An estimated one in 10 U.S. adults have a food allergy and at least one in five believe they are allergic to certain foods, according to research published Friday.
The study, conducted by researchers from Northwestern University, also found that nearly half of these food allergies developed during adulthood.
“Food allergy is a costly, potentially life-threatening health condition that can adversely affect patients’ well-being,” the authors wrote in the study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The researchers believe there are an estimated 13 million U.S. adults who have suffered at least one severe allergic reaction to eating something and at least 10 million adults who had to be treated in an emergency department for a food allergy.
The most prevalent food allergies included shellfish, affecting an estimated 7.2 million adults; dairy (4.7 million); peanut (4.5 million); tree nut (3 million); finfish (2.2 million) and egg (2 million).
An allergy to wheat is believed to affect 2 million people, while soy and sesame affect 1.5 million and 500,000 adults, respectively.
The results are based on a survey of almost 40,500 U.S. adults.
“Adult-onset food allergies are an important emerging health problem,” the authors wrote.
• Laura Kelly can be reached at lkelly@washingtontimes.com.
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