City children more likely to have allergies than rural ones

July 17, 2012 — According to a new study (to be published in the July issue of Clinical Pediatrics), children living in urban areas are more than twice as likely to have shellfish and peanut allergies compared to more rural communities.

Food allergy is a detrimental problem, especially in children. An estimated 5.9 million children under age18 (or one in 13 children) now have a potentially life-threatening food allergy, according to a 2011 research study by Ruchi Gupta, MD, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a physician at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago (formerly Children’s Memorial).

The study by Gupta reports that children living in highly populated areas have a much higher risk of having food allergies than those living in rural areas. “We have found for the first time that higher population density corresponds with a greater likelihood of food allergies in children,” said Gupta. “This shows that environment has an impact on developing food allergies. A better understanding of environmental factors will help us with prevention efforts.”

The health of our kids is important to Carlson Laboratories. All Carlson for kids products are gluten-free and contain no wheat, casein, rye, milk, or artificial dyes — all common allergens.

Source: Carlson Laboratories, carlsonlabs.com