Recently Read: More and more people are developing food allergies later in life

We recently read an interesting article in the magazine 'Allergy & Nutrition' of the Food Allergy Foundation about allergies that develop later in life.
It seems that more and more people are susceptible to allergies. More and more young children are confronted with this, but there is also a striking development in which adults also develop an intolerance or allergy later in life. Remarkable! What are the causes of this? Allergy & Nutrition figured it out!

Genetic predisposition

In many cases, an allergy or intolerance is genetic and we inherit this from our parents or ancestors. We see this happening more and more often in practice. Brother and sister who both have the same allergy, or mother and daughter who both have a gluten intolerance. This appears to play an important role in the development of allergens.

Your immune system changes

Exposure to certain allergens at a younger age can lead to the development of an allergy or intolerance later in life. In addition, your immune system also changes as you get older. That can of course also have an influence. It can happen that you could eat hazelnuts without any worries until you were 30, but at the age of 31 you suddenly can't anymore.

It is also a fact that your intestinal flora can change over time. For example, your intestines can become more sensitive to certain nutrients. You may also notice this as you get older. It certainly does not necessarily have to be that certain allergies or intolerances are genetically determined.

This can also be caused by cross-reactivity. Hoogeveen (Food & Allergy, edition 2/2024) explains: "Some foods show similarities with pollen, latex or other allergens. If the immune system has previously been exposed to these non-food allergens, it may react to similar proteins in food, causing food allergies.”
It will also help if you are more resistant to infections, often because you were exposed to them at a younger age. Someone who is overzealous in terms of hygiene will build up less resistance and may therefore be more sensitive to allergies or intolerances later. You may have heard people say, "We used to play outside in the mud and didn't wash ourselves every day; and I was hardly ever sick!" There is some truth in this, because research shows that excessive hygiene makes you less resident for allergens. The layer of protection (see also next paragraph) on our skin therefore becomes more vulnerable and thinner. 

Skin reaction

Hoogeveen himself also comes to the conclusion that there may be a connection between the interaction with the skin. This means that the extent to which our skin reacts to exposure to certain allergens appears to have an influence. It seems that it is not just about how we consume food orally, but especially how our skin comes into contact with certain allergens. We have a layer of tissue on our skin that provides protection. If this is thin or disturbed, you are more likely to develop an allergy. As we get older, this layer of protection logically decreases.

 Source: Hoogeveen, A. Over voedselallergie op latere leeftijd. Vakblad Voedsel & Allergie,  jaargang 39, #2 2024, Stichting Voedselallergie.