Linking childhood food allergies to obesity

Tuesday, 09 June 2009 19:34

Results of research by a team from the University of North Carolina have suggested that obese children and adolescents are about 26% more likely to have allergies, especially food allergies, than children of normal weight.

The study authors found that allergen-specific immunoglobulins were much higher in obese and overweight children than in their normal counterparts. They explain that the prevalence of allergies and obesity in children have both increased in the last few decades. Data was analysed from 4,111 children and young adults aged 2 to 19 years old.

Reference: Visness et al. 2009. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Vol. 123(5) pp 1163-1169.