June 15, 2023 – A brand new study has found that individuals with dark skin usually tend to suffer from food allergies than white people, and that individuals with lower incomes are also more more likely to suffer from food allergies.
In general, 11% of adults and eight% of kids are affected by food allergies, in line with JAMA network opened.
Non-Hispanic whites of all ages had the bottom rate of food allergy at 9.5%, compared with 10.5% for Asians, 10.6% for Hispanics, and 10.6% for non-Hispanic blacks.
The cause might be not genetic, said Mahboobeh Mahdavinia, MD, of RUSH Medical College in Chicago, on CNN.
“The majority of this is probably due to the environment and socioeconomic factors that impact the environments that people are born into and live in as adults,” said Mahdavinia, who was not involved within the study.
“Exposure to certain microbes in the environment can affect the gut microbiome, the totality of bacteria that live in a person's gastrointestinal tract, and this can increase susceptibility to developing food allergies,” Mahdavinia said.
Environmental pollution may also result in food allergies. “Research shows that people with dark skin tend to live in areas with higher levels of pollution, regardless of income,” CNN reported.
In households with incomes over $150,000, the variety of food allergies was lowest at 8.3%, the study says.
People with food allergies may face allergy-related economic burden, poorer health and an increased risk of conditions reminiscent of eczema and asthma, the study authors wrote.
The researchers surveyed nearly 52,000 households between October 9, 2015 and September 18, 2016.