Urban children are more susceptible to food allergies than rural children

Children living in densely populated urban areas tend to be twice as likely to be allergic to food as to rural children, US scientists have discovered.

The team of experts from the Faculty of Medicine, Northwestern University conducted a study of 38,000 children under 18 years of age with different living places and family circumstances. All food allergies are monitored and recorded in each area code (urban or rural). The results show that about 10% of urban children suffer from food allergies, compared with only 6% of rural children. For example, the rate of children with allergies when eating peanuts in urban areas is 2.8%, while in rural areas it is 1.3%.

Similarly, about 2.4% of children in the city are allergic to oysters while less than 1% of children in rural areas suffer from them.'This is the first time we have found that the densely populated population increases the risk of food allergies in children,' said Associate Professor Ruchi Gupta, lead researcher.

The main environmental experts are the factors that directly affect the development of allergies. Specifically, children living in urban areas are prone to food allergies due to exposure to pollutants from a young age. In contrast, children in rural areas have a stronger immune system because they are familiar with many types of bacteria in nature.