) over the last few decades.

halefx 4y ago

The difference is access to testing. Most of the people in the US who "test" positive for an allergen aren't actually allergic to it, but that is often not explained properly. Simply, allergists have three types of testing: skin test, blood test, actual exposure. If you can eat something without a reaction, it doesn't matter what the skin and blood tests showed (they can be "positive" for other reasons). Skin and blood tests are mostly used to determine severity of an allergy after exposure has already proven to be a problem. But allergy testing is covered by insurance (and it's VERY profitable), so a ton of allergists will do skin and blood tests on people who don't need it, and now there are independent scam companies doing "allergy" testing by mail for curious people.

makeitdouble 4y ago
Do people actually do random tests and spend the rest of their life blindly believing the results ? Dealing with allergies is such a PITA and a burden that follows you every day, every single time you´re trying to eat anything. It´s such a mental toll that I see people going for allergy tests usually after they had their first reaction and went through ER, or when there is precedents in the family and they have a pretty decent chance to have common allergies. Even after getting positive results we had a pretty thorough talk with the doctor about the tests and the actual reaction we saw when we discovered the allergy. I understand people randomnly buying gluten free stuff as a fad, but they still continue eating gluten in other foods in general. Food allergies and avoiding ingredients is another level of inconvenience altogether.
- randallsquared 4y ago
  > Do people actually do random tests and spend the rest of their life blindly believing the results? Many do, or even don't trust that a negative result is real. There are lots of other conditions and situations that one would think are strict drawbacks that people lean into, in my anecdotal experience. "Gluten allergy" that is not Celiac, for example. There are steps to take, things to research, and communities of fellow suffers to identify with, after all.
  - 4y ago