Older people with food allergies?

[Moxie]

Do you know anyone over 40 with a food allergy? I know tons of kids with peanut, gluten, apple, etc. allergies but very few adults. I know one adult with Celiac--is that an allergy or a disease? Random thoughts.

[Southern Ivy]

Celiac is an autoimmune disease.
I have two friends with life threatening peanut/nut allergies.
I am allergic to melons and avocados. It's not "severe", but my mouth does itch and I do end up with blisters on my lips.


ETA: Not over 40. Though, one friend and I are 35, so close enough maybe?

Edited November 1, 2016 by Southern Ivy

[PinkyandtheBrains.]

 

 

I am "older" with a food allergy.

 

I developed my egg allergy around five years ago.

[EmseB]

I have a relative that developed a ton of allergies (egg, nuts, shellfish, etc) in her adult years. Also celiac. It's like her immune system went haywire as she got older.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I know a lot of older people with food allergies.  It is not just in our head, you know. 

[MomatHWTK]

DH developed an allergy to shellfish when he was @30. Some children can outgrow their allergies. Others, as adults, may be used to navigating around them and thus it doesn't come up in conversation. We had a dear friend with celiac. She avoided potlucks, etc. But, she didn't like to talk about it. She only told us because my DS had allergies- common ground. 

Edited November 1, 2016 by MomatHWTK

[Hypatia.]

I'm 41, I'm allergic to pine nuts. It either developed later in life or I never had pine nuts until I was in my late 30s. Complete with Epi-pen injections (thanks to my then-11 year old DS1) and trip to the ER with the 2nd exposure.

[Guest]

I developed my allergies as an adult, and know more than a few people with allergies and digestive issues who are middle aged and beyond. They're less common but some of the change is public awareness and perception more than actual representations of presence in the population.

[Guest]

I'm almost 60.

I had severe allergies when born; could eat 4 foods.  Outrgrew all but two in early teens, and that lasted until about age 45.  Then a whole bunch of allergies came back/on, and they are really bad.  One of them is to one of the four foods I could eat.  Ha!

 

[Rachel]

My FIL is allergic to walnuts, cashews, and shellfish. He was allergic to milk as a child but outgrew it.

 

My grandma is allergic to a number of things the biggest ones are walnuts and tomatoes.

 

I'm not 40 yet, but close. I'm allergic to poppy seeds and maybe grapefruit. I say maybe because I've eaten it all my life but in the last year I've started having issues with my mouth breaking out if I eat it two days in a row.

[maize]

It may be that adults are less likely to advertise their allergies as they can usually determine for themselves what is safe or not safe for them. Children's allergies are often advertised more widely because they depend on the adults around them to help keep them safe.

[kitten18]

It may be that adults are less likely to advertise their allergies as they can usually determine for themselves what is safe or not safe for them. Children's allergies are often advertised more widely because they depend on the adults around them to help keep them safe.

I agree.

[Guest]

I know a lot of older people with food allergies. It is not just in our head, you know.

What?

 

Jean, I know you don't like me. Maybe you should ignore my threads?

[Guest]

It may be that adults are less likely to advertise their allergies as they can usually determine for themselves what is safe or not safe for them. Children's allergies are often advertised more widely because they depend on the adults around them to help keep them safe.

That's probably it. I don't cook for adults very often.

[JenneinCA]

I am not allergic to milk/cheese/dairy but I am very intolerant of it. I just skip anything that contains those things when I am out. It is hard but not impossible. The biggest issue is pizza. It feels like it is at every get together because it is cheap and most people like it.

 

(I am over 40.)

[sbgrace]

I imagine it probably is an awareness issue, but there would be more childhood food allergies than adult. Certain allergies--such as milk, soy, egg maybe?--are outgrown around 25% of the time if I recall correctly. Others, like tree nut, are less likely to be outgrown.

 

But, yes, I do know adults in my family. My father is nearly 70 and anaphylactic to certain spices. He's also allergic to aspirin and aspirin related products. He's been allergic to those things as long as I can recall.

 

My husband developed an allergy to buckwheat of all things in his 30's. He's 42 now. His coworker, also in his 40's is allergic to peanuts.

 

 

 

 

 

[Loowit]

I do not have any food allergies, but I know several adult that do.  My brother developed food allergies as an adult.  He is in his early 40's.  One of my bosses when I was in college had a sudden reaction to shellfish when she was out to eat one evening.  She was in her 50's at the time and almost died.  A friend of ours also in his 50's has a very severe allergy to shellfish.  Most adults I know don't talk about their food allergies with others for a couple reasons.  One, they can often manage them much easier than children and young teens and two, there is a lot of judgement about food allergies.

