Sunday Tele reports allergies more common among city kids
The Sunday Telegraph, 24 June 2012
CHILDREN who grow up in the city are more likely to develop allergies than those in the country.
According to new research, inner-city pollution, parents eating allergy-inducing foods and restricted exposure to parasites are the main contributing factors.
Dr Elizabeth Pickford, a paediatrician based in Sydney who specialises in allergies, said she had seen reactions to nuts and seafood on the increase in city children. “Children in the city tend to eat a very varied diet,” she said. “Children in the country don’t have easy access to fresh fish and shellfish, and don’t end up having the allergic reactions.”
The research, carried out in the US, assessed a staggering 38,465 children aged 18 and under whose food allergies were mapped by post code.
Nearly 10 per cent of those born in densely populated areas had a food allergy, in comparison to just 6 per cent of those born where there was a low population.
Read the full article here.
