TUESDAY, Oct. 5 (HealthDay News) -- Children, males and blacks
have the highest rates of food allergies in the United States,
and the risk is 4.4 times higher among male black children than
in the general population, a new study finds. Overall, 7.6
million people (2.5 percent of the U.S. population) are
estimated to have food allergies, according to researchers who
analyzed data from 8,203 people, aged 1 year to 60 and older,
who were included in the National Health and Nutrition
Examination Survey in 2005-06. The participants had their blood
tested for antibodies to four specific foods: peanuts, milk,
eggs and Food allergy rates were highest (4.2 percent) among
children aged 1 to 5 and lowest (1.3 percent) among adults older
than 60. Compared to the general population, food allergies were
two times more common among children aged 1 to 19, three times
more common among blacks and two times more common among males.
Peanut allergy was the most common food allergy, affecting 1.3
percent of the survey participant