[eternalsummer]

My sister is allergic to shellfish (not sure if anaphylactic - she's had it happen twice, and the first was just itchiness and nausea; the second was full body hives that lasted for weeks).  She is only in her 20s, though - but it didn't start until she was in her 20s.  She's always been lactose intolerant but more of the "ugh, shouldn't have this ice cream - oh well, I'll just feel yucky later" sort of way, not like the shellfish.

[Liz CA]

I know a lot of older people with food allergies.  It is not just in our head, you know. 

 

:lol: :lol: :lol:

By your definition of "older," I am so old that I don't qualify to answer anymore but I sure hope I don't develop egg allergies in my dotage since I LOVE eggs.

 

[zoobie]

The people over 40 I know with food allergies almost all developed them later in life.

[Spryte]

My mother has had life threatening food allergies all her life. She is 75. Nuts, and tons more.

 

My brother is 50, LTFAs. Nuts, banana.

 

I developed shellfish allergies in my 40s.

 

DH has a colleague in his 40s ... life threatening peanut allergy, lifelong. He's in Germany.

 

Another one in her 30s, lifelong LTFAs. Peanuts, tree nuts, dairy, egg, wheat, all seeds, and more. She lives in Germany as well.

 

I could go on...

Edited November 1, 2016 by Spryte

[Ellie]

Do you know anyone over 40 with a food allergy? I know tons of kids with peanut, gluten, apple, etc. allergies but very few adults. I know one adult with Celiac--is that an allergy or a disease? Random thoughts.

 

A good friend is deathly allergic to even the most minute bit of dairy, and to tropical oils and fruits (palm oil, pineapple, mango, kiwi, papaya, etc.).  She once had a mild stroke because the manufacturer of a drug she had been taking for years changed one the ingredients to dairy without notifying anyone. She cannot tolerate corn--not officially allergic, but any corn product gives her headaches.

 

She's allergic to all antibiotics. She cannot tolerate most pain relievers. And there's a whole list of other drugs which I cannot remember which she cannot take.

 

And she's a worst-case-scenario celiac.

 

I don't know how she eats. Or actually stays alive. :blink:

[ikslo]

Yes, I know several. Two co-workers allergic to nuts, one in her 50s. My mom's cousin's wife has always been allergic to soy. A few people allergic to spices.

 

Working in restaurants I waited on many people who had food allergies.

 

Actually, come to think of it, I know more adults than children with food allergies IRL. I think mostly I hear about them online, so I feel like it should be the other way around. Interesting.

[scoutingmom]

Yes, I know one that is dealthly allergic to celery (can be around it, etc but can't eat it.)

 

Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk

[RoughCollie]

I have a life-threatening allergy to shrimp. I cannot touch it with my bare hands or eat it.

 

I am well over 40.

[MASHomeschooler]

My uncle has a severe seafood allergy, my sister has mild chocolate and mint allergies, and my friend has an MSG allergy (last 2 are not quite 40, though).

 

I agree that it seems like many fewer adults have allergies partly because some are outgrown and partly because adults don't need to make their allergies known as much, but I also do believe that actual prevalence is increasing.

[nd293]

I know a lot of older people with food allergies. It is not just in our head, you know.

I don't believe the OP was suggesting it was? I'm assuming the question is about whether environmental or behavioural factors are making allergies more common.

 

I have only met one adult with a severe allergy. She wasn't clear about it to the restaurant staff then was rather rude to them when there was seafood near her food. So while I think that severe allergies do seem to be more common, I think it's also that adults tell us about children's allergies because there's a duty of care role. We don't tend to hear about adults' allergies unless there is an issue, as in the case I mentioned. I only knew about it because she got loud with the staff.

[Lori D.]

A friend who is almost 70 has had life-threatening allergy to buckwheat since age 12, when she first encountered it. The family was eating at a Japanese restaurant right next to a hospital. After one bite her mouth immediately "felt funny" and her airway started closing down. If she hadn't been so close to emergency help, she would not be alive today.

 

 

She had a friend with a seafood allergy die while at a Christmas potluck party; a dip that was supposed to be seafood free was apparently tainted. That woman would have been over 60 now if she had not had accidental seafood exposure.

Edited November 1, 2016 by Lori D.

[MEmama]

My husband has always been severely allergic to coconut. And we have a friend who is allergic to sunflower seeds.

 

I don't know any kids with food allergies, amazingly.

Edited November 1, 2016 by MEmama

[Library Momma]

My father has a lifelong allergy to green peppers and he is in his 70s

My mother is allergic to raw fruit with the skin or peel on.  It is part of her FACES allergy which developed in her 20s.

