Junk food could fuel rising food allergies, say experts | Society



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Researchers have suggested that the messy diet of junk food could be one of the factors behind the rise in food allergies.

Experts say they have seen an increase in food allergies in Western countries, including the UK. Although actual prevalence may be difficult to determine, data published by NHS Digital shows that episodes of anaphylactic shock in England due to adverse reactions in foods have increased steadily, from 1,362 in 2011-2012 to 1,922 in 2016-17.

Some scientists have suggested that the culprit might be a substance known as the Advanced Glycation End Product, or AGE.

EFAs are naturally present in the body, but they are found in large quantities in highly processed foods, as well as in other sources such as cooked meats. They are formed when sugars react with proteins or lipids. It has been suggested that EFA-rich food consumption may be badociated with high levels of EFAs in the body, but it has already been badociated with a number of diseases, including diabetes and diabetes. Rheumatoid arthritis.

At present, a small study by Italian researchers has shown that children with food allergies have higher levels of AGE in their bodies than healthy children without allergies. Children with respiratory allergies did not show such differences. The team also found that children with high levels of adulthood consumed more foods containing such substances.

"They consume a lot of snacks, hamburgers, fries, commercial products full of consumer products," said Roberto Berni Canani, of the University of Naples, who led the research presented at the annual meeting of the European Society of Gastroenterology, Pediatric Hepatology and Nutrition in Glasgow.

What the children ate was evaluated in food diaries kept by the parents for seven days. Canani claimed that children with food allergies consumed an average of 20 to 40% more junk food a week than children with no allergies and that they had Age.

Canani said the team's research using cells suggested that EFAs could interact directly with immune cells and that they also appear to be having an adverse effect on the intestinal barrier.

However, the study is small – it concerns only 23 children with food allergies, 16 people with respiratory allergies and 22 healthy children without allergies – and does not prove that more junk food or Higher ages causes food allergies.

In addition, as Canani pointed out, many other factors would be involved in the rise of food allergies, including problems related to the intestinal microbiome.

John Warner, a professor of pediatrics at Imperial College London, who did not participate in the research, said the latest study was too small to take into account other factors that may be at risk. Origin of the observed link.

"I could suggest a number of more plausible explanations for the results," he said, noting that children who consume a lot of junk food are less likely to have a Mediterranean diet rich in fruits, vegetables and vegetables. in fish the risk of allergy. "There will probably be other lifestyle differences among people with supposedly high consumption, including greater exposure to tobacco smoke and other pollutants," he said. , adding that psychosocial circumstances could also be important.

Dr. Andrew Clark, pediatric allergy consultant at Addenbrooke Hospital, agreed that further research is needed, stressing that it may be worthwhile to avoid junk food for many health reasons, but that it was too early to say that food allergies were part of it.

"I think it's a useful exploratory study that has generated an interesting theory," he said. "[But] it must be examined on a large number of patients and in different populations. "

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