Although 20 percent of people in Great Britain believe they have food allergies, fewer than 2 percent actually do, according to a new study from Portsmouth University.

• Dr. Carina Venter and her colleagues studied 1000 babies and found that half of their caretakers had cut out at least one food because of a perceived allergy
  
• Sophisticated allergy tests, however, found that the true rate was one in 25.
• Parents most commonly believe their children are allergic to milk, wheat, or peanuts.

"[Mothers] tend to put down every rash, tummy ache, diarrhea and cry to food allergy or intolerance," said Dr. Venter. "I sympathize with them. It seems reasonable to blame the food when an infant screams or turns red in the face after being fed it the first time."

The research team expressed concern that millions of people are unnecessarily restricting their diets and losing key nutrients. They may also be overlooking real medical problems that can look like allergies.

Labels: research, allergies, food

Posted By: Aspen/CRC