<p>Children living in cities tend to have more food allergies than their rural counterparts, says a new study.<br /><br /></p>.<p>“We have found for the first time that higher population density corresponds with a greater likelihood of food allergies in children,” said Ruchi Gupta, assistant professor of paediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, who led the study.<br /><br />“This shows that environment has an impact on developing food allergies. The big question is – what in the environment is triggering them? A better understanding of environmental factors will help us with prevention efforts,” said Gupta, the journal Clinical Paediatrics reports.<br /><br />The study included 38,465 children, 18 years and under, who comprised a representative sample of US households. Their food allergies were mapped by ZIP code, according to a Feinberg statement.<br /><br />Here are the key findings of the study:<br /><br />* In urban centres, 9.8 percent of children have food allergies, compared to 6.2 percent in rural communities, almost a 3.5 percent difference.<br /><br />* Food allergies are equally severe regardless of where a child lives. Nearly 40 percent of food-allergic children in the study had already experienced a severe, life-threatening reaction to food.<br /><br />A food-allergic reaction sends an American to the emergency room every three minutes, according to a March 2011 study reported by the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.<br /></p>
<p>Children living in cities tend to have more food allergies than their rural counterparts, says a new study.<br /><br /></p>.<p>“We have found for the first time that higher population density corresponds with a greater likelihood of food allergies in children,” said Ruchi Gupta, assistant professor of paediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, who led the study.<br /><br />“This shows that environment has an impact on developing food allergies. The big question is – what in the environment is triggering them? A better understanding of environmental factors will help us with prevention efforts,” said Gupta, the journal Clinical Paediatrics reports.<br /><br />The study included 38,465 children, 18 years and under, who comprised a representative sample of US households. Their food allergies were mapped by ZIP code, according to a Feinberg statement.<br /><br />Here are the key findings of the study:<br /><br />* In urban centres, 9.8 percent of children have food allergies, compared to 6.2 percent in rural communities, almost a 3.5 percent difference.<br /><br />* Food allergies are equally severe regardless of where a child lives. Nearly 40 percent of food-allergic children in the study had already experienced a severe, life-threatening reaction to food.<br /><br />A food-allergic reaction sends an American to the emergency room every three minutes, according to a March 2011 study reported by the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.<br /></p>