Britons among least likely to suffer food allergies

London: British people are some of the least likely in the western world to suffer from food sensitivity reactions. This is the conclusion of a study of more than 4,500 adults from 13 countries carried out by Imperial College London.

The study found that nations varied in the rate of individuals who reacted to at least one food.

At the top end of the spectrum, about 25 per cent of people in Portland, Oregon, in the United States, displayed food sensitivity reactions, compared with 11 per cent in Iceland and Spain. Britain and France were next at 14 per cent.

For the study, published in the journal Allergy, the researchers tested participants' blood for antibodies against a range of foods.

This gauges food sensitivity, which refers to an immune system response to a food's proteins. Not everyone who is sensitive to a food displays symptoms of a clinical allergy, such as wheezing, swelling or digestive problems.

Highest prevalence

Results from the study revealed that, along with the United States, Germany, Italy and Norway had the highest prevalence of food sensitivity, with about 22 per cent of people from each country showing antibodies against some type of food.

However, the researchers also discovered that countries tended to have similar specific foods that triggered reactions.

Hazelnuts, peaches, shrimp, wheat and apples emerged as the most common. At the other end of the spectrum, fish, eggs and cow's milk normally viewed as the foodstuffs most like to trigger allergic reactions turned out to be least common causes of sensitivity.

Do you have a food allergy? How difficult does it make it for you to eat out? Which is the most bizarre food allergy you have heard of?