NEWS

While a peanut allergy is commonly associated with pediatric care, a new study has found that up to one in six adults with sensitivity to peanuts developed it after age 18. The report, put forth by Northwestern University researchers in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, found that 2.9% of U.S. adults report a current peanut allergy, but only 1.8% report a physician-diagnosed allergy and or history of reaction symptoms.; "Given the high prevalence of peanut allergy among U.S. adults, additional therapies are needed to help address this growing burden of disease," Dr. Ruchi Gupta, study author and professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a physician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, said in the Eurekalert.org news release.

A new study from Northwestern University Medicine shows at least 4.5 million adults suffer from peanut allergies with one in six developing a serious allergy after turning 18.; "This was actually really surprising for us that adults are developing more food allergies," said Dr. Ruchi Gupta/Professor of Pediatrics, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Study author Dr. Gupta says it could have to do with microorganisms that make up the microbiome of the gut as well as infections that alter the immune system and hormonal changes. "The why is the biggest question that all of us researchers across the world are asking. And we do not have a clear answer. How do we better understand this? How do we help adults with a food allergy?" Dr. Gupta said.

Over 4.6 million US adults have a peanut allergy – and many of them developed the allergy in adulthood, a new study has found.; A peanut allergy has generally been thought of as a pediatric issue, but more adults than children have the allergy, said study author Dr. Ruchi Gupta, director of the Center for Food Allergy and Asthma Research at Northwestern University in Illinois. But only 15% to 20% of children with a peanut allergy will outgrow their allergy by adulthood, according to the study.

Peanut allergy is often thought of as a children's problem, but three out of four Americans with the condition are older than 17, researchers say.; Despite this, treatment remains focused on kids, says Dr. Ruchi Gupta, co-author of a new study and a professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.

Nearly 3% of adults in the United States, or 4.5 million people, are allergic to peanuts, according to a study published Tuesday by the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.; Even though roughly 75% of people in the country with a peanut allergy are over age 17, it is often considered more of a health problem for children, said to Dr. Ruchi Gupta, co-author of the study.

A peanut allergy has generally been thought of as a pediatric issue, but more adults than children have the allergy, said study author Dr. Ruchi Gupta, director of the Center for Food Allergy and Asthma Research at Northwestern University in Illinois. But only 15% to 20% of children with a peanut allergy will outgrow their allergy by adulthood, according to the study.

Now, a new study shows just how widespread peanut allergies are among adults in the U.S. A study published Tuesday shows that there are more than 4.5 million adults who are allergic to peanuts. Of them, nearly a million developed the allergy once they reached adulthood.; Dr. Ruchi Gupta authored the study along with Dr. Christopher Warren as part of their work at the Center for Food Allergy and Asthma Research at Northwestern University. They say peanut allergies are generally thought to be a condition in children, but their research finds more adults than children have the allergy. They say they hope their study prompts more adults who suspect they have an allergy to get a confirmation.

New research revealing the depth of consumer confusion about allergen labeling underscores a need for clearer, more consistent labeling about the presence of allergens or the risk of cross-contamination in food and beverages, and bolsters support for stricter labeling regulations and legislation, according to the Food Allergy Research and Education NGO.; "These results suggest that [food allergy] consumers are not aware of PAL policies," which are volunteary in the US, researchers led by Ruchi Gupta, a pediatrician and director of the Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine and Ann & Robert Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.

Black children have significantly higher rates of shellfish and fish allergies than White children, in addition to having higher odds of wheat allergy, suggesting that race may play an important role in how children are affected by food allergies, researchers at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, Rush University Medical Center and two other hospitals have found.; "National surveys have shown that the prevalence of food allergy in general has been increasing in children in the U.S. among all races/ethnicities. However, much remains unknown about why certain allergies are more likely to affect children of particular races and ethnicities and how those racial/ethnic minority patients are affected," said the lead principal investigator of the study and senior author Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH, Director of the Center for Food Allergy and Asthma Research at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a physician at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.

FARE, in collaboration with the Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research (CFAAR) at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, published a study in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice highlighting that consumers with food allergy are largely unaware of current allergen labeling practices in the United States and that they purchase food products with certain allergen statements more often than others, despite the fact that none of these statements are regulated.; "This new research shows the confusion around PAL and what the different labels represent causing consumers with food allergy to make their own decisions about the safety of a product based on the wording in the label," said lead author, Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH, Pediatrician and Director of the Center for Food Allergy & Asthma Research (CFAAR) at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago.