People at risk of allergies

• Children with at least one parent, brother or sister suffering from allergies.
• Children with eczema and allergic rhinitis at a young age are at greater risk for asthma⁷.

Risk factors for allergies

• The mother’s smoking during pregnancy and exposure to second-hand smoke in early childhood put children at greater risk for asthma^4,8.
• La air pollution is both a risk factor and an aggravating factor. It causes acute asthma exacerbations and worsens allergic rhinitis⁸. Also, climate change would have the effect of increasing the production of pollen by plants, in certain regions of the world.¹⁴.

• According to the hygienist hypothesis (see description above), the fact that children contract fewer viral infections at a very young age would contribute to allergies. Families, which are fewer and fewer – which reduces the exchange of infections between brothers and sisters – live in a more sanitized environment. Treatments to prevent and treat infections are also more accessible (vaccines, antivirals, antibiotics). A synthesis of studies found that children attending a nursery (nursery) contract more infectious diseases, but are less at risk of allergies⁹.
• Le abandonment of breastfeeding. Breast milk changes the composition of the intestinal flora of infants by enriching it with bifidobacteria which would reduce the risk of allergy¹⁰. Combined with exposure to bacteria and viruses, breastfeeding contributes to a good maturation of the immune system. On the other hand, the proteins contained in breast milk would be less irritating to the baby’s intestine and they would make the intestine less sensitive to allergenic molecules.
• Too few fruits and vegetables and too much omega-6. Dietary antioxidants and a healthy omega-3 / omega-6 ratio may be especially important during pregnancy and early childhood^4,11. Experts have noted the following changes in the diet of Westerners:

   

  — A reduced consumption of fruits and vegetables. These foods are important sources of antioxidants, for example vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids and selenium. There could be a link between their low intake and asthma^4,11. A lack of antioxidants in the lungs would make the respiratory system more susceptible to oxidative damage, inflammation and asthma¹². Thus, a diet low in fruits and vegetables would make people more sensitive to allergies.

   

  – Increased consumption of fatty acids omega-6, which is mainly found in certain vegetable oils (corn oil, sunflower oil and seeds, safflower oil, sesame oil and soybean oil) to the detriment of omega-3 (fatty fish, walnuts). Grenoble, flax seeds, etc.)¹¹. The Western diet provides an excess of omega-6, and a deficit of omega-3: which would cause cardiovascular diseases, allergies and inflammatory diseases¹³. See our Essential fatty acids sheet for more information.

• Being exposed to moisturizing creams or lotions containing peanut oil during the first 6 months of life would increase the risk of food allergy to peanuts²⁸. Exposure can come from creams applied to the mother’s nipples to relieve cracking caused by breastfeeding, or creams applied to the skin of infants to treat dry skin, diaper rash, etc. It seems that there are quite a few creams containing peanut oil on the market. In an American study of 13 children, 971% of mothers whose children had a peanut allergy had used this type of cream²⁹. To check if a product contains peanut oil, consult its list of ingredients or ask a pharmacist.