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Childhood food allergies are on the rise, with about 3 million kids being affected.  Experts point out that it may be because parents are more  aware and more proactive on having their children checked earlier in life.

Last year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 1 in 26 children were affected by food allergies last year.  These diagnoses are up 18% since 1997.

Unfortunately, now one is sure what is causing this increase.  Some experts point to the doubling of peanut allergies as one factor. It also seems that children are also taking longer to outgrow allergies such as eggs and milk than they did previously.  They are also pointing out that doctors and parents who are more likely to consider food as a trigger for an allergic symptom such as; breathing problems, vomiting, and rashes.  In past years people often dismissed children who were constantly sick as “having a weak stomach,” or “sickly.”

The CDC derived their results from an in-person survey conducted in 2007.  They went door-to-door to 9,500 households with children under 18 years of age.  Researchers inquired if any of the children had experienced any kind of allergic reactions to food in the past year and about 4% said yes.  Caregivers were not asked if the child had been diagnosed by a doctor and no medical records were checked.  It is possible that some of the results may be inaccurate due to the parents not understanding the difference between digestive disorders and immune response.