INBOX

ASK ABOUT ALLERGIES

Dear HIW,

My friend is severely allergic to nuts, and it sounds like a really common allergy. Why has this allergy become so common?

Eoghan Dillon

This question is an interesting one, and scientists are currently looking for answers. In the West in particular, allergies have generally been on the rise in the last few decades, with two per cent of adults in Europe reported as having food allergies. In 2016, there were five times as many people in the UK with peanut allergies in particular