What are allergies and why are we getting more of them? - Deepstash
What are allergies and why are we getting more of them?

What are allergies and why are we getting more of them?

Curated from: theconversation.com

Ideas, facts & insights covering these topics:

4 ideas

·

3.28K reads

8

Explore the World's Best Ideas

Join today and uncover 100+ curated journeys from 50+ topics. Unlock access to our mobile app with extensive features.

Allergic reactions

Allergies occur when the immune system reacts to environmental substances that are harmless to most people.

Common allergens are food, pollen, dust mites, animals, insect stings, or medicines.

56

2.37K reads

A range of allergic reactions

Most allergic reactions are only mild to moderate and can effectively be treated with antihistamines. But other reactions can be life-threatening and require emergency medical treatment.

The most severe allergic reactions are known as anaphylaxis, and people who suffer from it should have an emergency management plan that includes an adrenaline auto-injector.

23

318 reads

Allergies are increasing

Allergies are becoming more frequent in the western world. One in twenty will develop a food allergy in their life, and one in 100 will have a life-threatening allergic reaction.

From 1994 to 2004, hospital admissions for anaphylaxis doubled. In children under five years old, it was five times higher over the same period, suggesting allergy in early life is increasing faster than in adults.

23

261 reads

Possible reasons for allergies

Theories for why the number of allergies is rising:

  • Decreased exposure to infections or microbes in early life. This is known as the hygiene hypothesis.
  • Delayed introduction of allergenic foods until later in childhood, such as eggs and nuts.
  • Different methods of preparing foods. For example, roasting peanuts increases allergenicity while boiling reduces them.
  • Vit D deficiency increases the risk of developing allergies, according to several studies.
  • Allergies may develop after exposure to allergens.
  • Altered gut bacterial species due to low-fibre diets and antibiotic use.

40

333 reads

IDEAS CURATED BY

corahh

Friend of animals everywhere. Hardcore internet enthusiast and avid reader. My favorite topic is how to live a healthy life

Cora H.'s ideas are part of this journey:

How to Start Working Out at Home

Learn more about health with this collection

How to stay motivated

How to create a workout routine

Proper form and technique for home workouts

Related collections

Read & Learn

20x Faster

without
deepstash

with
deepstash

with

deepstash

Personalized microlearning

100+ Learning Journeys

Access to 200,000+ ideas

Access to the mobile app

Unlimited idea saving

Unlimited history

Unlimited listening to ideas

Downloading & offline access

Supercharge your mind with one idea per day

Enter your email and spend 1 minute every day to learn something new.

Email

I agree to receive email updates