I have a lifelong allergy to mollusks.  Not all shellfish just mollusks and i'm in my 40s

Other lifelong allergies affecting adults over 40 I know are:

rosemary

cinnamon

peanuts

chicken

and I'm sure a few others I'm forgetting.

[Zinnia]

I am allergic to the pit and peel of mangoes. It was not discovered until my 20s because mangoes weren't a part of my life until then.

Edited November 1, 2016 by Zinnia

[Hilltopmom]

Much older people with severe food allergies likely died in their youth from the allergy & no one knew why (thought they had choked, would be my guess). So, I think that may be part of why we don't see lots of older people (I mean past 70, not 40) with severe allergies.

 

Or the rise of processed foods with lots of common allergy ingredients & the widespread access to lots of different types of food as compared to years ago.

 

My Dh is over 40 & is allergic to tree nuts and something in non organic meats, usually poultry, that they have never been able to pinpoint. He just didn't eat meat growing up because of it.

[kewb]

I really had to think about this question. For the people I know personally it is about even for adults over 40 and kids.

 

A hodge podge of different allergies and intolerances: peanuts, fruit, poultry, corn, sesame seeds, gluten, and dairy.

[Selkie]

My DH suddenly became allergic to caffeine in his 40's and had to give up his beloved coffee and Diet Mountain Dew cold turkey.  He has had pollen allergies his whole life, but never any food allergies until this.  

[Mama Geek]

I know folks with shellfish allergies and celiac in their 50's.  Problems started as kids even though the celiac was figured out much later.  I also know a couple of people in their 30's with peanut allergies that they have had since childhood.

[Mama Geek]

dp

Edited November 1, 2016 by Mama Geek

[historically accurate]

My MIL (age 70+) is celiac.

 

I was just talking to my kids' piano teacher last week, and she mentioned she was celiac and allergic to dairy; I'd guesstimate she's mid to late 30s. 

 

DH is lactose intolerant, although it's more a "Bleah, I shouldn't have eaten that pizza type thing" not a true allergy. This seems to have developed within the last 5 years or so, so about age 35.

 

I have been unable to eat eggs as a side/main dish (I can eat them baked in something) since my last pregnancy (age 33) - I throw them right back up. So not an allergy, but I definitely avoid them.  Not food allergies, but I seem to be developing medicine allergies more and more often - 1 discovered when I was a teenager, up to a list of 6 now (4 discovered within the last 3 years) - maybe because they're going onto the not used as often medicines?

[RoughCollie]

What?

 

Jean, I know you don't like me. Maybe you should ignore my threads?

 

Well, to be fair, you didn't state the reasons for your questions. Those reasons can be filled-in by the reader's brain in various ways, which can be thought of as interpreting the question when no further information was available. The human brain likes to fill in the blanks, according to an interesting course I am taking on Ed-X, called The Science of Everyday Thinking.

 

I thought you could have posed the questions for various reasons:

 

1. Idle curiosity, which doesn't require a reason. I'm sure most of us have wondered about things from time to time, but don't have a motive for asking the question. We didn't have internet service for a long time, and that is when I noticed how many questions I have that stem from idle curiosity and it was frustrating not to be able to find out the answers immediately.

 

2. Various reasons that linked the seeming abundance of food allergies in younger people with the apparent lack of food allergies in people over 40 (in your experience). For example, you could have been thinking that many younger people don't really have allergies since older people don't. Or you could have been thinking that gluten free diets are helpful only to people with Celiac disease, and they are a fad for everyone else. Or you could be wondering if the onset of allergies in younger people is due to environmental reasons that occurred at the right time of life for the person to develop allergies.

 

I'm sure there are plenty more things you could have been thinking -- these are just off the top of my head.

 

***

 

Celiac disease is a serious disease -- it is an autoimmune disorder. There is more information on it here: https://celiac.org/celiac-disease/understanding-celiac-disease-2/what-is-celiac-disease/

 

[Bluegoat]

Yes, I know some adults with food allergies that they have had since childhood.

 

I think it's true to some extent that we are less likely to hear about adult's allergies.

 

But, from what I understand, medical research also says that serious allergies are now more common.  And I think it's also more common for some people to be weird about food in various ways, and that aspecty is cultural.

 

There are probably a variety of reasons they are more common - ones that immediatly come to mind are increase in c-sections, over-use of antibiotics, and withholding allergens and other with children.

[Luckymama]

One sister-in-law has been allergic to many foods since birth.

 

Dh developed a hop allergy (oh, the humanity!) 5-6 years ago from over-exposure due to growing hops for homebrewing. Apparently it's common among hop growers and pickers.

