Just a Taste of Peanut Butter

Allergic to peanuts? These days, you're not alone. Allergies to peanuts, milk and other foods are on the rise, having increased by 20 percent over the past few decades.

The $64,000 question, of course, is — why?

While there are many theories out there, one of the most prevalent is — surprisingly — avoidance of allergens.

In recent years, parents in the United States and the UK have been advised to keep their infants away from foods likely to cause allergies. These foods, including peanuts and cow's milk, are now so likely to create health issues that they're banned in many cafeterias.

Have we created a rise in allergic reactions by proactively trying to avoid them?

According to an article in Science News, avoiding foods out of fear of developing an allergy may be a bad idea: "Our findings raise the question of whether early and frequent ingestion of high-dose peanut protein during infancy might prevent the development of peanut allergy," according to one research team (funded in part by the National Peanut Board). "Paradoxically, past recommendations in the United States and current recommendations in the UK and Australia might be promoting the development of peanut allergy."

If you're thinking that conflict of interest makes this report useless, you might want to reconsider. Already, countries such as Sweden have decided to abandon their tradition of advising parents to keep their infants away from allergens.

Is it possible that peanuts will return to airplane flights? That PB&J sandwiches will once again grace our school cafeterias? Is it possible that kids in the future will be as allergy-free as kids were in the past?

Fingers crossed, we may find that the solution to our allergy issues is right in front of our eyes — in the snack food aisle.

Photo courtesy of stock.xchng