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Allergic to peanuts? You're definitely in good company. Not only is it one of the most widespread food allergies in the United States, but it's also more difficult to outgrow than milk and egg allergies. Yikes! And, scarily enough, in recent years it's been gaining momentum, affecting more individuals than ever before. One could even consider it to be an epidemic.
That's according to a new study by the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute at New York's Mount Sinai Hospital. Researchers found that from 1997 to 2008, peanut allergies tripled from affecting 1 in 250 children to 1 in 70 children.
"It really is almost an epidemic," Scott Sicherer, MD, director of the Jaffe Food Allergy Institute, told CNBC's On the Money. "It's impossible to deny an increase, even with anecdotal reports from school nurses," he added, pointing out that "about two (children) per classroom have food allergies. It's not just our imagination."