Adult Food Allergies

Adult Food Allergies
Certainly, it’s a strange feeling to realize that you have a food allergy as an adult. We all assume that food allergies appear when we are children, and that they don’t suddenly come on as adults. However, it really is possible to develop a food allergy at a more advanced age. However, according to the FDA, this type of adult food allergy only occurs in about 2% of the population.
There is no hard and fast understanding about why adults would suddenly develop food allergies. There are, however, a number of theories. It’s possible that negative food reactions come from an existing pollen allergy. Another ironic theory is that food allergies are a result of hygiene that has gotten too good. Since we have so many ways to avoid germs these days, our immune systems aren’t busy fighting germs, and they get misdirected to attack harmless proteins in foods.
While food allergies are a very real thing, they aren’t as prevalent as many believe. Experts say that food allergies only affect 2-3% of people, while about 25% of the population things that it has an allergy. Often times, what you are really experiencing is a food intolerance or sensitivity. Headaches, aversions to certain foods or to their smells, and fatigue are all hints that you aren’t dealing with a food allergy, but are dealing with an aversion.