Increase in peanut allergies??

[Anonymous]

This is a s/o of the raging peanut thread in the elementary forum.

My kids don't have peanut allergies but research and news outlets point to a near epidemic among the younger generations. Some research indicates a lack of Vitamin D as a potential cause. Some research also points to a lack of early exposure to peanuts. I remember when I was pregnant that eating peanuts was discouraged because it could increase peanut allergies in an unborn child. Fortunately/unfortunately, chocolate covered peanuts was a pregnancy craving so that didn't happen.


For those of you with kids with peanut allergies (who presumably follow these things more than others), what do you think? Why is this on the rise?

[Anonymous]

I think that trying to blame the parents is hurtful and misguided.

[Anonymous]

Autoimmune conditions, including allergies, are on the rise. Science has some clues about why, but nothing is really settled. There seem to be something causing it on a population level, and while scientists are working on it, the picture is very muddy. It may be that choices that individual parents make play a role, but it's very unclear which exact choices. Until recently, parents were told to avoid the most allergenic foods during pregnancy and after, but people did that and still had allergies develop. Now, they say the opposite, to be sure to expose the kids early and often.

But it's important to note that while feeding peanuts early is an intervention that might somewhat reduce the likelihood of a child developing peanut allergies, once the allergies show up, peanuts need to be stopped, and that innocent children need to be protected, even if it's possible that if their parents had followed some protocol that hasn't been invented yet, their condition could have been prevented.

Blaming parents for this is 100% wrong.

[Anonymous]

Kid #1: ate a lot of nuts, peanuts and tahini during pregnancy and breastfeeding (until 15 months) and kid developped allergies to nut, peanuts and sesame.
Kid#2: did not eat nuts, peanuts and sesame during pregnancy and breastfeeding (9 months) and kid developped allergies to nuts, peanuts, sesame and a host of other things I was consuming (egg, soy, dairy, seafood, seeds etc.).
I am SO tired of the blame on parents. We've heard everything and its opposite. Instead of focusing on what the moms are or are not doing or eating why don't they study the effects of pharmaceuticals and pollutants on allergies? Because that's where the problem lies, not on what mom is eating and whether larlo got peanuts at 5 months vs. 1 year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think that trying to blame the parents is hurtful and misguided.

+1. I found out DC was allergic to tree nuts when I gave him cashew nut yogurt as one of his very first foods. I ate cashews my entire pregnancy and was super laid back about introducing allergens. His allergy has absolutely nothing to do with not being exposed early on.

[Anonymous]

I thought science had concluded that it's because our homes are too clean. Kids no longer roll around in the dirt with the dogs (for example) to the detriment of their immune systems

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think that trying to blame the parents is hurtful and misguided.

Just stop. We can have a discussion on this without parents feeling like they're being blamed. I don't think parents can 100% avoid peanut allergies, but parents do have an impact on it.

[Anonymous]

Infant mortality used to be much, much higher.

thank goodness we are better informed about things like celiac disease, insulin for type 1 diabetes, and epi-pens for food allergies. these things have saved lives.

if your kids don't have peanut allergies thank your lucky stars and don't go looking for problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I thought science had concluded that it's because our homes are too clean. Kids no longer roll around in the dirt with the dogs (for example) to the detriment of their immune systems

It's far from conclusive, as I understand it, but one theory is that society as a whole has less exposure to things that build immune systems, not that individual houses are too clean.

My kid's immune condition wasn't peanut allergies, but you'd be amazed at how many people implied that it was my fault because I kept my house too clean (note: I started keeping my house that clean after my kid developed the illness whose treatment made him immunocompromised) or because they assumed he wasn't breastfed.

[Anonymous]

OP here.

I'm not blaming anyone. I just listed the top reasons that pop up when you google it. That's why I'm asking. One of my kids has environmental allergies - tree pollen and such. I think it's possible that we contributed that, in part, because we were in a situation where we had to use air purifiers in our home for a period of time.

I'm curious as to the reasons and if we can reverse it as a population. Peanut allergies are serious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought science had concluded that it's because our homes are too clean. Kids no longer roll around in the dirt with the dogs (for example) to the detriment of their immune systems

It's far from conclusive, as I understand it, but one theory is that society as a whole has less exposure to things that build immune systems, not that individual houses are too clean.

My kid's immune condition wasn't peanut allergies, but you'd be amazed at how many people implied that it was my fault because I kept my house too clean (note: I started keeping my house that clean after my kid developed the illness whose treatment made him immunocompromised) or because they assumed he wasn't breastfed.

Anecdotally, I live at the beach and it’s rare that we are indoors in the evening and weekends. No hand sanitizer being used before eating on the beach, god knows what we ingest from the water, plenty of Vit D. Our house has zero allergies, other than mine to acetaminophen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think that trying to blame the parents is hurtful and misguided.

Just stop. We can have a discussion on this without parents feeling like they're being blamed. I don't think parents can 100% avoid peanut allergies, but parents do have an impact on it.

What do you suggest we do to have an impact?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I thought science had concluded that it's because our homes are too clean. Kids no longer roll around in the dirt with the dogs (for example) to the detriment of their immune systems

It's far from conclusive, as I understand it, but one theory is that society as a whole has less exposure to things that build immune systems, not that individual houses are too clean.

My kid's immune condition wasn't peanut allergies, but you'd be amazed at how many people implied that it was my fault because I kept my house too clean (note: I started keeping my house that clean after my kid developed the illness whose treatment made him immunocompromised) or because they assumed he wasn't breastfed.

Anecdotally, I live at the beach and it’s rare that we are indoors in the evening and weekends. No hand sanitizer being used before eating on the beach, god knows what we ingest from the water, plenty of Vit D. Our house has zero allergies, other than mine to acetaminophen.

Anecdotally, my kids are outside constantly, and have been from a very early age. I didn't do hand sanitizer. We have dogs that my kids absolutely rolled around with from an early age.

3 kids

One has significant outdoor allergies and asthma

One had life threatening medication allergies, and died from an illness that is in the same category of illnesses on the rise.

One has no allergies whatsoever.

I didn't cause any of it, just like you didn't cause your luck by living at the beach. You got lucky. Pray that that luck holds.

[Anonymous]

I think environmental allergies are very different than food allergies. Anecdotally I grew up with terrible allergies (despite being outside a lot and also have tapeworms as a kid). I moved to the DC area as an adult and haven't even had the sniffles since. I'm just not allergic to the trees and grass here as I was where I grew up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think environmental allergies are very different than food allergies. Anecdotally I grew up with terrible allergies (despite being outside a lot and also have tapeworms as a kid). I moved to the DC area as an adult and haven't even had the sniffles since. I'm just not allergic to the trees and grass here as I was where I grew up.

But both are on the rise. It's a little weird to say that the kind of allergy you had wasn't your parents' fault, but the kid another kid has was their parents' fault.