Why Are Americans Susceptible To Peanut Allergies?

The Prevalence Rate increase in peanut allergy in the United States began during World War II.During World War II, the United States switched to peanut cultivation due to war demand, which led to an epidemic of peanut allergy. Peanut butter has played an important role in American history, from replacing meat to becoming a battlefield ration to becoming a table staple for Americans, causing peanut allergy problems.

In addition, the rapid adoption of peanut butter as a main food for soldiers by the US military has also contributed to the increase in peanut allergy problems.

Baking has become the mainstream processing method, promoting the consumption of peanut butter, but it has also led to peanut allergy problems. Peanut allergy is caused by the immune system misrecognizing peanut protein, resulting in a severe allergic reaction.

The widespread use of penicillin is also believed to be a contributing factor to the peanut allergy pandemic in the United States. During the war, penicillin was required to be injected every 3 hours, and medical personnel were busy flying up. Later, scientists added peanut oil and beeswax to penicillin sustained-release formula, and the human body would metabolize peanut oil and beeswax, let the drug slowly cut and continuously release to the human body, and inject it once a day once every 3 hours, which also leads to a pandemic of peanut allergy.

The Prevalence Rate of peanut allergy in children in the United States is 8%, and that in adult Prevalence Rate is as high as 11%. However, peanut allergy is not common in Asia, and there are almost no cases of peanut allergy in children in China and Thailand. Related to the way peanuts are processed, the allergic reactions caused by roasted peanuts, which are common in the United States, are particularly serious, while boiling and frying in China can help reduce allergic reactions, because these cooking methods reduce the allergenic protein content.