Junk food blamed for allergy rise

DIETS rich in processed food have led to a huge rise in the number of people with food allergies, a study warns.

The use of hygiene chemicals and modern food quality controls are also to blame, the research adds.

The number of people suffering from food allergies has “dramatically” increased in 30 years.

In Britain, one in four people will suffer an allergic reaction in his or her lifetime, according to the NHS.

One explanation, the “hygiene hypothesis”, suggests that it is down to our modern way of life.

Researchers at Yale University, in the US, have found quality controls are making matters worse. More food preservatives and environmental chemicals designed to protect us from harmful foods are making our immune systems hypersensitive, it is said.

Processed

As the environment we live in has become increasingly sterile, our immune system has become more sensitive, the scientists claim.

Professor Ruslan Medzhitov, the study’s co-author, says: “Food allergies have continued to rise dramatically long after elimination of parasites in the developed world.

“One factor is increased use of hygiene products and overuse of antibiotics. Second is a change in diet and increased consumption of processed food with reduced exposure to naturally grown food.

“Finally, food preservatives environmental chemicals such and as

Modern meals...junk food diets on rise

dishwashing detergents have introduced novel elements for the immune system to monitor.

“It’s guilty by association. Food allergies are no different than many other diseases, which are caused by abnormal versions of normal biological responses.

“Understanding the underlying biology of normal processes such as food quality control systems should help researchers identify potential culprits not only in food allergies but other diseases as well.”

Allergic reactions can cause potentially fatal immune system responses to foods such as milk, nuts and shellfish.

The lack of natural parasites in our environment has also made our body’s natural defences hypersensitive, the team finds. This explains why people in rural areas are less likely to suffer allergies compared to those in more sterile urban centres.

The environmental and food production changes, or “hygiene hypothesis”, can play havoc with our immune systems.

The findings journal Cell. are published in the