Take 5: Why is food allergy increasing?

1 minute read


The "hygiene hypothesis" suggests food allergies are due to humans living a cleaner lifestyle, but it’s far more complicated than that, says Professor Pete Smith


The “hygiene hypothesis” suggests food allergies are due to humans living a cleaner lifestyle, but it’s far more complicated than that, says Professor Pete Smith.

“There are many answers and not all of them explain everything,” says Professor Pete Smith, an allergist and the medical director of Allergy Medical in Brisbane.

“[Food allergies are] increasing throughout the world, both in developed countries and countries that are adopting Western lifestyles.

“We know that low vitamin D is associated with food allergy.

“We made a big mistake by telling people not to introduce foods early … so the late introduction of foods is associated with food allergies.”

[media_embed]https://player.vimeo.com/video/246923612[/media_embed]

End of content

No more pages to load

Log In Register ×