 

I think more people are aware of what allergic reactions, large and small, are.

[marbel]

I know 3 adults with food allergies, but I know lots of kids who have them.    I cook for people a lot, and I always ask if there are foods they can't eat.  Other than those 3 people, any allergies people mention are their kids'.

 

Anecdotal, of course.  My sample size is fairly small.   

[Slartibartfast]

I am allergic to dairy.

[Katy]

I know adults who are allergic to shellfish, lime, dairy, or wheat.  Most of them developed these allergies as adults, and half of them after taking antibiotics.

[3 ladybugs]

When I was pregnant with my older son I had peanut butter sandwiches ALL THE TIME. I also took a progesterone that was in peanut oil (IVF baby). I started to do that with my younger son in his pregnancy but I realized after about a month, that I couldn't do it. I was having to spend large portions of my day in the bathroom. So I stopped. When my baby (who is allergic to dairy but thankfully out growing it) was 2 I went to an allergist myself and it was determined that I am allergic to peanuts, and Cashews/pistachios. I LOVED pistachio pudding as a kid. And because of my younger son's allergies, we had went paleo for a while. Do you know how hard it is to be paleo and not eat cashews?? Needless to say I was shocked! 

 

Since that time, I have purchased peanut butter because my sons are not allergic to peanuts. However in making them a sandwich and then using the cutting board after them (I washed my hands but the cutting board looked clean), I developed symptoms. So we are now a peanut free house. :( My boys can have it if we are out, but I even try to avoid that. I think my allergy to them is getting worse EVERY year. 

 

I just turned 40 in the last 2 weeks. But I am adult onset food allergies. Full disclosure, between my 2 children I had lymphoma. To the best of my knowledge this had NOTHING to do with my food allergies though I might ask my oncologist next time I see her. ;)

[frogger]

My cousin(in her 50's) had so many and severe allergies as a kid nobody thought she would make it to adulthood. She still has most of them though things changed over the years.

 

My aunt in her 80's is allergic to nuts and a few other things.

 

These are people I know who have had allergies pretty much there whole life. A few others have developed allergies later in life.

Edited November 1, 2016 by frogger

[RoughCollie]

I forgot to say that my sister is allergic to eggs, an allergy that started about 5 years ago. One of my close friends, age 72, is allergic to garlic.

[HS Mom in NC]

Well, to be fair, you didn't state the reasons for your questions. Those reasons can be filled-in by the reader's brain in various ways, which can be thought of as interpreting the question when no further information was available. The human brain likes to fill in the blanks, according to an interesting course I am taking on Ed-X, called The Science of Everyday Thinking.

 

 

I don't think there's any need to state the reasons in every situation and in reality, people aren't always going to do it, so expecting it is setting themselves up for disappointment.  Parents should model and teach children to imagine a wide range of reasons instead assuming something negative by it.  It's an important life skill applicable in all areas of life that saves tremendous amounts of grief over a life time.  It can be as simple as saying, "I'm sure they have their reasons" or listing a wide range of possibilities like you did. 

[TravelingChris]

I developed lime allergy in my early thirties and recently developed an allergy to Dragon fruit (first time I tried it) and I am now in my early 50's.  My dh used to eat peanuts as a child and we even had a African dish we liked to make that had peanut butter in it.  He developed an allergy in his thirties.  My youngest developed her citrus fruit allergy as an older teen.  My son developed an allergy to strawberries and tea tree as an adult.   

 

I know one other adult with a food allergy- seafood.  I don't know when she got it but she is in her early 60's.  

 

None of us talk about our allergies that much.  Since citrus is so common in non food items too and my daughter's super allergic to inhaling citrus fumes, she does talk a bit more like announcing at restaurants that she is allergic and keeping away from restaurants that are likely to have a lot of citrus around- no island restaurants, for example.  I just stay away from lime things, like I avoided the dessert at a church woman's meeting because it looked like it might be key lime pie (it actually was lemon). If a dish says something about a citrus sauce, I would ask if I was interested in in,  Normally I just avoid and order the one with the lemon sauce (if my dd isn't with us).

[dirty ethel rackham]

I developed a shellfish allergy when I was 28. It became anaphylactic after I had H1N1 in 2009. I was 46 at the time. Immune system went haywire and my Hashimotos got worse then too. I have developed other food sensitivities since then as well. I know plenty of people who developed food allergies later in life.

 

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[Daria]

My son's grandmother suddenly developed a life threatening allergy to fish in her early 80's.

 

I know other adults with food allergies.

 

However, food allergies and other autoimmune conditions are absolutely on the rise.  The reasons are unclear at this point.