The Rise of Allergies

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There's a lot of information out there talking about how rates of allergies are increasing. Do you think there is a genuine rise in the population of allergic diseases? Or do you think this is us being just better able to pick them up? For different countries, we might have different prevalence and incidence data because they might have qualified and gotten data about deaths in a different way than another country. Not everyone uses the same definition when you go to the emergency room.

Food allergies appear to be increasing globally, but as scientific understanding improves, some experts believe we may one day be able to eliminate them altogether. Ian Sample speaks to Dr Kari Nadeau, an allergy specialist at Harvard School of Public Health and author of the book The End of Food Allergy, to discuss why food allergies are on the rise and what we can do to prevent – and possibly even cure – them. Help support our independent journalism at theguardian.com/sciencepod